The Challenges of Social Engagement in Israel: Volunteering, Philanthropy and Civil Society within Changing Reality

The Challenges of Social Engagement in Israel: Volunteering, Philanthropy and Civil Society within Changing Reality

30.04.2018

The Center for the Study of Civil Society and Philanthropy in Israel held its annual conference on April 20, 2018. The conference focused on the challenges of civic engagement in Israel and the promotion social engagement as an integral component to the existence of an active and strong democracy.  Three arenas were explored at the conference: civil society, volunteerism and philanthropy. The conference dealt with the challenges faced within these arenas and the interfaces between them. With the help of research findings from Israel and around the world, knowledge from the field, and models of action, we attempted to examine the ways in which to deal with the aforementioned challenges, and to promote the contribution and the impact of social engagement in the development of society and the economy in Israel.

The opening session was led by Prof. Lucas Meijs of Erasmus University in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, one of the leading researchers in Europe in the field of social engagement. Prof. Meijs presented the challenges to social engagement in a global perspective. Following his lecture, a discussion was held, led by a cross-sectoral panel on the challenges of social engagement in Israel.

The second session was comprised of six parallel workshops took place in which key questions concerning the state of social engagement in Israel were discussed, and new concepts and models of action from the world and from Israel were presented to promote social and civic engagement.

The Third and final session discussed the future challenges of social engagement in Israel, while addressing issues of social engagement in the era of technology and information; the challenges of civil society, identity politics, multiculturalism and diversity in social engagement.

The conference was a joint initiative of the Center for the Study of Civil Society and Philanthropy at the Hebrew University; the Israeli Volunteer Initiative of JDC Israel-Ashalim; Gandyr Foundation; Sheatufim; Intel; JDC Former Soviet Union; The Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services; the National Emergency Authority in the Ministry of Defense; the Ministry of Education; the Office for Social Equality; the Ministry of Health; the Office of the Prime Ministry; and the National Insurance Institute.

There were 350 attendees at the conference, including researchers, students, national and local government representatives, representatives of non-profit organizations and of philanthropic foundations, as well as of volunteer organizations.