Fidel Association

Fidel Association (Hebrew: עמותת פידל; 'Fidel' means 'alphabet' in Amharic) is an Israeli nonprofit organization dedicated to the education and social integration of Ethiopian-Israelis. Founded in 1997 by Ethiopian-Israelis together with veteran Israelis, it operates from within the community and draws on deep familiarity with its characteristics. The association runs a range of educational and social programs for the Ethiopian-Israeli community to advance their educational and social integration. The organization's vision is to enable every Ethiopian-Israeli child in Israel to succeed and realize their personal potential within the regular Israeli education system. Its goals include improving the academic, educational, and social achievements of Ethiopian-Israeli children and youth; preventing overt and hidden school dropout; encouraging parents to take responsibility for their children's education; identifying youth disconnected from normative frameworks and helping them reintegrate; and empowering parents at the personal and community levels. To achieve these goals, Fidel operates several flagship programs. It runs seven youth centers in neighborhoods with high concentrations of Ethiopian-Israelis, serving about 800 teenagers aged 13–18 daily with enrichment and academic advancement programs in the afternoons and evenings, including computer courses, learning centers, sports, and arts. Fidel pioneered youth centers for Ethiopian-Israelis, and since their establishment in 2005 they have provided a complementary educational framework for 1,700 teenagers. The Educational-Social Mediation program, an initiative of Fidel operating for over a decade, has trained 144 mediators in cooperation with academic institutions, who have assisted 17,000 students; the mediators, Ethiopian-Israeli academics, work in schools with high concentrations of Ethiopian-Israelis to foster cooperation among parents, students, and school staff, prevent dropout, and serve as role models. The Young Leadership program, launched in 2008, is a three-year track with weekly study sessions, personal coaching, educational tours, and community social initiatives; since its start, 270 teenagers have taken responsibility for their futures, improved their grades, and enlisted in the IDF for meaningful roles. In 2004, Fidel, together with the Moriah Fund, initiated the reopening of the Hadarim School named after Yona Bogale in Rehovot's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, a school with a very high percentage of Ethiopian-Israelis, which serves as a model for educational-social integration. From the experience gained there, a unique working model was developed for elementary schools with high percentages of Ethiopian-Israeli students, and since 2010 Fidel, the Moriah Fund, and the Israeli Center for Educational Innovation have operated a joint initiative in 17 elementary schools across the country, with Fidel's part focused on raising academic achievements while developing the community, guiding mediators, and instructing parent groups. Fidel has a professional and skilled staff alongside a broad volunteer network of individuals and employees of business companies. Board members serve entirely voluntarily and contribute significantly to the organization's activities. The association is active and continues to run its programs for the Ethiopian-Israeli community in Israel.

Fidel Association was founded in 1997 by Ethiopian-Israelis and veteran Israelis. The name 'Fidel' means 'alphabet' in Amharic, reflecting the organization's educational focus. It operates from within the Ethiopian-Israeli community and draws on deep familiarity with its characteristics. The association's vision is to enable every Ethiopian-Israeli child in Israel to succeed and realize their personal potential within the regular Israeli education system. Its goals include improving the academic, educational, and social achievements of Ethiopian-Israeli children and youth; preventing overt and hidden school dropout; encouraging parents to take responsibility for their children's education; identifying youth disconnected from normative frameworks and helping them reintegrate; and empowering parents at the personal and community levels. In 2004, Fidel, together with the Moriah Fund, initiated the reopening of the Hadarim School named after Yona Bogale in Rehovot's Kiryat Moshe neighborhood, a school with a very high percentage of Ethiopian-Israelis. The school serves as a model for educational-social integration. From the experience gained there, a unique working model was developed for elementary schools with high percentages of Ethiopian-Israeli students. In 2005, Fidel established youth centers, pioneering this framework for Ethiopian-Israelis. Since then, the centers have provided a complementary educational framework for 1,700 teenagers. The centers operate in seven locations, serving about 800 teenagers aged 13–18 daily with enrichment and academic advancement programs in the afternoons and evenings, including computer courses, learning centers, sports, and arts. The Educational-Social Mediation program, an initiative of Fidel, has operated for over a decade. It has trained 144 mediators in cooperation with academic institutions, who have assisted 17,000 students. The mediators, Ethiopian-Israeli academics, work in schools with high concentrations of Ethiopian-Israelis to foster cooperation among parents, students, and school staff, prevent dropout, and serve as role models. Currently employed mediators assist 880 children and parents in schools and parent guidance groups. The Young Leadership program was launched in 2008. It is a three-year track with weekly study sessions with professional facilitators, personal coaching for each participant, educational tours, and community social initiatives led by participants. Since its start, 270 teenagers have taken responsibility for their futures, improved their grades, and enlisted in the IDF for meaningful roles. Since 2010, Fidel, the Moriah Fund, and the Israeli Center for Educational Innovation have operated a joint initiative in 17 elementary schools across the country. Fidel's part focuses on raising academic achievements while developing the community, guiding mediators, and instructing parent groups. Fidel has a professional and skilled staff alongside a broad volunteer network of individuals and employees of business companies. Board members serve entirely voluntarily and contribute significantly to the organization's activities.

• 2010

  Joint initiative with Moriah Fund and Israeli Center for Educational Innovation began operating in 17 elementary schools.

• 2008

  Young Leadership program launched.

• 2005

  Youth centers established, pioneering this framework for Ethiopian-Israelis.

• 2004

  Fidel and the Moriah Fund initiated the reopening of the Hadarim School named after Yona Bogale in Rehovot.

• 1997

  Fidel Association founded by Ethiopian-Israelis and veteran Israelis.

Nonprofit organization advancing education and social integration of Ethiopian-Israelis, operating from within the community.

1. 1עמותת פידל | קהילה מובילה דרךfidel.org.il
2. 2עמותת פידל – ויקיפדיהhe.wikipedia.org
3. 3Fidel Association – Wikidatawikidata.org