Appleseeds

Appleseeds (Hebrew: עמותת תפוח, Tapuach) is an Israeli nonprofit organization founded in 2000 by businessman Leon Recanati. Its mission is to reduce the digital divide and improve socioeconomic mobility in Israel by making information and technology accessible to underserved populations. The organization operates a nationwide network of community knowledge centers and runs technology training programs for employment, youth, and digital literacy. Appleseeds focuses on three main areas: Employment, Education, and Digital Lifestyle. In employment, it offers professional tech certification programs, including coding bootcamps and basic computer courses, with a special emphasis on soft skills. These programs target women, ultra-Orthodox Jews, new immigrants, Arab and Druze communities, and residents of the geographic and social periphery. The organization reports a 75% job placement rate for its employment programs. In education, Appleseeds operates Net@, a technology youth movement for students in grades 5–12. Net@ promotes excellence in tech and social leadership, with 1,500 active participants in 20 towns and cities. The program spans four years and includes tracks for junior and senior high school students, with graduates receiving professional certification from Cisco Systems. Participants engage in programming, coding, graphic design, digital media, computer maintenance, networking, web development, and app development. In the Digital Lifestyle area, Appleseeds develops programs for people taking their first steps in the digital world, including senior citizens and welfare populations. Notable initiatives include the "Mitkablim" digital helpline, launched during the COVID-19 pandemic, which provides telephone support in six languages for technological issues, and the Digital Communities project, which has reached about 14,000 participants since December 2019. Appleseeds collaborates with 85 local authorities and reaches approximately 80,000 beneficiaries annually. It has 150 staff and field workers, operates 85 local sites, and provides 25,000 training hours per year. The organization partners with major companies such as Cisco, Microsoft, Intel, and Bezeq, as well as government ministries and foundations. In 2012, Appleseeds received the President's Award for Volunteerism.

Appleseeds (Hebrew: עמותת תפוח, Tapuach) was founded in 2000 on the initiative of businessman Leon Recanati. It began by establishing centers in the periphery with about 50 local authorities, aiming to teach internet skills and provide equal opportunity to 400,000 people, primarily through companies in the IDB Group. Later, Keren Hayesod, the Jewish Agency, and Cisco Systems joined a long-term 3–4 year project called Net@, which evolved into a youth organization and helped participants integrate into communications roles in the IDF. Over the years, Appleseeds engaged in various social projects, including training single mothers with WIZO, coding courses, and now deep training in technology and entrepreneurship and job placement. Since 2001, Appleseeds, together with Bezeq and other companies including Cisco, Microsoft, and Intel, has established and operated a network of community knowledge and communication centers across Israel in cooperation with local authorities. In the employment arena, Appleseeds leads a variety of technological training programs aimed at integrating people into the new world of work. The trainings range from basic courses in computer environments to advanced bootcamps for programmers, with a special emphasis on soft skills. The programs train thousands of people each year, targeting women, ultra-Orthodox Jews, new immigrants, Arab and Druze communities, and periphery populations. Appleseeds also operates the Alliance community, a network of leading industry volunteers who provide mentoring workshops. In the children and youth arena, Net@ is the technological-social youth movement of Appleseeds, promoting technological excellence and social leadership among children and teens. Net@ has 1,500 active participants in 20 towns and cities. Participants acquire theoretical and practical knowledge in programming, code, graphic design, digital media, computer maintenance, networking, website building, app development, and more. The Net@ program lasts four years, and at the end of each year, participants receive a professional certification from Cisco Systems. The Net@ Junior track is for grades 5–8, and the Net@ Senior track is for grades 9–12. Upon entering the senior track, participants join various experiential and volunteer tracks including young instructors, FIXIT (operating community computer labs), or social entrepreneurship. In the Digital Lifestyle arena, Appleseeds develops programs and projects for various audiences taking their first or basic steps in technological worlds. The organization helps those lacking digital literacy, including senior citizens and welfare populations, to change their lives through the intelligent use of technological tools, utilizing its network of technological knowledge centers and collaborations with authorities and other bodies. Notable programs include the "Mitkablim" digital helpline, developed with partners at the outbreak of the COVID-19 crisis, providing telephone assistance on technological topics in six languages to thousands of Israelis each year. The Digital Communities project, established in December 2019, has reached about 14,000 participants and focuses on digital literacy in areas such as online health, rights realization, financial management, and employment, in partnership with Israel Digital, the Ministry of Welfare and Social Security, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ramla Municipality, and the Hura Regional Council. Appleseeds collaborates with 85 local authorities and reaches about 80,000 beneficiaries annually. It has 150 staff and field workers, operates 85 local sites, and provides 25,000 training hours per year. The organization reports a 75% job placement rate for its employment programs. In 2012, Appleseeds received the President's Award for Volunteerism.

• 2020

  Launched 'Mitkablim' digital helpline during COVID-19 pandemic.

• 2019

  Digital Communities project established in December.

• 2012

  Received the President's Award for Volunteerism.

• 2001

  Began establishing community knowledge and communication centers with Bezeq and other companies.

• 2000

  Appleseeds founded on the initiative of businessman Leon Recanati.

Nonprofit organization bridging the digital divide and promoting socioeconomic mobility in Israel through technology education and access.

• Net@

  Technology youth movement for grades 5-12, with 1,500 active participants in 20 towns and cities. Four-year program with tracks for junior and senior high school students, offering professional certification from Cisco Systems.

• Employment Tech Training

  Professional tech certification programs including coding bootcamps and basic computer courses, with 75% job placement rate.

• Digital Lifestyle Programs

  Programs for digital literacy, including the 'Mitkablim' helpline and Digital Communities project.

1. 1Appleseeds Official Websiteappleseeds.org.il
2. 2עמותת תפוח - Wikipedia (Hebrew)he.wikipedia.org
3. 3Appleseeds - Wikidatawikidata.org