Rinat Baruch – “Shatil’s Disabilities Course Gave Me Hope”

Rinat Baruch, a lawyer with CP, said Shatil’s Integrated Course for Social Change in the Area of Disabilities, in cooperation with David Yellin College, gave her the courage and the tools to transform her dream of full employment for people with disabilities into reality. As her graduation project, she is planning a pilot course, “The Courage to Transform Dreams into Employment,” which will begin in October at Beit Izzy Shapira. Another course initiative is a monthly hike organized by and for people coping with psychiatric disabilities who for various reasons have a hard time leaving their homes. “The beauty, openness and quiet in nature as well as the feeling of family created by our joint meals are healing,” said Sima Levi, a course participant who developed this project.

Levi describes the course’s impact on her life: “The course enabled me to come out of my shell and to see that there are possibilities for change and that there is hope. It also opened my eyes to the challenges people with other disabilities face and allowed me to have more perspective on my own. The frank and equal meeting with the students at David Yellin, our mutual desire to learn and grow together, was cause for optimism.”

Trainings, Workshops and Symposia – Professionalizing our Work for Social Change
Each year, Shatil offers more than 100 courses and workshops that enhance the knowledge and strengthen the skills of social activists in areas such as community organizing, project development, proposal writing, and organizing public campaigns. At these courses, representatives of different organizations and grassroots activists take advantage of the rare opportunity to network, learn from one another and discover common agendas and future areas and methods of collaboration.

In addition to top Israeli professionals, Shatil hosts international experts who lead special workshops in such areas as non violent conflict management, collaborations and Facilitative Leadership.

Many of the longer courses require participants to plan and implement a project in the field with Shatil guidance. Some of these projects have led to life-changing initiatives. These include teaching parents and preschool teachers about proper nutrition, which resulted in significant improvements in young Bedouin children’s diet.

Selected List of Courses

• Bedouin Women’s Leadership in the Negev
• From Immigrant Student to Social Entrepreneur
• International Advocacy: Using the International Arena to Advance Social Change
• Collaborations as a Tool for Fundraising for Religious Pluralism Organizations
• Resource Development for Environmental Organizations: Widening the Circles of Potential Donors
• Strategy, Positioning and Branding
• Social Change Leadership for People with Disabilities
• Standing in Front of a Camera and a Microphone
• Financial Management and Budget-Building for NGO Directors in the Triangle
• Finding the Leader Within: For 11^th and 12^th Grade Youth in Rahat

Shatil’s course booklet, published annually in September, describes the rationale, goals, content and target audience of each offering (in Hebrew).

To register for a course at Shatil, contact Hila Castro in Jerusalem at 0732-445181 or email Hila