IVNnewsletter
Happy Passover!
  
Dear Members, Friends and Supporters of IVN,
 
During this season of renewal and family celebrations, we are pleased to bring you highlights from the inspiring activities of IVN's social and business entrepreneurs, mentors, and partners.
 
We have recently gathered at one of Israel's venerable agricultural schools near Acco, in the north, and at the home of Israel's Ambasador to the United Nations in New York. Both showcased IVN's approach of having passionate and dedicated social leaders in Israel work with successful entrepreneurs and executives to create sustainable social change.

We wish you an enjoyable Pesach.

Eric Benhamou                                 Benny Levin 
Chairman                                          Vice-Chairman
  
Gabriela Shalev, Israel's Ambassador to the UN, Opens her Home to IVN
 
In January, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Gabriela Shalev, welcomed IVN's New York members, friends and supporters to her residence.
 
Gabriela Shalev Addresses IVN Gathering at her Home
shalev-ny event
  
 
Ambassador Shalev spoke of the inspiring and important service that IVN is contributing to the growth and strengthening of Israel's civil society. Benny Levin, IVN's Vice-Chairman, described IVN's work and shared stories of individuals from the private and public sectors working together to bridge gaps. Thank you to HSBC Bank for sponsoring this event and for being a supportive corporate member. Kudos to Gil Galanos, Event Chair, for his efforts connected to this event. We are already welcoming a number of new members to IVN as a result of this event.
  
 Spotlight on IVN Entrepreneur, Fadi Elobra
 
Fadi
Rahat, the largest Bedouin settlement in Israel, is one of the poorest cities in Israel, with 80% of the population under 29 and an extremely high unemployment rate. Dismayed by the lack of education facilities in his impoverished local area, 25-year old Fadi Elobra established Duroos Learning Center in 2008.
                                              
                                                                                 Fadi Elobra 
 
The Center offers English and math as well as prep courses for matriculation exams and for university entrance exams. Unlike most of the prep courses in Israel, these courses are in Arabic. The pioneering Center has become vital to the community, and in quick succession branches have opened in six Bedouin settlements in the Negev. Altogether, almost 1,000 students -- from toddlers to adults -- are enrolled in the Centers.
 
"These students are now achieving results that were considered impossible in the Bedouin sector," says Fadi. Duroos is quickly becoming a beacon of education and a gateway to higher education in the Bedouin sector. Fadi is working with IVN mentor Ziv Mendel, co-CEO of John Bryce Training. Fadi says, "I have always been socially active but have no background in being an entrepreneur and certainly no experience in running a venture of this kind. Ziv has a completely open mind; he listens and gives me pragmatic advice and support. Apart from the amazing chemistry that Ziv and I have, he has enabled me to take what began as a small idea and a small plan and turn it into something that is having a huge impact on the Bedouin Negev community."
In July 2009, Fadi was awarded Best Entrepreneur of the Year, an annual competition run by The Keren Shemesh Foundation for Young Entrepreneurs. Fadi is an engineering student at Ben Gurion University. In order to fully devote himself to this amazing initiative, Fadi decided to take a break from his studies. He plans to return to University in September to begin his third year.
Benny Levin and Eitan Wertheimer at Zafona's Industrialists' Evening
 


Benny Levin and Eitan Wertheimer congratulate Zafona Academy graduate Ofer Azran

Northern Industrialists

 
Close to one hundred business people from the Galil who have participated in the Zafona Program gathered at the beautiful campus of the Manof Youth Village near Acco in Northern Israel to share experiences and network with peers. Eitan Wertheimer spoke about his vision for increasing the productivity and export capability of the small and medium sized businesses of the Galil and also of the Negev. Benny Levin described the important contributions of IVN's volunteer mentors to the Zafona program, explaining that every businessperson needs a sounding board. He also reminded the industrialists of the North of their responsibility to give back to their own communities and that doing so would make their own businesses stronger.
 
 
  
 
Marketing Mondays in March for IVN Social Entrepreneurs
 
 
Marketing Mondays
 
For three consecutive Monday mornings in March, the Social Entrepreneurs of IVN had the opportunity to participate in a series of workshops highlighting various aspects of marketing.  The topics covered included Public Relations and New Media, Social Media for Social Change Organizations, Do-it-Yourself Grantwriting and Reporting: the Essential Elements.  The series of workshops culminated in a panel discussion with representatives from several  types of funding agencies.  They provided  valuable feedback on the presentations of the IVN Social Entrepreneurs.  The workshops were conducted by IVN's professional team and invited guest speakers. The response to the series was very positive and additional topics are being considered.