Community – The Power to Change

How do we encourage local community action? What processes need to occur along the way? What are challenges and insights have arisen from the different community projects, and what is the recipe for a successful project?
A summary of 5 years of community action within the framework of the Partnership for Regional Sustainability

In 2015 Ramat Hanadiv initiated the Partnership for Regional Sustainability, bringing together the region’s five municipalities to guide and support community projects in Zikhron Ya’akov, Binyamina–Givat Ada, Jisr al-Zarqa, and the settlements in the Hof HaCarmel and Alona regions. Over the years, we developed a methodology and diverse tools for community motivation that connects people and place, and encourages local action.

We observed the welcome changes taking place in front of us: people connecting through an edible forest, residents connecting to the council through a wildflower project, increasing ripples of consideration and a connection to the adjacent natural landscape – valley, river, oak forest. These are just some of the community projects we supported.

The following booklet summarises 5 years of intensive community action and details the different projects that were run here; it is designed to inspire

you and to provide practical tools for those who strive to promote community-environmental action: employees of municipalities and community centres, non-profit organisations, environmentally conscious organisations, and projects of any kind.

The author of this impressive booklet is Tamar Arbel Elisha, who skilfully led Ramat Hanadiv’s Community Division. We thank the many residents who answered the call, and initiated and participated in the different projects, and the municipal heads and officials who assisted and took part in the initiative. They are the living spirit and the beating heart of this community action.

You are more than welcome to read, print, distribute and share!

To view the booklet, click the image below: