Association for Progressive Education in Honor of Meir Yaari
The Association is an NGO and NPO that develops and implements educational programs in Israel and abroad. These include: Educational programs, Conflict Resolution programs, Environmental programs, Youth Exchanges, and Cultural programs for Immigrants to Israel. The Association cooperates with similar organization in the Bangladesh, Belgium Canada, Cyprus, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Ireland, Japan, Jordan, Kosovo, Nigeria, Northern Ireland, PNA, Russia, Serbia, Spain, Sri Lanka Turkey, and the USA.
The goals of the Association within Israel and internationally are to promote:
- Intercultural tolerance and dialogue
- Democratic attitudes, civil rights and equality
- The elimination of poverty
- The advancement of social justice
- The absorption of new immigrants into Israeli society
All of this work is implemented through a series of programs which include:
- Seminars, conferences, symposia and research
- Conducting training activities and providing relevant information and skills
- Providing advanced training for community activists and young leaders
- Publishing periodicals, magazines and brochures
- Developing and maintaining working relations with organizations, institutions and private individuals for the promotion and advancement of the foundation’s goals
On the Israeli level, the Association works actively throughout the entire Israeli population in the hope of bringing gaps between the different communities. We work with Jews and Arabs and within the Jewish communities of Ashkenazic and Sefardic origin. The Association is also active with new immigrants and native Israelis. On the regional and international levels, The Palestinian-Israeli Declaration of Principles, signed in 1993, and the Oslo Agreements enabled us to develop an array of new joint projects in cooperation with Palestinian Arab citizens of Israel - though first and foremost with Palestinian institutions and organizations in the territories.
The Yaari association has been involved with many long term programs such as the Israeli – German youth exchange since 1991 which includes Arab and Jewish youth and native Germans and immigrants to Germany. We have developed and implemented the AllinPeace sports program in Greece which included 12 divided communities and was awarded two prizes by the UN and had two separate photo exhibits at the UN headquarters in New York. In addition the organizers of Expo 2000 have designated both the Youth Institute and Teachers Teaching Peace projects as model projects of international cooperation. For the past 5 years we have cooperated with Japanese NGOs with a trilateral Japan-Israel-Palestinian young women environmental exchange program.