Community & Communality
The development of this discipline is reflected in several activities, as outlined below.
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Development of communality at the local level – establishment and empowerment of intentinal communities throughout Israel; development of models for community regeneration of neighborhoods using the tool set of communality: community-building events, encouragement of social activism, consolidation and empowerment of geographic and thematic communities, enhancement of the sense of belonging to the locality, and more.
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Promotion of a municipal strategy regarding community and communality – development of a model for the build-up of a municipal strategy regarding community and communality for the local authorities, combined with the establishment or consolidation of a community affairs division within the local authority. Development and implementation of a municipal strategy that encompasses all of the elements of the local authority. We believe that enhancing the sense of belonging to the locality and developing community resilience will position the urban space as a generator of communality, improve the quality of life, reduce negative migration of youngsters and young families and attract new populations, as well as promoting the establishment of mission-driven communities within the local authority.
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Promotion and development of an index for communality and quality of life in the neighborhoods/locality – a validated nation-wide scale to serve local authorities and neighborhoods to review the progress in the quality of life and communality.
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Training & instruction activities and development of the profession – development of the communality discipline nation-wide, with relevant functionaries in the local authorities and government perfect their professionalism. Promotion of research, instruction and certificate/academic studies, support for instruction and training by the council of mission-driven communities and community organizations on the ground.
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Allocation of budgets by the relevant government ministries – adequate budgeting and terms at the basis of the budget of the ministry leading the community-related activity. Promoting the issue vis-à-vis the government ministries in order to generate a dedicated budget for the community affairs divisions of the local authorities, and for programs in the category of community and communality development.
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Raising awareness and advancing the issue to the local and national agenda – through the media, conferences, rallying partners to the cause, et al.
Believing that communality is the best tool for reducing gaps and improving the quality of life in Israel's geo-social peripheral areas, the Shahaf Foundation established and consolidated the intentional community movement, and works to establish and empower communities in neighborhoods and towns. The Foundation aspires to advance communality as a profession and as a significant, prominent discipline on the desks of local authority and government decision makers.
"The city of Bat Yam is first and foremost a community.
For the first time, the Bat Yam Municipality under my leadership made the decision to establish a community division with the desire to meet a number of key needs: creating a sense of urban communality that would lead to a reduction in negative immigration and attract young people and families to the city, in addition to creating community resilience in emergency and routine. The Corona years brought to our doorstep the importance of community and its ability to create rapid social solutions and made us understand the need and enormous benefits that community development in the city has."
Zvika Brot, Mayor of Bat Yam
