The IMPACT Project

IMPACT (Inter-Mediterranean Peace And Collaboration)

IMPACT (Inter-Mediterranean Peace And CollaboraTion) is a consortium of higher education institutions (HEI), organizations, youth associations, and technology companies from Europe, Israel, and Morocco. Through its actions, the project aims to foster intercultural dialogue and soft skills development. It employs youth-friendly technologies and innovative pedagogies.
Our work plan includes the design and piloting of the virtual exchanges through (a) joint innovative Collaborative Online International Learning (COIL) modules; (b) joint virtual activities and events. (c) Toolboxes that provide innovative means and approaches for intercultural dialogue and collaboration through innovative digital technology and pedagogy will facilitate the designing of COIL modules and courses as well as joint activities and events. The participating HEIs in this program develop institutional strategies and policies to validate COIL courses, online workshops, and debates. These strategies and policies can be used as models or templates by other European institutions, third countries, and the world. All the IMPACT educational activities are accredited within the participant Institutions using ECTS, Virtual Exchange digital badges, or micro-credentials. All the provided certificates are  transferable and credible using Blockchain technology.

 

My name is Inbal Binyamini, I am an undergraduate student in the Department of Sociology, Anthropology and Political Science at Jezreel College. At the end of May, I took part in the IMPACT program, in which I took a soft skills course.
The course was held mostly remotely and dealt with learning skills on culture, interpersonal communication, leadership and taking responsibility in the world of academia and work, and even artificial intelligence. Students from many countries around the world took part in the course (Europe, the USA and Africa) and we were all privileged to acquire abilities and develop them according to the level required in Israel and around the world. The discussions were lively and I noticed that I even strengthened my debating and persuasion skills. The discussion about the use of artificial intelligence in academia in particular and in the world in general drew our attention to the advantages that accompany it, and at the same time made us look critically at what is actually happening and the current and future implications.
The last week of the course took place in Greece, where I gained fruitful learning with friends I had known until then only via Zoom. As part of the course, and especially this past week, I made connections on an international level and had a different learning experience amidst all this complex and difficult period. At the same time, it was important for us to carry out Israeli advocacy vis-à-vis the students, especially of the countries that partner with us – the countries of the European Union. We introduced them to Israel in the best possible way, starting with the connection that was created, Kiddush and Friday dinner, warm hospitality and especially the sharing and explanation of what is happening in Israel from our side.
Since the instruction of the school week was that there was no room for politics, mainly so as not to create conflicts over the war in Israel, we were not given the opportunity to stand in front of everyone and explain what we have been going through in recent months. However, in personal conversations that took place freely, we managed to make them understand who we really are, who Israel is, and what difficulties we are currently experiencing. For some it was their first time meeting Israelis, some learned to love us and some continued to argue with us. Our goal was that when people think of Israel, they would think of us, of the group they met. The world doesn’t know what’s happening in Israel, doesn’t know about the abductees, doesn’t know about the massacre, doesn’t know about the north, and most of them don’t know about the Iranian attack. It is our duty as an Israeli society to ensure advocacy where we can, to disseminate, to share, to tell our story

The IMPACT project has launched a new International Leadership course.
Expert lecturers from different countries teach a wide range of English language classes online to Israeli, Greek, Polish, German, Dutch, Moroccan, and Norwegian students.
This course explores the core principles and practices that makes a leader. The students are exposed to ethical considerations in leadership, strategies for managing change and organizational dynamics, and the application of emotional intelligence in leadership practices.
In the course, students analyze and apply core leadership theories, hone their communication skills, learn techniques for motivating teams, apply critical thinking in decision-making, and techniques for conflict resolution and negotiation.
Thus, they gain insights into different leadership styles and develop their own personal leadership vision, while identifying areas for growth.
The last week of the course takes place in Chania, Greece, where all students are given the opportunity to meet, practice and experience what they have learned.
Each year the Yezreel Valley College holds a screening process and a number of students are selected to take part in the International course.