Yotzrim Atid is a national program for civic education for democracy in teacher training. The program operates from the understanding that the training of educators is a central arena for shaping civic responsibility and strengthening a shared democratic culture, and that teachers play a significant role in shaping Israeli society.
Yotzrim Atid was established following the events of October 7th 2023, by Dr. Vered Resnick and Dr. Yael Golan within the framework of the Mandel Program for Academic Leadership. Against the backdrop of a profound crisis in Israeli society and the recognition of education’s power to promote democratic culture, the program creates a systemic response for developing professional-civic identity in teacher training.
The program operates within a broad inter-institutional partnership, integrating academic learning, cross-cultural encounters, and civic-educational action. It is anchored in an approach of critical hope — a concept that connects the recognition of reality as it is with the belief in our ability to change it through education and action. Thus, the program connects knowledge, professional identity, and practice.
The guiding principles of Yotzrim Atid define how democratic values, civic identity, and educational action meet during the teacher training process. Through learning, experimentation, and field action, the program develops the ability among educators to act in the civic arena as part of their professional role. These principles accompany all learning, training, and action processes in the program, translating a broad democratic vision into daily educational practice.
Hope-Based Education
Hope as a motor for sustained civic action
Hope-based education constitutes the driving dimension of the program. The program addresses states of burnout, despair, and civic helplessness, working to strengthen efficacy, responsibility, and initiative. In the program’s view, hope is the ability to act even under conditions of uncertainty and complexity. Through learning, research, and field action, participants develop a sense of civic and professional agency, formulate a vision of a possible democratic future, and take proactive steps to strengthen democratic culture in Israel.
Action-Based Connection
Joint action as the foundation for civic partnership
Civic partnership is built through action within reality itself. Yotzrim Atid positions joint action with a tangible goal as a central way to create connections between people, groups, and institutions. Within educational and social initiatives, participants work together on burning civic issues, developing skills in relevant public discourse, conflict management, and partnership building. This action connects civic-ethical knowledge with complex reality on the ground, establishing active citizenship as an educational practice.
Cultivating Civic Identity
Shared identity, responsibility, and dialogue in a complex reality
Yotzrim Atid rests on the understanding that alongside diverse personal, cultural, gender, and national identities, there exists a shared civic identity that demands responsibility and respect between groups. In the program’s learning spaces, participants develop an understanding of the democratic contract, its values, and its rules of the game, learning to operate within it even in situations of dispute and polarization. Engaging with civic and current affairs enables the formulation of an informed position based on the values of equality, liberty, and human rights.
Entrepreneurial Action as a Pedagogical Principle
At the heart of the program stands entrepreneurial action as a core principle in teacher training. Students learn to identify social needs and develop educational responses, taking proactive action in arenas that extend beyond the classroom boundaries. Entrepreneurial action enables the connection between academic knowledge, professional identity, and civic commitment, generating experience in leadership and influence as part of the training process itself.
Inter-Institutional and Inter-Sectoral Encounter
The uniqueness of Yotzrim Atid lies in the ongoing encounter between students from different backgrounds, institutions, and regions. The encounter creates experiences of acquaintance and partnership, allowing for learning through a plurality of voices and engagement with social complexity. Thus, a tangible human infrastructure is built for active civic partnership and the shaping of a shared democratic future.
Connecting Education to Civic Responsibility
The program views educators as leading figures of change, possessing both professional and civic responsibility. It expands the perception of the professional role beyond the classroom walls and demonstrates in practice a vision of education as a force for changing reality.
The program invites institutions, organizations, and foundations to a long-term partnership based on research knowledge, the development of educational practices, and systemic impact.
