A Galilee-based organization, founded by a former Israeli air force pilot brings Israeli Jewish and Arab youth together by teaching them technical skill, The Times of Israel reported Wednesday.
The organization called Moona, was founded by Asaf Brimer, who retired from the air force in 2008. Brimer’s vision is to “to take young adults and give them practical skills for the industry and give them mentorships,” while serving as “a facilitator to allow people to meet other kinds of people and to work together.”
Moona, is a trilingual pun. The word means “wish” in Arabic and is a syllable away from “moon” in English, and from “emunah” or “faith” in Hebrew. The goal of the organization is to give students technical skills that will open them up to opportunities in the high-tech sector.
The organization is based in the Arab town of Majd al Kurum, which is ranked of one of the cities in Israel with the lowest socio-economic status. Arab and Jewish students come Moona to work together in fields such as robotics, 3D printing and both hardware and software development.
“I grew up in a kibbutz and I and all the children growing there were always given the feeling that we were the best in the world,” Brimer told the Times. “That makes you grow up with a feeling that you can do anything. I grew up believing I was part of the best league in the world. So, I decided I needed to give that same feeling to others who have not been as fortunate as me.”
The programs at Moona are flexible. Businesses “tell us what their requirements and job opportunities are and we adapt our curriculum to their needs and match the students to the factory,” explained Ron Strugo, the manager of the Starter for Engineers program at Moona. “We give them the practical knowledge to meet the needs of the factories. Normally at school you are lacking practical experience and that is what we give them here.”
Moona has established three nationwide programs which had students build drones, quad-copters, and escape rooms. The video embedded below shows the results of the quad-copter building program earlier this year.
Students who were interviewed for the article had technical training, but little or no practical experience to help them get a job. Leadia Fauor, 33, and her 31-year old sister Marwa Fauor both have degrees in computer engineering from the Sakhnin College, but have been unable, so far, to find jobs in their fields. They are studying 3D printing at Moona and teaching classes there part-time.
“I didn’t work for many years because I didn’t have the experience needed,” Fauor said. “I wanted to find a job in my field.”
Moona, which is an NGO, receives its funding from donors and revenue earned by those involved in its programs. A number of tech companies including Qualcomm and Check Point Software Technologies, have also sponsored it. The Israeli government and the United States government through USAID have funded it too.
“We are very successful,” Brimer reflected. “We are only three years old and we have a budget of $1 million a year and a team of 10 fixed people/employees, Arabs, Druze and Jewish Israelis.”
Seven hundred fifty students have graduated from Moona every year and Brimer hopes that his program can serve as a model elsewhere in Israel and, even, internationally.
“I chose to focus on space, because space is a subject that is fascinating to youth. And in space you manage to overcome all earthly limitations,” Brimer said.
[Photo: Asaf Brimer / YouTube ]