Development Of Social Activity And Civic Engagement Among Israeli Students

Abstract

Civil education at school plays a significant role in the development of civic engagement among students. Educational programs focused on values, positions, and critical thinking skills enable young people to become active and independent participants of civil and political activities. The scope of students’ involvement in public life and the format of civic engagement often differ significantly from country to country. The article dwells on the results of implementing the innovative civil education program “Civil Initiative” for high school students in Israel. This program expands the competencies of students in the field of civil culture and civic engagement; it involves changes at the content and technological levels, as well as dismantling the hierarchical structure of managing the educational process and replacing it with participatory structures with elements of subsidiarity. The research results show that the program changes the students’ understanding and perception of leadership, volunteering and participation in the life of the local community, choice of a future profession, effective use of leisure, a sense of involvement and belonging to society, compliance with rules and laws, and democracy values. Participation in the program allowed Israeli high school students to start socially important activities outside school for the benefit of local heterogeneous communities.