Young Leaders Rise at the Leadership Training Institute for Arab Teens

Just last week something remarkable happened in a quiet forest in northern Israel: 900 teens from across Arab society, Muslim, Christian, and Bedouin, gathered for a week of leadership training. They came from Rahat in the south to Tuba-Zangariyye in the north, representing dozens of branches of Hanoar Haoved Vehalomed (NOAL), Dror Israel’s associated youth movement.

900 Arab teens from villages, cities and towns across Israel came together to learn, make new friends and take on responsibility in their communities.

This annual Leadership Training Institute serves as a launchpad for a new year of youth movement activity. It’s where the next generation of Arab leaders takes shape, learning to navigate social challenges, take responsibility, and build community with intention and care.

Led by dozens of experienced educators and teen counselors, many of them young Arab women participating in staff roles for the first time, participants developed leadership skills, strengthened their sense of personal and collective agency, and gained tools for responding to crises. One key session explored life-saving skills and emergency preparedness, not just for war scenarios, but as part of daily community resilience. The experience laid the groundwork for deeper programming during the school year, including first aid and ambulance driver trainings.

Like all NOAL activities, teens were encouraged to reflect on their community's reality, form their own opinions, and take responsibility to create positive change.

One powerful moment of the week came during the final evening, when participants took part in a silent, participant-led demonstration. Each group chose a social issue that affects their daily lives. They created signs, prepared messages, and walked together into the central clearing to express what weighs on them most. The issues they chose, such as violence in Arab society, inequality, and more, were both deeply personal and strikingly collective. 900 teens stood in silence for victims of community violence.

“You chose to bring the painful issues of our society to the center of the conversation, especially the plague of violence and crime that threatens every one of us,” said Shadi Zuabi, Director of NOAL’s Arab branches. “We discussed the roots, the consequences, and how your generation can help lead change. We must all, educators and participants, stand together and say: enough.”

Teens gained leadership skills to guide younger participants in weekly branch activities, school outreach, and even emergency programming in bomb shelters and safe rooms.

This kind of seminar reflects years of trust-building. For the first time, girls from towns where overnight trips were once off-limits came and stayed for the full week. It marked a quiet but significant shift, made possible by long-term community engagement and relationships.

As NOAL celebrates its 100th year, the Arab branches are expanding as driving forces for change. This summer’s Leadership Training Institute marked a meaningful leap forward, as hundreds of teens stepped up to lead, connect, and shape a future rooted in shared responsibility and hope.

The overnight camp included hikes and trips, giving teens a chance to explore nature and build friendships across communities.