Article
Communities start to push the right buttons [Israel & Occupied Territories]
...Cisco Systems chose Nazareth as the location to pilot an enhanced version of its Cisco Networking Academy Programme, a global initiative that teaches young adults to design and build computer networks...The Nazareth programme...brought together 50 Arab and Jewish high school students for a two-year IT course...The Nazareth experience...led to the creation of Neta, a comprehensive educational initiative focused on empowering youths from the country's underserved communities, including Bedouins, Arabs, orthodox Jews and the children of recent immigrants, all groups typically excluded from the high-tech workforce...The [new] Mediterranean Youth Club initiative will also be a chance to have Palestinian and Israeli youths work together, at least virtually, something that has not been possible with the Neta programme...[T]he children...know that technology is just an enabler. Ms Rizeq, [a] student from the first Nazareth programme...sagely put matters in perspective: "What is it worth communicating in a millisecond with the entire world when you don't have any contact with your next door neighbour and you don't even know him?"