David Krispin is now a certified computer technician and network operator.

July 28, 2008 / 25 Tammuz 5768

For talented young people living in Israel's periphery, one opportunity can be all that stands between success and failure. Tom (not his real name) was homeless and lived on the streets with his mother. He was at risk of dropping out of school. By chance, he was in school when representatives of Net@ came to talk about the program that trains youngsters from the periphery to be network operators and computer technicians and develop their social leadership skills. Tom loved computers and applied for the program. He is now an outstanding student in the course, and upon graduation he will have the ability to move from a life of poverty to working in the high-tech field.

Net@, a program of the Jewish Agency for Israel with the support of UJC and Federations of North America, Keren Hayesod, international technology giant Cisco Systems and Tapuach, the Israeli Society for the Advancement of the Information Age, is helping thousands of high school students like Tom in Israel's periphery and development towns. The after-school program trains disadvantaged high school youth to design, build and maintain computer networks while learning to work as part of a team and developing a sense of volunteerism and community leadership.

After passing the exams, graduates of the four-year program, in which learning English is an important element, become certified computer network technicians and proudly receive Cisco's internationally recognized CCENT certification as network managers and operators.

Net@ instructor Ronen Amsalem believes in his students.

Ronen Amsalem, 38, is a Net@ instructor in a regional high school near the Lebanese border. He became an instructor "to help kids from the periphery to move forward and to break the negative stereotypes many of them have about themselves."

"My students in Net@ have to work very hard to be in this program," says Ronen. "It is run twice a week, from 4-8 pm, and involves homework above and beyond their regular work. Because this is a regional high school, some of these kids leave home at six in the morning and don't get home until nine at night. But they love it. They are learning that if they invest in education, they can succeed."

For Charles Rizaq, Net@ was more than another after school program.  Charles' father, a southern Lebanese soldier, was killed in Lebanon. As Israel forces left Lebanon in 2000, Charles, his mother and brother moved to Israel. It was very difficult for Charles to learn Hebrew and adjust to living in Israel. With the support of the Net@ instructors and students, Charles made great strides in Hebrew and in English, and became very popular. During the Second Lebanon War, when most of the other families left the region, Charles and his family had no place to go. The Net@ program assisted in sending the family to a hotel in Netanya, and kept in touch with them until they could return home. 
 
David Krispin, 18, from Ramle, a town that struggles with poverty, crime and unemployment, has just graduated Net@ and is excited about his future. "Four years in the Net@ program has changed my life. I am now an internationally certified computer network technician, and I was accepted into the army's prestigious intelligence unit. Through the social activities, I became much more involved in volunteer initiatives and gained a lot of self-confidence. This program is really a key to my future."

Completion of the program is the beginning of a process of change. Net@ opens doors to prestigious technological units in the IDF, higher education and high-tech professions while helping raise students’ self-esteem and confidence and teach values of civic responsibility.

Golan Beher concentrates during a Net@ class in Sderot.

Golan Beher, from the beleaguered southern town of Sderot, says that there is life in Sderot despite the constant barrage of Kassam rocket attacks, and that includes being part of a program like Net@.

"This program is great," he says with 15-year-old cool. "The army's best technological units need people like me, who are already trained. They may even support my college education. From there, I will be able to advance in the high tech sector."

Net@ participants on one of many field trips throughout Israel.

Both David and Golan feel empowered socially, and are more aware of the need to give back to the community. Through their volunteer activities with Net@ they serve as role models for younger kids in their neighborhoods.

Net@ is highly subsidized, and students pay only a minimal sum for the entire four-year program. Without this support, a large majority of the students would not be able to afford such a high-level, intensive, program.

Net@ is closing the digital divide in Israel. It currently operates in 23 communities throughout Israel. There is an urgent need for the program to expand, to give young teenagers from the periphery the chance to fulfill their high tech dream, to strengthen Israel's future cutting-edge technological capacity and secure its social and economic growth.