About the project
Project Springboard: Building Jewish Identity & Empowerment in Jerusalem’s Ethiopian Young Adults Community
The Springboard Project is headquartered at the Yaacov Gladstone Leadership Development Centre for Ethiopian Jerusalemites in the Young Adults Centre. The Project focuses exclusively on mentoring young Ethiopian immigrants along the path towards successful integration into Israeli society. One key towards such integration is to help these youth overcome the barriers to meaningful army service and the future opportunities that such service brings. To that end, the Springboard Project is currently providing 455 young Ethiopian Jerusalemites in four major Jerusalem neighborhoods with support before, during and after their army service. Local program coordinators – themselves immigrants from Ethiopia with successful military experience – act as role models, offering participants one-on-one counseling, soldier- and parent-support groups, and guidance regarding post-army education and employment.
In addition, as a response to the disproportionate number of Ethiopian-Israelis holding menial jobs, Springboard has initiated a training program designed to place recruits in positions commensurate with their true skills and potential.
