Who Are We?
We are building Betna to strengthen social and civic mobilization in pursuit of equality and social justice. This vision is implemented by establishing an independent, rooted, and influential grassroots youth infrastructure—a solid foundation for encouraging Arab citizens to engage in civic life and maintain ongoing interaction with the public sphere.
Movement Principles
Independent; Rooted; Influential
Independent; Intellectual Autonomy
Empowering youth to form and shape their own critical and independent opinions, perspectives, and visions regarding their identities, affiliations, and intellectual and social choices—through dialogue, reflection, and the continuous refinement of ideas and expressions. This is achieved by enriching them with the worlds of art, culture, and thought.
Rooted; Deep Belonging
Strengthening the ties between the various circles of belonging experienced by youth. In this context, the movement places great importance on structured and intensive educational work aimed at exploring the tensions and complementarities among different layers of identity—sectarian, denominational, local, regional, national, civic, and cultural affiliations. Specifically, the movement aspires to provide educational spaces for youth to explore points of connection and friction between their multiple and diverse affiliations.
Influential; Influential Leadership
Preparing participants for future leadership roles across various fields by training them and equipping them with the skills and competencies needed for leadership and influence within their places of study, work, and residence. In this spirit, the movement seeks to deepen Arab youths’ understanding of the social, economic, and cultural processes that have shaped the unique character of Arab society in Israel.
Main Themes of Our Annual Program:
Networking / Belonging and Questions of Identity / Pluralism and Tolerance / Leadership / Arts and Literature as Tools for Social Change / Journalism and Media / Nature and Humanity / Social Initiatives and Public Participation.
Betna also strives to equip youth with the personal skills necessary to meet the challenges of the 21st century and to prepare them for integration into educational and professional frameworks, and in the social and public spheres:
Critical thinking and problem-solving / Creativity and innovation in addressing challenges / Interpersonal communication / Teamwork / Self-expression / Strengthening curiosity and exploration / Initiative / Long-term commitment / Perseverance and goal-setting / A sense of empowerment / Adaptability and the ability to effect change.
Betna operates through a wide range of activities, including:
Interactive workshops, indoor and outdoor activities, field tours and trips, leadership camps and trainings, local initiatives, enrichment lectures, meetups, and communication and networking among Betna chapters.
Work Program:
At Betna, we offer complementary educational programs grounded in established literature on the development of educational, ethical, and intellectual leadership in general, and the training of young and local leaders in particular. The program also adopts an approach to leadership development that relies on developing an ethical and value-based perspective.
Betna’s work program seeks to enrich and develop youth’s abilities to address the following questions in a deep, open, critical, and realistic manner:
Who are we, and who will we become?
Where do we stand, and what lies ahead of us?
