BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY | THE WAY FORWARD

Bridge to Academia Program Bridge to Academia is a unique program for outstanding and highly motivated 10th-12th graders from the Negev Bedouin community. It aims to (1) expose these high schoolers to academia, and particularly STEM disciplines, place higher education on their radar, and expand their career horizons beyond the medical professions; (2) address the unique challenges Bedouin students face in academia; and (3) tackle existing gaps and obstacles to academic achievement in STEM subjects. The program engages and challenges participants with a rich curriculum emphasizing academics, experiential learning and skill development, social empowerment, and mentoring. Since its establishment in 2020, the Bridge to Academia has become the leading excellence program for outstanding Bedouin youth in the Negev. There were 530 applicants from 35 Negev schools for the 2025-26 academic year, of whom only 60 were selected to form the program’s sixth cohort. Fifty-five of the 87 students enrolled in the first three cohorts completed the program, with 50% now studying in STEM disciplines and 33% studying in medical disciplines. With high demand for the program and incoming cohorts that are over twice the size of the initial cohorts, the number of graduates will rapidly increase.

This growth has been enabled by the support of donors committed to realizing the potential of Negev youth and the region, and they share in the Jusidman Center’s accomplishments and those of each of the center’s graduates. COMMUNITY OUTREACH Community outreach is in BGU’s DNA. The University, which has a department dedicated to providing opportunities for community involvement, also encourages other departments to leverage their unique expertise to support the community. As a result, community outreach is woven into the fabric of life at the University. We are pleased to highlight some of the donor supported outreach efforts taking place at the University. Community Outreach Programs at the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research The Tipa Bamidbar Program (A Drop in the Desert) is the ZIWR’s flagship educational initiative, introducing Bedouin high school students to university-level research in water and related fields. In the program, participants are mentored as they perform research, gaining valuable academic and research skills, increased awareness of water and environmental issues, and exposure to advanced water technologies that can improve the quality of life in Bedouin

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