BEN-GURION UNIVERSITY | THE WAY FORWARD

communities. The program culminates with a poster symposium, where students present their research findings to their proud families, program leaders, ZIWR faculty, and community leaders. The program has high social impact, contributing to participants’integration in Israeli society and higher education, and bridging social gaps. In the Midrasha and Mevoot Hanegev High School Science Program, ZIWR faculty and students mentor high school students in their science matriculation studies and research, which is performed both at ZIWR laboratories and their schools, and organize additional educational activities for the high schoolers. Community Outreach Programs at the Faculty of Health Sciences The FOHS is driven by its founding mission to train humane, holistic, ethical, and skilled physicians and personnel oriented toward primary care and community service. Through the years, donors have partnered with the faculty to serve the community. Edy’s House is one of the faculty’s longest-standing community programs. A collaboration of BGU, the Israel Cancer Association, and the Beer-Sheva Municipality, Edy’s House was founded in 2000 with donor support to provide social and emotional support to people suffering from cancer, along with their families and friends. Edy’s House provides a range of therapeutic and supportive activities in a warm, homey setting, at no cost to participants. It was the first program of its kind in Israel. Today, with the ongoing assistance of donors, the center welcomes all in need of these services. Participants benefit from a holistic continuum of care that promotes physical well being, emotional resilience, creative expression, and social connection, providing meaningful support throughout the cancer journey. Community Action Department Outreach Programs The University’s Community Action Department runs a host of impactful programs that bring BGU students to the community and bring community members to the University, enriching the programs’participants, the community, and BGU students. In these programs, our students share

their enthusiasm, energy, interests, expertise, warmth, and compassion with individuals from weakened and marginalized segments of Israel’s population who typically have had little exposure to the world of academia and benefit greatly from this outreach, connection, and the knowledge they gain. These programs not only enhance the community – they enhance and enrich our students, imbuing them with social sensitivity, leadership skills, awareness of the dynamics at work in Israeli society, broadened horizons, and the understanding that they can make a difference and enact change. And through their involvement, students become both advocates for those left behind and leaders. Each year, over 1,000 students and community members are involved in programs run by the department. New programs include Pa’amei Academia, designed to encourage at-risk youth and young adults, including released prisoners, to consider an academic path; Engines Forward, aimed at exposing youth from the southern region to engineering and technology via BGU’s race car team; Hand in Hand to Academia, an initiative of the Department of Physics in memory of doctoral student Gideon Ilani and Prof. Sergey Gredeskul, which encourages excellence in advanced physics among high school students from the western Negev. Donors have been quick to partner with BGU’s Community Action Department, understanding the value of its programs to students and the community alike. Through their partnership and unwavering support, these donors enhance the lives of students, the organizations and projects the students are involved in, and the broader community. Below we highlight a few programs benefiting from donor support. Windows onto Campus Dreams Program The Windows onto Campus Dreams Program brings 12-15 prisoners from a local prison to BGU each year for a 15-session educational experience on the Marcus Family Campus. Since 2013, participants have attended introductory medical science classes taught by BGU medical students, visited research laboratories, and heard lectures from faculty across a range of disciplines. For prisoners without prior exposure to higher education, the program broadens

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