In late January, Project Wadi Attir hosted a joint day of learning organized by the Mandel Center for Leadership in the Negev, in which the project was presented as a case study in leadership and sustainability in the Negev.
The learning day brought together both the Mandel Center’s Beer Sheva Program as well as it’s Wadi al-Khalil Local Leadership Program. Yunes Nabari, PWA’s Project Manager, is currently a fellow in the Wadi al-Khalil Program, a two-year fellowship which seeks to “create a local leadership group that will act on the basis of a shared professional and social vision, and will be involved in leading change processes in the towns and settlements of the Wadi al-Khalil region.”
Fellows in the Mandel Program for Local Leadership in Wadi al-Khalil. PWA Project Manager Yunes Nabari pictured, center, in blue checkered shirt.
Yunes leading a tour on the PWA site
While touring the project site, the group was addressed by Mohammed Alnbari, Mayor of Hura, and Michael Ben-Eli, Founder of The Lab. Dr. Ben-Eli explained The Lab’s definition of sustainability and its sustainability principles, which have governed the development of PWA, and talked about turning dreams into tangible reality. Mayor Alnabari discussed leadership and change in the Negev, saying, “The most important product to create is hope, and the number one enemy is ignorance and stereotypes.”