Main Projects / Activities

Our Leadership High School provides a stellar education for 250 Bedouin boys and girls from more than 20 villages. Students complete rigorous studies in small classes, 1/3rd of which are taught in Hebrew and led by Bedouin and Jewish instructors who teach and exhibit leadership, active citizenship, and peaceful coexistence. Formal studies are complemented by an ambitious, daily after-school program where students participate in technology and entrepreneurial clubs, arts, sports, weekly volunteer placements, and training in leadership and life skills. Surf club, robotics, and a nationally competitive biking team are just a taste. We are cultivating a sense of ‘choice’ with our students and teachers and have built into the framework many opportunities for students to exhibit more responsibility and initiative through choosing specializations in various courses, as well as in afterschool enrichment opportunities. Students hail from all 7 Bedouin townships and around 10 unrecognized villages. In the coming months, 11th and 12th graders will be able to register for an after school ‘club’ that provides 80 hours of training to become MADA volunteers. This will enable them to provide emergency services in their communities and set them up for a high-demand career
For the first time ever, we are bringing our educational model to three other Bedouin high schools to enrich the educational programs for students outside of our direct programming: in Kseife, Arara B’Negev, and Abu Krenat. This includes a mix of the ‘leadership megama’ for bagrut and the informal educational model used in our after school center. Through this new programmign we will reach over 100 new students this year.
70 young Bedouin men and women participate in our leadership gap year programs each year. These programs offer rigorous academic coursework with a focus on Hebrew and English, social entrepreneurship courses, outdoor leadership training, counselor certification, a deep exploration of one’s multifaceted identity, relationship building with Jewish peers, and nationwide trips to meet Israel’s diverse populations. The men’s program is full-board at Wadi Attir (previously Kibbutz Ruhama), and our women’s program meets for 8-9 hours daily in Be’er Sheva in line with cultural constraints. Through everything, we instill the importance of taking responsibility for one's community and making sure one's personal success contributes to the success of the community and to the country. Over 90% of participants will be first generation college students.
Our gap year programs provide an incredible foundation for success. Our Graduates Program continues guiding and supporting our stars for the following 10 years. At our Graduates Center in Be’er Sheva, stars receive weekly tutoring, a platform for volunteering and social activism, opportunities for scholarship and enrichment, employment guidance, and more. Though a young organization, our graduates are already breaking glass ceilings, such as being the first Bedouins in prestigious programs such as Cadets for Local Academy, or in their chosen area of study at various Negev colleges. Professors report that unlike their peers, our stars sit at the front of the class and aren’t afraid to ask questions. Rates of participation in the graduates program average around 90% for the first 4 years after completing the gap year program.
As we grow, so do our alumni! Beginning in 2023, we separated our alumni into two programs for our graduates: one for graduates in their first 5 years after completing their gap year programs, and one for those 5 or more years post-gap year. This enables us to better tailor our support based on the stage of life – beginning and thriving in university, as well as growing in one’s career field and building a family.
Our growing Youth Movement just began its 4th year and has grown to 15 groups in 10 different towns. Each group meets twice weekly – once for value-based learning and then once to implement what they learned through a volunteering initiative in their town. 4 times a year, all groups come together for trips and workshops, to get to know one another and share feedback on various programming and what worked well in each town. Participants in their second or third year of the program become ‘junior counselors’ and each year around 2 dozen are selected to participate in Ministry of Education counselor training program as ‘Madatzim’ where they train alongside Jewish peers and learn group facilitation.
We are proud to introduce the “Stars in Tech” training program set to begin in November 2024 after an intensive 4 months of recruitment. The program is in partnership with the Ministry of Innovation and the tech company Elevation. Built in 4 distinct phases, participants will receive significant training in English and Hebrew, as well as soft skills required to integrate into a largely Jewish-workplace, and finally, intensive tech training in one of three areas to then begin working in a tech-placement arranged by Elevation. We are excited to update you throughout the program, which we hope will result in the training and placement of 50-60 young Bedouin in hitech companies.
Our Community Department works to continue to build trust within the Bedouin community and involves a number of partnerships with other Bedouin NGOs and localities including scholarship programs for Bedouin university students, opportunities to invite us for volunteer work or lectures, and more.
All of these programs target Bedouin youth and young adults ages 12-28 from all tribes and towns from across the Negev. Many of our participants are the first in their family to attend higher education or participate in leadership program. Many also come from families living under the poverty line, and 20-30% come from polygamous households.

Our theory of change is as follows:

The situation in the Negev will improve as
1.We train more stars
2.More stars enter positions of influence
3.More stars work together to solve community needs
4.More Bedouin community members support Desert Stars and its values
5.More Jewish Israelis are positively influenced by the unifying leadership of the Stars

Our final program, Tawasel (Arabic for connected), is targeted at the Jewish community within Israel. We make frequent visits to Jewish pre-army preparatory programs, offering an opportunity to meet our young stars and their personal stories, speak about the challenges and opportunities facing the Bedouin community in 2024, and how Desert Stars provides the platform for young leaders working together create change. The goal of Tawsel is to challenge stereotypes about the Bedouin community and create connections between young Jews and Bedouins.