The Valley of Springs is a regional council in the north east of Israel. It comprises of 24 different communities each with their own independent local council/decision-making structures. Some are kibbutzim (full cooperatives), others are villages (moshavim). The population is around 14,000.
The functions of the regional council are therefore similar in some ways to a county council which provides some shared services such as refuse collection, welfare services, education, and culture. The council is adjacent to the city of Beit Shean and some of the communities are just 2-3 kms from the border with Jordan.
The communities are overwhelmingly agricultural although some of the communities have small light industry, the employment opportunities are limited. The arrival of the railway is a lever for more employment opportunities and inward migration.
The Valley of Springs, like the neighboring town Beit Shean, has great potential to increase employment options for residents and to attract new families. This is the focus of our work.
BTF in the Valley of Springs
Program Overview
Timeframe:
2010 – current
Intervention Type:
Place-based.
Main Programs:
Capacity building, developing partnerships, tourism, demographic growth, economic development.
Intervention Method:
Mentoring activists and Council professionals.
Increasing interaction Council departments.
Improving local capacities for maintaining change.
Partnership development between residents, city council, national government.
Developing proofs of concept in support of the council’s strategic goals.
Use of the following tools: MRI, GEAR, Lifecycle.
Employment Survey and analysis.