Environmental, Academic and Educational Activities
ICL’s investment in educational and academic activities is meant to expose the company’s core focus areas to targeted populations and promote subjects such as chemistry, agriculture, environment and sustainability. \
Project to encourage studies in chemistry at the Weizmann Institute
“We’ve Got Chemistry!” is a project administered by ICL, the Department for Teaching Sciences at the Weizmann Institute of Science, and the Supervisor of Studies in Chemistry at the Ministry of Education, to encourage studies in chemistry and the chemical industry in Israel. The project, conducted at the Davidson Institute of Science Education, the Weizmann Institute’s educational branch, exposes students to the ways in which chemistry is applied in our daily lives and in industry, presenting chemistry’s importance and contribution to humanity, helping develop skills in science, encourage creativity and support diverse young talents. In addition, the project enables participants to address dilemmas in chemistry and their connection to modern society. Volunteers from ICL in various disciplines serve as lecturers, evaluators and members of the project’s steering committee. ICL also funds the project with an annual contribution.
Rotem Hamidbar
The Rotem Hamidbar project exposes high school students and pre-military programs members in the country’s south to the dilemmas of sustainability in the Negev, i.e. security (IDF), settlements, agriculture, tourism and industry. The project teaches participants that the Negev cannot be populated without a combination of the above mentioned elements.
The project is led by instructors of the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and other environmental organizations trained through a course provided by Kaye College, entitled “Industry and Nature Preservation – the Negev as a Puzzle of Changing Needs”. The course awards two academic credit points and is taught by lecturers and academics who are partners in dealing with the complexities of the Negev. ICL is represented by employees from its production facilities.
The program has been operating for three years. The pilot was organized together with the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and, following its success, additional environmental organizations joined the program. The Ministry of Education selected it as a seminar program for its Israel studies teachers in the southern region.
The Southern Campus in Pre-military Programs
Students at pre-military programs participate in tours, lectures and seminars on environment and sustainability, during which they join in activities of Rotem Hamidbar – the Negev as a Puzzle of Changing Needs- and learn to deal with the complex dilemmas involved in living in the Negev.
The Sustainable Negev – Educational and Environmental Activities
ICL funds educational activities of the Negev Sustainability nonprofit organization, which strives to increase environmental awareness amongst the Bedouin community in the South. In 2017 the program included educational activities in 75 nursery schools of the El Kasum regional council, teachers’ seminars in Abu Qrenat, activities in summer camps and youth leadership workshops in Hura.
Bio-Study Projects for Matriculation
Research in ecological reconstruction of mined sites, conducted by Prof. Yaron Ziv of the Ben Gurion University, is a unique and groundbreaking study on an international level. The study analyzes the abiotic and biotic factors of natural environment, while comparing it to an artificial environment after reconstruction of mines. The study operates as a “live laboratory” – a dynamic and accessible system that is open to groups of students, teachers and environmental educators, as part of which high school students in the south conduct bio-study projects for matriculation. In 2017 ten classes participated in the project.
Academic Partnerships
ICL participates in academic partnerships, supporting and funding sustainability and environmental activities in institutions of higher education. ICL supports environment and sustainability study programs conducted at the Interdisciplinary Center and a course in Strategies for the Management of Sustainability at the Department of Management at Ben Gurion University. An academic course on the Principles of Sustainability, with a focus on industry, enables students to visit ICL facilities in southern Israel and learn about issues of sustainability that are relevant to this industry. ICL partners with the Sami Shamoon College, at the Open University, the Kaye College and other educational institutions in environment, sustainability, chemistry, etc.
“Young Entrepreneurs – Do Business”
The “Young Entrepreneurs Do Business” project supports innovation and entrepreneurship in high schools. The program enables high school students, from 9th grade and upwards, to experience the development and management of business initiatives in schools, community centers and other informal educational institutions. Students participate in weekly two-hour meetings over a year. They learn about entrepreneurship and economics, and experience the full life cycle of their own business. The students start from initial fundraising, formulate the idea for a product or service, appoint position holders, manage development, production, marketing, advertising and sales, all the way through to monetization and division of profits. The products and services are freely designed, planned and developed by the students, within the framework of an industrial model.
ICL is proud to support these groups. ICL employees, including senior managers, counsel the groups and give lectures during seminars and mentoring days. The Young Entrepreneurs program opens up opportunities for youngsters, enabling them to develop personal skills and talent, integration within work teams, development and realization of ideas and the formation of business ties with companies active in the local market.
Student Scholarships
ICL is proud to support hundreds of students through scholarships provided by ‘Perach’ and other non-profit associations. ICL believes that education is the key to professional and personal success, and that assisting young people to acquire education will benefit society at large.
Computer Literacy for Children in the South
ICL supports the ongoing activities of “A Password for Each Student”, an initiative that provides basic and comprehensive solutions for the educational system, from the user, through the classroom, school and educational system, comprising a computerized community for the residents of the South and the entire periphery. ICL’s support provides 15,000 students in the Negev with digital accessibility, tutorial assistance and accessibility to pedagogical knowledge, learning processes and organization, as well as an ongoing contact between all program users, wherever they are located.
Strengthening Birds of Prey in the South
For several years the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and ICL have been conducting a project to help strengthen the population of birds of prey in southern Israel and to prevent their extinction from this region.
A vulture’s nest is located near the Hemar Stream close to a phosphate mine operated by ICL in the Hatrurim field. ICL has assumed responsibility for this project to minimize any damage that may result to eagles in the eastern Negev as a result of the company’s legitimate activities, and, as a result, funds equipment and feeding stations in southern Israel.
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