Under the title “The Match-Making Program – New Exchange Partnerships”, ConAct and the Israel Youth Exchange Authority (IYEA) invited 12 youth work professionals to a bilateral seminar in Germany from April 7 to 12. Against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Israel following the terrorist attacks by Hamas on October 7, this is a particularly strong sign of connectedness.

Over the past few months, ConAct and the IYEA have already matched 6 new partnerships for German-Israeli youth exchanges. During two seminars in Germany and Israel, the organizations got to know each other personally, immersed themselves together in the German-Israeli field of work and planned their future exchange projects. The planning of the new exchange programs is accompanied by information on the content, financing and educational design of the programs.

Special program parts this year were the insights into the bilateral exchange work after October 7, which resulted from the connection to the parallel network meeting “Facing Education & Encounter after October 7”. The exchange of experiences only strengthened the motivation to look to the future despite challenging times. At the networking evening, Match-Making participants Lina and Rachel emphasized how encouraging it was to be able to feel part of an experienced and strong community of experts in German-Israeli exchange work.

During the seminar in Berlin, the participants were introduced to Israeli society, young people in both countries and methods for youth exchanges in several workshops. The practical handbook “Plan Together – Experience Exchange!” was used to stimulate the planning process for the various exchange projects. The contemporary significance of the history of the Shoah was made tangible in various program parts, such as a city tour of Berlin's Jewish history or a memorial ceremony at the Memorial to the Murdered Jews of Europe. But there was also room to talk about the trauma, the present and the non-closure of October 7. Another key aspect of the new partnerships was the visit of the respective partner organizations to various locations in the country, from Hamburg to the Ore Mountains.

In June 2024, the second part of the seminar will take place in Israel with a visit to the respective partner organization. The next round of the Match-Making Program is expected to take place in spring 2025. To receive ongoing information, you can subscribe to the newsletter here.

The program is funded by the Federal Ministry for Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth from funds for the establishment of a German-Israeli Youth Office.