Givat Haviva is set to open the first international school for “leaders for a shared society” in Israel. The school, which will be located in the Givat Haviva campus in northern Israel, will be the first of its kind and will revolve around fostering student’s abilities in leadership and conflict resolution.

Based on an international framework, the school aims to have a student population made up of Jewish and Arab Israelis as well as young adults from all over the world, including Iran, Syria, Pakistan, Jordan, and Egypt.

The school will be an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School and will incorporate a curriculum focused on shared values of peace and understanding in the pursuit of a better future. The center of this hope lies in the school’s foundation of building trusting relationships among students by bridging cultural divides.

Through such coursework, the school hopes to produce alumni who are ready to bring their understanding of inclusive and just societies to the rest of the world. Thus, a global network of young leaders can create pathways for peace towards a future of acceptance and trust.

In a statement to The Jerusalem Post, the Givat Haviva International School Principal Yuval Dvir stated that the program is: 

…an extraordinary opportunity for our students to combine two years of rigorous academic studies toward a coveted IB high-school diploma with training in leadership for a shared society at Givat Haviva, drawing on its vast educational resources and extensive know-how. Plus, the chance to spend two years in an international living-learning community offers a unique and highly relevant bonus, reflecting as it does the great diversity of the surrounding area.