Degree Name
MA in Social Justice in Intercultural Relations
First Advisor
Kanthie Athukorala
Abstract
Since the 1970s, privatization of various government services, companies and programs became a prevalent force towards the liberalization of the Israeli economy and the belief in the efficiency of the private sector over the public. The implementation of the Mehalev Program, a privatized welfare-to- work program aimed to decrease state expenditure towards social welfare and provide employment to welfare recipients. Since this time, Sawt El Amel (The Laborer’s Voice), a social justice minority organization that caters to the working poor and unemployed among the Palestinian-Israeli minority population, has been at the forefront of monitoring and campaigning against the program deeming it unsustainable towards ensuring employment among the Palestinian population. Using a multi-pronged strategy in its campaign against the privatization of social welfare services, this research aims to show the continuing importance of the use of such strategies as a tool in building community awareness, involvement and leadership among marginalized communities. This is most evident in the role of the Women’s Platform in building an activist leadership among Palestinian women to address issues faced by female Wisconsin participants in Nazareth. Through this Platform and other programs, Sawt El-Amel effectively creates a consciousness among Palestinian-Israeli women as leaders and advocates towards changing policy affecting their own community.
Disciplines
Public Administration | Women's Studies
Recommended Citation
Habib, Mary, "The Role of Sawt El-Amel (The Laborer’s Voice) in Monitoring the Wisconsin Plan, a Welfare-To-Work Program, and its Effect Among the Palestinian Population in Nazareth, Israel" (2009). Capstone Collection. 1244.
https://digitalcollections.sit.edu/capstones/1244