Adva Center

 Tel Aviv     Israel

http://www.adva.org     << Visit Website

Coverage:  International

Categories:  Educational, Human Rights, Medical, [ View All ]

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Adva Center Charity Profile

Adva Center is a non-partisan, action-oriented Israeli policy analysis center. It was founded in 1991 by activists from three social movements: the movement for equality for Mizrahi Jews, the feminist movement, and the movement for equal rights for Arab citizens.

As people often ask the meaning of the phrase "action-oriented policy analysis center," we will anticipate the question by explaining that "action" describes one half of our program and "policy analysis" the other half.

The heart of our work is advocacy for policy changes that favor disadvantaged groups in Israel. This we do by offering consultations for advocacy organizations, Cabinet members and legislators; by organizing coalitions for social change; by testifying at public forums and giving media interviews; and by an extensive popular education program that brings progressive social ideas to a wide variety of audiences, from cleaning workers to senior executives. We also operate a hotline for health rights, targeted at low-income persons, in conjunction with Israel Physicians for Human Rights.

In 2004, our popular education program conducted an average of 2 seminars a week for between 20 and 200 persons from a variety of agencies and organizations, including government ministries, hospitals, schoolteachers, youth groups, and solo mom groups.

If the heart of Adva's work is advocacy and popular education, the head is policy analysis. Much of this work is done in the framework of the National Budget Analysis Program, under which the draft budget is analyzed annually in real time for its implications for disadvantaged social groups in particular and Israeli society in general; an annual workshop is conducted for legislators right at the Knesset; and budget workshops are organized for civil society organizations throughout Israel. Another dimension of this work is reflected in the policy analyses published in various issues of The Israel Equality Monitor andannual updates on educational achievements, wages and tax policy.

This part of the Adva program provides the underpinnings not only for the advocacy and popular education work of the Adva Center, but also for the advocacy work of a wide variety of other social justice organizations in Israel.