By: Yesy Gilels, Hasbara Fellowships Canadian Advisor
The transition from high school to university is often exciting due to the variety of extracurricular opportunities that are available on campus. However, sometimes you cannot find a club that caters to your interests and passions. Are you willing to let the excitement of undergrad dwindle? Or are you going to assume a leadership role, and start a new initiative that will encompass your values? I did the latter.
Throughout the duration of my undergrad at the University of Toronto, I became more aware of the prominence of anti-Israel rhetoric maintained by staff and students alike. What was more disheartening was the absence of a student group that I could confide in for support and clarity for the blatant antisemitic encounters that I (and I am sure many other students) experienced on campus. After returning from the Hasbara Fellowships Israel program, I realized that my campus was in dire need of an Israel club that not only advocated for Jewish students, but also offered opportunities for non-Jewish students interested in learning about Israel.
I hope you find the below information useful in creating your own Israel club. This article seeks to bring forth important questions to consider during the preliminary stages of your project. Even more so, I hope that this article will serve as motivation and support for those of you who are dedicated towards making a difference in your campus community. This article will reference my experience of starting an Israel club using the Hasbara strategic planning process for building your base. This structure helped me build a successful Israel club at the University of Toronto called Ontario Leaders Advocacy Mission (OLAM).
Is your vision future oriented?
Future orientation encompasses your desires, motivations, and plans for the future. A future oriented mindset is particularly important when you want to initiate change, such as changing the perception of Israel that students have on your campus. What changes do you want to see occur on your campus? Your Israel club should reflect the needs of your campus based on your response to the aforementioned query. It is also important to make sure that your vision is reasonable and attainable; setting realistic goals is a major component of creating an effective Israel club. Our experiences and interests are generally the main influencers of our visions for the future. The difficult part is devising a strategic plan that will make your vision relevant to others.
What is your target audience?
As you are generating and developing ideas about your club, it is important to consider your target audience – who you wish to attract. What interests does your target audience possess? What causes does your student body care about and support? Is there a connection between your vision and their interests? What student groups does your target audience support? It may be useful to note your respective campus’ demographic; the results will reflect the diverse (or lack thereof) population of students and staff. Once you have gained better insight about your peers, you can begin to formulate a specific target audience. From my observations of my campus, I noticed a lacking in a focus towards non-Jewish students who sought an Israel education from social media platforms and biased news channels. This inspired me to create a club whose outreach efforts were to educate unaffiliated students. Namely, the target audience of my Israel club are non-Jewish students or students who know little about Israel.
What is your message?
Your Israel clubs message should reflect its purpose and values. Your Israel clubs message is not merely a description of your club, but an expression of its members’ hopes and longterm vision for the movement. A clear and concise message gives direction to the perspective members of your Israel club, and helps them articulate precisely what it is that your club stands for. Your clubs message should be apparent to your audience throughout all of your future events and programming. OLAM’s main message consists of three categories: global contribution, diversity, and peace/ coexistence. OLAM wants its audience to know that Israel is a major contributor to various global fields, markets, and industries. This includes medical advancements, humanitarian aid initiatives, and the field of technology and innovation. Israel also consists of a diverse population, and believes in helping those who see a future through Israel (i.e. minorities). Lastly, Israel has made it a propriety to establish peace with its neighbours and various communities that live within it. Your main message should be what you want students to know about Israel.
Is your visual brand consistent with your message?
In this era of technology, many people receive information visually and form their opinions accordingly. This is often the case on social media platforms, such as Facebook and Instagram where pictures do most of the talking. What do you want your audience to think of when they see your logo or graphics? Does your visual brand stimulate positive or negative emotions? It may be beneficial to consult a graphic designer to make sure that your visual brand is effective and accurately captures your vision. Your logo and graphics should connect to your brand. You may decide to utilize colours that are representative of Israel, such as blue and white. Have you considered different symbols associated with Israel and your message? For example, the dove is often used as a symbol of peace. It is crucial for your logo to be adaptable and timeless. This means that your logo can be easily manipulated so as to remain aesthetically pleasing online and on other physical promotional materials. A timeless logo is captivating and is relevant to the current design trends. An effective logo also tells a unique story – what will your story be?
Conclusion
The above is not a complete list of the stages that make-up the process of creating your own Israel club. However, I sincerely hope that it helped you gain a sense of what questions are useful to think about. I would like to thank my Campus Advisor, Ariella Daniels, for supporting me with my Israel club, and teaching me the ropes of Israel advocacy.
