Friends of the Arava Institute
2041 Herr Street, Suite 18 Harrisburg, PA 17103
Tel. 1.866.31.ARAVA
www.friendsofarava.org
FRIENDS OF ARAVA

Raising Awareness

Rarely articulated in the media outside the Arab-Israeli region are the debilitating effects of environmental degradation. Sectarian conflict and violence dominate nearly all the news from this area. And that violence is used by other radical groups to spread more mistrust and danger around the world. But dwindling fresh water resources, and rampant air, water and industrial pollution cannot vie for attention along with more well-reported ethnic, religious and cultural discord. Both take their daily toll in innocent lives lost or crippled, and both transcend the boundaries imposed by countries and states.

A guiding principle of the Arava Institute and its Friends is "Nature Knows No Borders."

Getting that word out is critical to finding and enabling financial and professional support. The Friends organization has developed a variety of programs and materials to help aid the efforts of any and all people who wish to have a long-term positive impact on the health and safety of Mideast.

A highly effective tool in building awareness is the Parlor Meeting. Concerned individuals host such meetings in a variety of locations: homes, schools, places of worship, or corporate and public conference facilities. Parlor Meetings are fully participative. Members of the Friends organization present pertinent information on the Arava Institute and its work. Open dialogue is encouraged. These meetings never fail to recruit more active and informed supporters for the Institute's work. Institute alumni and faculty are often in attendance.

An exciting method of fundraising, introduced in 2003, is the annual 5-day, 300-mile Arava-Hazon (Vision) Israel Bike Ride from Old City Jerusalem, south into the Negev and Arava deserts, stopping at Kibbutz Ketura and ending at the Red Sea resort of Eilat. Riders must meet a minimum sponsorship level to participate, the majority of the monies going directly to AIES operational and educational expenses. As the word has spread, each year has seen more ridership, more awareness, more donations, and not a little fun where great new friendships, established for a common good cause, have since flourished.

Student Seminars are held throughout the US and Europe, and allow college students to understand the Arava Institute education through the shared experiences of Arava alumni.

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