We just marked the start of the new academic year in Israel. Thousands of students returned to universities and colleges with course schedules, meetings with professors, and exams in the months ahead.
However, the time that students spend in school is about so much more than academic studies. It is a formative time, a period in which young people learn about themselves, the society in which they live, and the power they have to make a difference.
We have spent the past two years at war. We all experienced hardship and pain. Many of us mobilized to defend our country or volunteered as part of the many incredible civil society initiatives that sprang up overnight.
Nearly 150,000 were evacuated from their homes. Tens of thousands experienced the loss of a loved one or a close member of their community. And yet, there is something deeply moving in the sight of young people returning to campus, a return to routine. This image represents more than normalcy; it is a symbol of resilience. The same students who rushed to defend Israel in its time of need are also the ones who can bring about its renewal.
Why them? Because students are young, flexible, and spontaneous. They can relocate, adapt to new environments, and build new lives quickly. If Israel is able to recognize this unique human resource, perhaps its greatest one, we can bring the spirit of renewal to the regions that need it most, the Western Negev and along the northern border, in places such as Kiryat Shemona, Safed, Sderot, Nir Am, and Nahal Oz.
When young people move to these areas, they become a tremendous engine for growth. They bring creativity, entrepreneurship, and energy. They form communities, launch initiatives, and generate significant local economic activity.
Ask business owners in Kiryat Shemona how hard it has been to relaunch after the past year with no employees, no traffic, and no momentum. Now imagine a town welcoming hundreds of students who are renting apartments, working in local businesses, sitting in cafés, and organizing events. That is how renewal begins.
Students bring life
And when students come, they bring culture as well. They consume it but also create it. They organize concerts, open pubs, start theater groups, write, film, and dream. They bring life.
However, for this to happen, a strategic decision is required at the national level. Not just for scholarships or free tuition, important as those are. What young people need most is a foundation: a home, a community, a social environment that gives them a sense of belonging and security. They need to move to a new place not as individuals, but as part of a group that learns, lives, and grows together.
At the same time, we must support the local young residents who already have roots in these regions. They are the ones who can lead the change, connect newcomers with long-time residents, and turn this renewal into something lasting and sustainable. They are the future leaders of the periphery, and this is their time to step up.
In the end, everything depends on the young people themselves. If you are a student in Israel, this is a call to you: you can spend your years at university studying alone, or you can make them the most meaningful years of your life. Study, but also become active.
This is our time, as a society, to rebuild. And it is your time to choose to be part of it. Head north or south, join other young people, build communities, and create a new reality. Ultimately, the ones who can change this country, who can lead its renewal, are you and your peers.
The writer is co-CEO of Tozeret Haaretz Young Communities.