Kinneret Amakim PRO is a groundbreaking initiative that brings together senior officials from Kinneret Valleys Cluster’s municipalities, providing a transformative, immersive training program. The initiative aims to drive regional growth by bolstering leadership, implementing innovation, and building connections and collaborations for cross-municipal strategic projects within this diverse northern cluster. The Kinneret Valleys Cluster developed this initiative in partnership with the Menomadin Foundation, Rashi Foundation, the Ministry of Interior, and the Israel National Digital Agency.
Background
Comprised of 15 local municipalities and home to approximately 200,000 residents, the Kinneret Valleys Cluster is one of the most diverse regions in Israel. It encompasses small and large municipalities, Jewish, Arab, Druze, and Circassian populations, rural communities, towns and cities, and religious and secular residents – essentially a tapestry of Israeli cultures and sectors. The cluster is nestled among the breathtaking landscapes of the Lower Galilee, the Jordan Valley, the Yavne’el Valley, and the Sea of Galilee (Kinneret) region.
Since its establishment in late 2018, the cluster has been promoting socio-economic growth and building efficient and high-quality shared civil services, aiming to raise its residents’ living standards and quality of life. Through the cluster’s partnership with government entities – the Ministry of Interior and the Israel National Digital Agency – and with foundations experienced in driving and supporting change processes at the national, regional, and local levels – the Menomadin Foundation and the Rashi Foundation – all partners seek to advance equal opportunities and socio-economic mobility and to drive sustainable change, development, and growth in the Kinneret Amakim cluster.
The Challenge
Alongside the inviting natural and scenic assets and the abundance of many of the world’s most noteworthy tourist, heritage, and cultural sites, the Kinneret Amakim cluster is facing demographic, economic, and social challenges. Disparities among the local municipalities of the cluster are prevalent, with eight ranking in the socio-economic index of 2–4, five in 5–6, and two in 7–8 (according to the 2024 Central Bureau of Statistics publication, based on 2021 data). This diversity, along with differences in the municipalities’ budgets, managerial capabilities, size, geographical location, community and cultural characters, internal challenges, and their respective priorities pose significant challenges for regional management: Leadership must reflect a broad vision of strategic issues, generate comprehensive policy, and foster collaborations and resource pooling. These factors are essential for the establishment and implementation of regional development initiatives.
Internal challenges within municipalities create a significant hurdle for senior leadership in every local municipality. Addressing these challenges requires the adoption of innovative tools to streamline operations. Such tools would free up time and human resources to focus on regional objectives. Furthermore, municipalities often compete for resources, a challenge which necessitates building trust and strong relationships between local leaders as well as among the region’s residents. Such cooperation will enable all parties to recognize the inherent strength lying in both cross-jurisdictional collaborations and cultural and sectoral diversity. Therefore, balancing interests, sensitive and multicultural management, professionalism, and organizational efficiency are crucial for driving a high-impact and sustainable regional shift.
The Opportunity
Over the past five years, significant crises have compounded routine challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic (2020), the 2021 Israel–Palestine crisis, and most of all, the October 7th, 2023 events and the war that has been raging ever since have necessitated regional mobilization and demonstrated the critical importance of regional resilience and coordination. Consequently, the Kinneret Valleys Cluster determined to strengthen cooperation and trust infrastructures among its local authorities. The understanding that growth and prosperity depend on collaboration between the local authority, government entities, philanthropy, and the business sector has birthed the Kinneret Amakim PRO initiative. To build and implement it, the cluster has joined forces with strong partners possessing diverse expertise: the Ministry of Interior, the Menomadin Foundation, the Rashi Foundation, and the Israel National Digital Agency.
This initiative represents a natural step forward in a successful journey undertaken by local council heads in 2022, during which they established trust and a common language that facilitated cross-municipalities projects for the development of employment, tourism, and healthcare services in the region. The Kinneret Amakim PRO initiative expands upon this journey and targets senior council management within the five administration forums of each local municipality: CEOs, treasurers, engineers, and education directors, as well as the heads of the local municipalities themselves. The aim is to build a regional municipal leadership pipeline – a professional forum that transcends the boundaries of individual authorities, creating a shared language and implementing advanced tools for municipal management and policy-making to foster regional development and sustainable growth.
In December 2024, the Kinneret Amakim PRO initiative was launched with approximately 75 senior officials from the five management forums across the participating municipalities. These officials engage in professional forums and practical training sessions, which will gradually unfold over a year and a half. Each forum participates in about seven full-day meetings, a two-day seminar in Israel, and a five-day seminar abroad; the curriculum incorporates peer learning, lectures, workshops, and tours. Participants experience diverse learning tools, learn from top-tier lecturers, conduct professional field visits, and become familiar with international models of innovation, with an emphasis on digitalization and AI. Throughout this shared journey, a network of personal and professional connections is built, deepening collaborations and fostering long-term, cross-authority joint ventures.
The foundations and entities involved in shaping and leading this initiative bring extensive knowledge and experience in the municipal field, public service, and advanced technology. The Menomadin Foundation, which develops and implements national roadmaps to bolster the resilience of the State of Israel, contributes its expertise in driving policy change at the local level (see the Menomadin Foundation’s activity in the city of Tiberias), the regional and national levels (see the national welfare plan: The Right to Good Welfare), and in creating solutions for national challenges during emergencies (see the National Plan for Strengthening Israeli Welfare System to Address the War’s Ramifications), particularly in the geographic and social periphery. The Rashi Foundation, one of the largest and most influential foundations in Israel, brings its expertise in building the managerial and organizational capabilities of authorities; it focuses on creating socio-economic mobility, improving the quality of municipal services, and increasing opportunities that open new horizons for residents. Both foundations have established partnerships that have already demonstrated success and measurable impact with local authorities, regional clusters, social organizations, and government ministries and entities such as the Ministry of Interior and the Israel National Digital Agency. These entities contribute their extensive knowledge and experience in promoting the digital revolution in the public sector, streamlining the interface between the authority and residents, and improving the provided civil services. All partners work with representatives of the Kinneret Amakim cluster forums to leverage and maximize this innovative venture.
