MAGAZINE ABOUT LIFE IN ISRAEL

Israeli Youth Travel to UAE to Reimagine Future

in Economy & Innovation

In the eighth year of its afterschool science, technology, and entrepreneurship program, PICO Kids has sent one of many upcoming delegations to Dubai for a 5-day summit focusing on water solutions. Sixteen kids, or PICO Ambassadors, from Jerusalem, Israel met a group of peers from the UAE who teamed up for a make-a-thon at the Dubai Future Foundation. 

The teams developed prototypes that included vertical farms, desalination facilities, and more. The PICO Kids Ambassador program, run by PICO Venture Partners, plans to create more opportunities for youth connection over the next 3 years. CEO Elie Wurtman says that “children have a particularly unique vantage point to act as innovators and conceive of new ideas in ways that adults might not be able to…The Abraham Accords have presented a historic vision for collaboration between Israel and the Gulf countries, and it is only natural that the collaborations…should now be realized among our youth as well.”

Of the collaboration, one student said, “It’s been an absolutely amazing experience and an opportunity that you can’t get anywhere else. I’ve never met an Israeli before in my whole life. It’s time for peace and if we talk with each other, especially the youth, things will change.”

Photo Credit: PICO Kids

 

Based in the startup city of Tel Aviv, Zo Flamenbaum is a writer and social entrepreneur who dedicates her time to mission-driven projects that empower connection between the many diverse layers of our world. In 2014, she founded School of Shine as a value-based educational space for women who are tired of the ‘default life’ and crave personal freedom through self-expression for more purposeful living.

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