Asper Youth Empowerment Network (AYEN)
Building resilience, leadership, and belonging across Israel’s periphery
The Asper Youth Empowerment Network (AYEN) is a national initiative of The Asper Foundation, the Israel Association of Community Centers, and local municipalities. Launched in 2024, AYEN provides vision, direction, oversight and professional support for the wide-breadth of Asper youth initiatives, as well as a platform for new youth centers.
AYEN strengthens youth in Israel’s northern and southern periphery through programs that foster leadership, creativity, social responsibility, and a deep sense of identity and belonging.
Each AYEN Center reflects its community’s unique character while sharing a common mission: to empower the next generation of Israelis through education, innovation, and values-based action.
About AYEN
AYEN represents a new model for youth empowerment — one that combines community engagement, professional excellence, and educational innovation.
Its vision is to create a connected national network of youth centers that nurture capable, compassionate, and confident young leaders—grounded in Jewish values and inspired to shape Israel’s future. Central to the mission of AYEN is the enhancement of life skills, personal agency, and leadership capabilities among participants. The network offers a broad spectrum of activities designed to engage the widest possible array of teenagers: performing arts, sports, technology and empowerment. These activities not only encourage participation but also nurture individual talents and community spirit among the youth.
AYEN is equally committed to empowering the educators who guide them.
Through national enrichment programs, mentoring, and academic partnerships, AYEN raises the professional standard of youth work across Israel.
Key initiatives include:
- Ongoing Enrichment Training: Regular national and regional training sessions designed to strengthen professional skills, pedagogical approaches, and leadership capabilities of coordinators and instructors.
- Professional Development Network: Peer-learning cohorts, shared resources, and exchange programs linking youth workers across centers to foster collaboration and innovation.
- Graduate Scholarships: Staff are encouraged to join the scholarship track for Master’s degrees in fields related to Youth and Informal Education.
This dual investment — in youth and in the professionals who guide them — ensures lasting impact and sustainability throughout the network.
AYEN Centers
Shlomi – Performing Arts & Leadership Center (est. 2025)
A new hub blending performing arts with civic leadership training to rebuild community resilience and offer creative expression in Israel’s northern border region.
Tzfat – Volume Music Center (est. 2025)
Revitalizing a beloved local institution, this center uses music and performance to inspire belonging and community engagement among diverse youth populations.
Tiberias – Water Sports Youth Empowerment (est. 2025)
Combines marine sports and emotional resilience training. Through kayaking, sailing, and teamwork, youth build confidence, leadership, and connection to nature.
Ofakim – The Israel Asper Community Action Center (est. 2003)
A vibrant community hub at the heart of city life, home to leadership programs, scouting groups, and civic engagement initiatives. Its “Dream Group” and “Wolves in the Desert” projects nurture local pride, resilience and teamwork. For more information, click here.
Beersheva – Winnipeg Community Action Center (est. 2002)
A multigenerational center promoting volunteerism, heritage, and community solidarity. Programs include youth leadership activities, intergenerational extracurricular activities and a thriving community garden. For more information, click here.
Netivot – Asper Music Center (“Volume”) (est. 2024)
A creative space where music becomes a tool for empowerment. Youth form bands, compose, and perform while exploring themes of identity, expression, and collaboration.
Migdal HaEmek – The Israel Asper Community Action Center – AI & Gaming Center (est. 2005)
Newly inaugurated as a technological hub for youth, the center equips participants with future-ready skills in AI, programming, and digital creativity while integrating leadership and education in Jewish values. For more information, click here.
Migdal HaEmek – Asper Performing Arts Center (est. 2019)
Brings together isolated youth through theater, music, and dance, fostering connection, confidence, and artistic growth in a supportive environment.
Jerusalem – The Israel Asper Community Action Center, Ramot Alon (est. 2007)
In partnership with Machshava Tova, the center bridges the digital divide through courses in coding, digital literacy, and employability skills for diverse populations including Haredi and at-risk youth. For more information, click here.
Lod – Machshava Tova Technology Center (est. 2022)
A hub of technological inclusion serving Jews and Arabs, religious and secular residents. Its courses in AI, web development, and entrepreneurship build skills and social cohesion.
Eilat – Asper Marine & Environmental Center (est. 2024)
Home to the “Gulf Rangers” and the Youth Council, this center connects teens to the Red Sea through diving, ecology, as well as environmental and municipal leadership — cultivating stewardship, teamwork, and civic pride.
Yemin Orde Youth Village – Asper Performing Arts Program (est. 2019)
Empowers boarding-school youth through theater, music, and psychodrama as tools for healing, expression, and resilience.
Mitzpe Ramon – Sulamot Music Program (est. 2024)
A collaboration with the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra and Tel Aviv University using music education to promote social mobility and inclusion.
Our Impact
AYEN is building a generation of resilient, values-driven young leaders—and a professional community of educators equipped to guide them.
Through structured programming, academic partnerships, and a shared national identity, AYEN is working to transform Israel’s periphery into a vibrant network of opportunity, leadership, and belonging.
