Entrepreneur Name: Mehdi Giuliani
Name of Initiative: Cedars
City: Beer Sheva
Field: Financial
Since: 2017
Cedars Financial Education in Arab Society
In Israel, 40% of the Arab population doesn’t have a bank account. The majority of those who do, don’t own a credit card, and only 7% will receive a mortgage loan. Arab households are more likely to use overdraft, for longer periods of time, and are ultimately more likely to have their accounts blocked. Without appropriate financial education, the next generation will continue this trend.
Cedars Financial Education Center provides practical financial education to Arab youth, helping the students and young adults make strides towards financial security and equal economic opportunities. Cedars offers a variety of innovative courses and programs for Arab youth, combining professional knowledge with tools and applied practices for strengthening economic and financial understanding.
In experiential workshops, participants gain knowledge, life skills and practical tools on topics including banking, investments, budget and account management, price comparison, taxes, the health system, employment laws and employees’ rights, salary components, pensions, insurance, community help and support mechanisms, the labor market, smart economic and consumer behavior, and more.
The Goals of the Center:
- Providing Arab youth with financial knowledge
- Developing life skills for daily coping with the challenges of the social-economic reality
- Enabling young adults to make responsible and independent economic decisions.
- Developing values of volunteering and helping the community amongst program participants.
