StarTech
The Cyber Education Center (CEC)
Field: Informal Education
FY26 Allocated by MATA (not by steering committee) : $12,000
First Year | Location: Kiryat Gat
// About the Organization
The Cyber Education Center runs programs for excellence in technology for youth from the periphery, providing advanced tools and 21st-century skills to promote equal opportunities, national resilience and socio-economic growth in Israel.
// Project Description
StartTech is a two-year informal program for excellence for 8th-9th grade students that takes place after school hours. The program provides in-depth knowledge in cyber, Python, JavaScript, cryptography, networks, and computers. Participants learn programming through projects such as app development, games, and animations. The program also teaches computational thinking, complex problem-solving, teamwork, and leadership skills.
// Project Goals
The purpose of the program is to reduce social gaps and prepare Junior High students from the periphery, for the Cyber Education Center’s high school programs for excellence – 'Magshimim' and 'Mamriot.' 68% of the organization’s graduates join IDF elite cyber units, and 84% continue in Hi-Tech. The goal is for 50% of 'StartTech' graduates in Kiryat Gat to be admitted into these programs (vs. 25% acceptance rate of the overall population).
// Target Population
High-potential Students from 8th-9th grade from the periphery. In Kiryat Gat, 45 students (31 boys, 14 girls) from three schools participate in StarTech. The indirect impact includes parents, siblings, and the entire Kiryat Gat community who benefit from quality human capital and whose residents integrate into High-tech.