Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET)

“What if the next generation of Israeli and Palestinian leaders had a history of working together, using innovative problem solving to make positive change in the Middle East?”

This is the founding question at the center of MIT’s Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow (MEET) program. MEET works to educate and empower future Palestinian and Israeli leaders to create positive social and political impact in the Middle East. By investing in Palestine and Israel’s most promising high school students, MEET is building a cadre of future leaders that are prepared and motivated to work together to address the complex issues facing their individual and collective societies.

With a competitive application process accepting only 1/10 students from Israel and the West Bank, MEET has built a diverse and equally distributed class of top students: 50% girls, 50% boys; 50% Palestinians, 50% Israelis. The 3-year educational program is made up of summer intensives held at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem and two yearlong programs in Jerusalem and Nazareth. The curriculum is made up of 40% computer science, 40% entrepreneurship, and 20% focused on a deeper understanding of identity, conflict resolution, narrative, stereotypes and dialogue, totaling 600 intensive academic hours that prepare these students to affect real change, on the ground.

With 200 current students and 300 alumni, the program is focused on both the development of current students and continued bi-national networking and entrepreneurial support for alums. The results are palpable: 100 student projects have been created by bi-national teams, and 19 alumni ventures have tackled issues like media bias, education, ecology and sharing economies.

“We envision a Middle East where Palestinians and Israelis are equal, live in dignity and freedom, and work together to ensure that our shared future is peaceful, fair and just. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is arguably one of the most complex and contentious international disputes of our time. With growing disillusionment on both sides, cultivating cross-border relationships is now harder and more pressing than ever.”

— MEET Vision & Mission

Learn more about MEET here.