״אני האתיופית היחידה בצוות בית הספר וזה היתרון והחיסרון שלי״: תחושת הזהות האישית והמקצועית של מגשרים תרבותיים יוצאי אתיופיה ומעמדם בבית הספר - המקרה הישראלי

This article deals with the role of cultural mediator in schools in Israel. Considering the difficulties and challenges arising from the work of intercultural mediators, the research raised the following questions: (1) what characterizes the mediator’s work at the level of defining personal, professional and organizational identity? (2) Under what conditions will the work of the cultural mediator in the school be conducted in an optimal manner? The research method was a qualitative phenomenological study to describe the mediator’s experience in the various contexts of his work. The study included open interviews with 15 Ethiopian mediators working over five years in elementary schools in Israel. The first condition is to define the double personal identity of the mediator, which raises dilemmas that must be answered and supported before and during their work at the school. The second condition is to improve the professional definition of the mediator’s role, which includes legitimizing the mediator as a professional and providing professional guidance to the mediator during his work.And the third condition, deriving from the first and the second conditions, is the creation of a place and status in the organizational environment