Youth Outreach Centers

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Youth Outreach Centers

The growing number of Ethiopian-Israeli children-at-risk is a calamity waiting to happen. The
critical stage of adolescence (ages 12 to 18) is a period during which alarmingly large numbers of Ethiopian-Israeli children become “at-risk” – at risk of dropping out of school, partaking in criminal behavior, using drugs or alcohol, and being on the fringes of Israeli society. An effort must be made to reach those who cannot ask for help and assist them to return to a positive, supporting framework. Widespread education regarding the hazards of drugs and alcohol, alongside providing positive alternatives, is essential.

ENP’s Youth Centers provide a safe,

physical haven for youth at risk. This important model
provides critically-needed programs and staff while
best utilizing resources and knowledge and meeting
the most pressing needs of the local population.
Youth workers carry out outreach activities in areas
with high concentrations of Ethiopian-Israeli youth,
reaching out to alienated youth and initiating contact
at the places where they congregate while offering
assistance and guidance. Programs operating out
of the accessible, neighborhood Centers include a
computer lab and courses, drug and alcohol abuse
prevention workshops and a variety of clubs and
activities, such as disk jockey or stills photography

courses, dance classes or martial arts. A sports
instructor provides structured and open sporting
activities, providing an attraction for youth who might
otherwise be tempted by crime and drugs. The Center
also provides workshops in areas such as violence,
strengthening self-image, personal identity, and a
sense of belonging to the community and to the State
of Israel. Parents are actively involved in the Center,
and assistance is provided to them to help them
understand and deal with the additional struggle of
coping with adolescent youth.

Opportunities for Assistance: Preventing Temptation

Your assistance will help bring Ethiopian-Israeli youth to a positive environment where they
can explore and discover their potential while avoiding the many temptations in every day life
in lower class neighborhoods.

• $18,000 will support an array of programs in one of ENP’s Youth Outreach Centers
• $130,000 will support or create one new Youth Outreach Center in a city with a significant
Ethiopian-Israeli population.