The Gush Etzion Regional Center for Social Services:
Preventing Violence and Improving the Climate for Youth
Background: The Gush Etzion Regional Center for Social Services was created in 1982 with 2 social workers. Today the department is comprised of 9 social workers, as well as 6 psychologists that are available to us on a consulting basis and a drug rehabilitation councilor. This department was created to advance the personal and community welfare of all Gush Etzion residents in the over 20 communities in Gush Etzion. The department has developed an overall plan to service the needs of children and youth at risk, parents of young children, adolescents, families and couples in crisis, singles, handicapped and special needs, the elderly, new immigrants as well as a trauma center for dealing with pressure, uncertainty and emergency.
In the past seven years, the center has increased its activities substantially, and is expanding its services on an ongoing basis. In addition, the population has undergone extensive growth, and therefore the needs of the residents have grown in kind. The Center for Social Services continues to adapt its services to match the needs of the population with new and innovative programs and ongoing professional training for its staff.
The population in Gush Etzion consists of over 11,000 residents, with approximately 4500 children, (2500 youth until age 25), 5,500 adults, and 1000 elderly.
Gush Etzion includes over 20 communities that are spread over an area of 650,000 dunam. (Approx. 4000 square miles).
The Regional Council has been very active in absorbing new immigrants and the various languages spoken in Gush Etzion are Hebrew, English, Russian, French and Spanish.
In the last few years, with the increase in terror activities in our region, we are witness to a number of negative social phenomena amongst our youth including an increase in the number of students dropping out of an educational framework, as well as violence and other negative behavior amongst youth. Out of concern for the probable outcome on this population group, we are working in a number of ways to deal with the above phenomena:
Current activities:- Developing individual programs of study for youth ($30,000)
- Appointing instructors and youth leaders in every community, who are in daily contact with the youth. These youth leaders initiate and run social activities for the youth and provide us with an indication about youth that are headed for negative behavior. ($100,000)
- Creating a unit for the advancement of youth, that with the help of specialized social workers, provides guidance and personal instruction to youth leaders and youth at risk ($25,000)
Total Cost: $155,000
Program Proposal for the year 2006-2007:
We would like to initiate an innovative project that will utilize advanced technology for important community activities. Work with adolescents is very complex. They feel independent and that they don’t need any help from others. Adolescents that have dropped out of their educational framework and are on the border of violence, and at times even in the midst of violence, are a difficult group to reach. As life in Israel is full of violence with war between Arabs and Jews, fighting between right and left, religious and secular, the chances for the adolescent to react with physical and verbal violence is increased. Rather than teaching them what is not good, we thought to create an original project not by dictating to them, or lecturing them, but by connecting with them and having them receive positive messages, and options without violence. Rather than work head to head, we think we should work with one head, together.
In general, it is understood that activity on the internet that consumes more and more of our youth’s free time, is a factor in isolating the surfer from his social environment. In the cases where the separation from the social environment and the institutions exist as a result of objective reasons, it is possible to transform this trend and to use this tool to increase the connection on various levels. (Chesterman, 2002).
Research has proven that strengthening positive social interactions are a factor that can lower the level of violence in a social framework. Any tool that can lower the distance and the separation can serve our goals. (Ayalon, ‘90).
It is known that idle time leads to boredom and boredom leads to sin (Kohelet). Youth that is lead to violence and that has no interesting alternatives, will continue to deteriorate into violence, drugs and prostitution. Activities that interest him will lead him to positive activities. (A Yuval, 2001).
New technology allows ‘learning from a distance’ at a high level of reliability that makes this tool available to everyone. Various companies offer these tools, with total supervision.
Our intention is to create a support system on the network that will allow interactive connections for all those subscribed. The community clubs and activity centers will be hooked up to a communications center. For those that have trouble leaving their homes, there can be a hookup to private residences as well.
The activities during the day will be given in areas of interest for various age groups, such that with the building of an infrastructure it will be able to serve many populations. We are talking about a project with at least 1100 participants, of which 75% will be youth. In order to realize this goal, we must have at least 400 connection points.
Project Cost: Computers
Setting up a Communications center: $15,000
Assisting with the purchase of computers for the needy: $30,000
Project Director $10,000
Total Cost $55,000Lectures and Meetings
Various lectures and meetings in the different communities of Gush Etzion, for teenagers ages 12-18.
cost $2,500
Field trips
Different trips for 1000 teenagers in each of our communities.
8 trips at 100$ three times a year (price for guide) $2,400
Transportation 8x3x250$ $6,000
Participation of kids $4,000
Tota1 $12,400
Workshops, parents and teenagers
Workshops where parents and kids with a professional can work out different problems and find solutions to grief, loss, drug use anger and learn how to cope.
Ages 12-18 in each of the communities, Ten meetings in 14 communities.
54 hours x 14 communities 750 hours
cost $5,000
Special Courses
Special courses in the fields of :
First aid
Magen David Adom
Local guard team
Communications
transportation $1,000
courses $5,000
Total $6,000
All of these are projects that we would like to do this year are a continuation to our Youth at risk project that you so generously helped with last year.
The Ministry of Education, The Ministry of Welfare, the National organization of Matnasim (Jewish Community Centers) have helped partially fund our projects in the past but it will not be enough to cover our new projects for the coming year.
The Regional Council and The Gush Etzion Foundation are participants in this project as well. The Mayor of the Regional Council has put this project as top priority.
Our goal is to provide positive activity for our Youth at Risk in an effort to prevent the growing phenomena of increased violence.
Breakdown of Costs in Israeli Shekels for 2005Regional Council 340,000 NIS
Matnas (JCC) 281,000 NIS
Gush Etzion Foundation 199,000 NIS
Ministry of Education 27,043 NIS
Ministry of 67,175 NIS
Total cost 914,218 NIS 
