Youth Futures: Individual care for thousands of children at risk

Youth Futures: Individual care for thousands of children at risk

Youth Futures is an unprecedented program of national scope that provides children and youth at-risk (ages 6 - 18) with comprehensive, tailored intervention that will enable them to take their place as independent, productive members of society.

At the heart of the program are professionally trained Trustees, many of whom hold degrees in education and social sciences, who are dedicated to social action and change. The Trustees work to ensure that children at-risk and their families have knowledge of and access to the existing community resources that are available for them. These Trustees work with primary school age children and their families for three years, developing personalized approaches for each child to bridge critical gaps – educational, social and extra-curricular.

Trustees undergo special training to work with a group of 10-20 children at-risk. They begin by taking note of each child’s unique situation – at home, at school and within the community as a whole. They then develop an action plan to put targeted children in touch with the services they need, to work with the family to improve the situation at home, to coordinate enrichment and educational activities with the schools and to plan activities for and with the child so they increase their self-esteem and set goals for a brighter future.

Youth Futures is a collective commitment that infuses Israel’s disadvantaged regions with real hope for transformative change and excellence. What began as a bold experiment in 2005 now serves over 6,000 children and youth in 31 locations throughout Israel - bringing them from risk to promise.