ELEM - Youth in Distress

ELEM was founded with the goal to assist youth at risk and in distress; to to improve their life conditions, and help them to find their place back in society as adults and as contributing citizens, for themselves, their families, and Israeli society. ELEM was founded by a group of professionals and volunteers in Israel and the United States, and was registered as an association in 1983. Since then it has developed into a nationwide organization, specializing in identifying the hardships that characterize the daily lives of youth in Israel, and in developing and implementing relevant and innovative solutions in order to deal with those hardships, while keeping in mind the unique needs of dif... read more ELEM was founded with the goal to assist youth at risk and in distress; to to improve their life conditions, and help them to find their place back in society as adults and as contributing citizens, for themselves, their families, and Israeli society. ELEM was founded by a group of professionals and volunteers in Israel and the United States, and was registered as an association in 1983. Since then it has developed into a nationwide organization, specializing in identifying the hardships that characterize the daily lives of youth in Israel, and in developing and implementing relevant and innovative solutions in order to deal with those hardships, while keeping in mind the unique needs of different population groups. At the moment there are about 800,000 youth between the ages of 12-18 in Israel, about a quarter of who are living in various conditions of distress. Over the last decade, social and voluntary organizations have been forced to fill the vacuum created by the state regarding the provision of social, personal, and communal services. This problem is most obvious when it comes to the treatment of youth in distress. Social Responsibility and Involvement We at ELEM believe that the treatment of youth at risk and in distress is the responsibility of the entire society. Therefore, in addition to ELEM's close cooperation with the various welfare services provided by the state, ELEM works towards bringing the issue to the public agenda, and towards deepening the involvement of citizens and businesses in the field by creating a true partnership for the sake of youth at risk and in distress.