Israel is one of the most complex countries in the world in terms of history, religion, politics and ideologies, citizens, its education system, language, and much more.
The Israeli population is quite young, with a median age ranging from 22 to 35 years, including quite a large group of children and young people In Israel roughly 350,000 youth are identified as At-risk youth.
At-risk youth are often defined as a youth who are less likely to transition into adulthood successfully.
Youth are considered at-risk for a number of reasons. Examples include youth who may be:
Homeless or transient
Involved in drugs or alcohol
Abused sexually physically or emotionally
Challenges with mental health
Neglected at home or stressful family environments
Lacking social or emotional supports
Involved with delinquent peers.
At-risk youth are often identified after running away, skipping school, drinking underage, engaging in sexual behavior, displaying disruptive behavior, bullying/harassment, fighting, and committing acts of vandalism.
These behaviors can be precursors to dropping out of school, acquiring low paying jobs or unemployment, and adult criminal behavior.
Gabriel Talker had founded DAVID'S CHILDREN in 2018 at the city of Tiberias. He realized that the youngsters in Tiberias were having problems involving alcohol, other drugs, sexual abuse or violence at home.
At-risk youth in the area of Tiberias are fairly common due to the local low paying jobs, lack of high education institutions in the area, shortage of professionals that supports at-risk teenagers.
“We exist to transform the lives of the forgotten youth, and lift them up on their way to success”, said Gabriel Talker - “we try to create an environment of trust and friendship, so we can engage with at-risk teenagers, giving them hope for a promising future”.
Success is often defined as the: ability to avoid crime, achieve academic success, and gain financial independence.
We from SHALOM ISRAEL ASIA PACIFIC support DAVID'S CHILDREN initiative to help to develop future youth leaders, that will become agents of transformation, that will impact the lives of other young adults so that they will be able to realize a brighter future ahead.