ELEM was founded in 1982 by a group of American and Israeli professionals and lay volunteers. Our mission is to help Israel’s population of at-risk youth become productive citizens.

 

ELEM has grown into Israel's foremost organizations providing care to at-risk and deeply troubled youth. ELEM operates programs in 40 cities and towns nationwide, with innovative and relevant programs targeted toward all populations of troubled youth. We work with Arabs, Ultra Orthodox, young sex offenders, and immigrants from the Former Soviet Union and Ethiopia, Druze and Bedouins.

 

The phenomenon of distressed youth in Israel is growing at an alarming rate. Nearly one-third of the youth population is in various degrees of distress, including 8,000 classified as “fatal risk”. ELEM is the only organization in Israel that provides solutions to youth facing a broad spectrum of difficulties, including domestic violence, absorption issues following immigration, distress of warfare and sexual abuse. These youth often end up living on the streets and develop substance abuse issues or turn to crime or prostitution to survive.

 

ELEM provides highly effective, and, in some cases ground-breaking services, to at-risk youth including counseling centers, shelters, rehabilitation services, online chat and forums, residential and day treatment, vocational training, mentoring, and other social services that are staffed by professionals trained to understand the varied and complex needs of the tapestry of cultures that comprise Israel. ELEM is the largest volunteer program in Israel, with almost 2,000 adults and youth volunteers and 250 professionals. We go to where these youth are – the streets, houses of prostitution, drug-gangs and abusive homes – to reach troubled youth. Last year, ELEM met with tens of thousands of adolescents, and provided continuous treatment to approximately 20,000 of them.