Some teenagers need to be empowered to better cope with these anxieties and questions. In order to empower teenagers to know themselves and to direct their energies to more productive means, the Department of Social Services has opened the first regional teenage center in Samaria, called the "Teen Village".

The Samaria Regional Council along with several other prominent local municipalities in the area have agreed to cooperate in this venture. The Tel Aviv and Central Regional Office of Department of Social Servicesand its Department of Youth Services, as well as the Department of Education, have also agreed to recognize and assist the project. Working together guarantees greater success, and regional cooperation should translate into more appropriate utilization of donor and government funding.

The mission of the "Teen Village" is to increase the teenagers' self-esteem and sense of self security, using a holistic approach which includes: individual and group therapy, vocational rehabilitation counseling, and supplementary educational instruction.

During the past several years, as the population living in Samaria has aged, the number of families and even teenagers turning to the Department of Social Services for assistance has increased significantly. They have required more mental and emotional help from our social workers, assistance in finding and keeping jobs and help in achieving educational goals.

Whether adolescents are religiously observant or not, without a doubt they face many challenges living and growing up in Samaria. Having relatives or friends severely injured during terrorist attacks or witnessing shootings on the roads, as well as the specter of disengagement complicates the already difficult period of trying to be a teenager and dealing with normal questions of life and identity.

A supportive, professional and experienced team of professionals will be able to provide the necessary environment to assist teenagers (and their parents/families) in dealing with the relevant issues that brought the teenagers to the "Teen Village".

There are 300 teenagers currently at high risk in the Samaria Regional Council alone. They are singled out by social workers, youth workers and community police as being in significant danger of dropping out of school, using drugs, physically or sexually abusing others or being abused. They are more likely to be affected by terrorism or violent crime (because, for example, they are prone to hitch-hiking at all hours and to a myriad of places). Many of these teenagers have learning difficulties and also come from homes on the low end of the socio-economic scale. Out of our 300, 50 have already either dropped out of school, are using drugs, or have left home, although our social workers and youth workers, in addition to the Department of Educations' school truant officers, are in contact with these adolescents.

The other municipalities together have 70 adolescents in this same category bringing the total number of to 120 of adolescents that need to be served immediately by the “Teen Village” . The facility will be able to serve a maximum of 12 resident adolescents (on a short-term basis) and will be available to provide educational, psychological and social work services to 25 adolescents a day in the day program.

All adolescents will have to sign a contract stipulating their agreement to abide by the rules and regulations of the “Teen Village,” including agreeing to attend counseling, vocational rehabilitation, instruction hours of teacher, and to be in contact with their parents.

Here's How You Can Help:
The Department of Social Services in conjunction with our Departments of Education, and of Culture will fund the professional staff of the "Teen Village" ( US$100,000). We turn to you to assist us in the purchase of essential equipment and supplies (see table below) as well as the rent of the house for a minimum of 5 years ($5,000 year x 5 years = $25,000).