Established in 1998, TeLeM is a unique interim program especially designed to empower at-risk Israeli young adults to fulfill both their dreams and their potential and become contributing members in their community.
Every year, approximately 100 participants are given the opportunity to learn and practice various life skills in the embracing and nurturing environment of a Kibbutz.
Our Mission is to provide these young people with a positive, comprehensive experience and the stepping stones needed to achieve self-sufficiency and independence.
TeLeM program, initially developed to support at-risk Israeli-Ethiopians following army or national service, provides a complete framework to prepare the participants for the challenges of independent adulthood.
Each year, approximately 2,000 Ethiopian-Israeli young adults take their first steps into adulthood; for the first time in their lives they are independent and responsible for making their own choices for the future.
25% of these young adults are regarded by Israeli law as being "at-risk", meaning that they have an above-average probability of facing physically or mentally endangering living conditions, and are most likely to live in poverty.
Compared to their contemporaries, these young adults lack fundamental skills necessary to overcome the inherent difficulties they face. Only low-entrance employment opportunities are available to them, locking most in the cycle of poverty.
The participants are Ethiopian Israeli between the ages of twenty and twenty five who have not completed their Matriculation exams.
They generally come from the lowest socio-economic level of the Ethiopian Israeli community.
Many suffer from the difficulties they experienced as new immigrants, life in boarding schools, the dissolution of the nuclear family and a wide cultural and technological gap.
Their educational level is far below the general population, leaving them unskilled, unemployed and at greater risk of illness.
Being preoccupied with daily survival, this population often fails to realize their potential to become the independent and successful citizens they can be.
TeLeM's individually tailor-made yearlong program comprises: accommodation and social involvement on a Kibbutz; education guidance and assistance; vocational training and employment opportunities; as well as individual mentoring. Employing a personal approach, our professional team accompanies every participant throughout this challenging transition process, helping each one create a viable plan for the future.
More than 1,000 TeLeM graduates have already succeeded in developing a career and/or continuing to higher education, exercising their responsibilities as independent adults in their families, communities, and Israeli society.
With the solid support of the Israel Ministry for Social Equality, the Kibbutz Movement, the Glencore foundation, IAJF, HJH and other grants, our mission is made possible thanks to our wonderful volunteers, dedicated staff and the generous support of donors like you.
Our Goal now is to further expand our services to enable our participants to grow, thrive, and become positive role models for others.