"…You feel at home. You have a living room, a music room, a kitchen, washrooms... You have someone to talk to. You can pass the time without getting into trouble, and there's a great atmosphere with all the guys and the counselors (youth workers) . You can spend time in a good way. You feel strengthened. There are people to talk to, people who care, you're not in the street, like a dog, or wandering, or who knows what..."
(A., 18 yrs old (f), from the Jerusalem city center Bait Ham club, answering the question: "What is Bait Ham for you?")

The purpose of Bait Ham clubs [drop-in centers] is to overcome the feelings of rejection, loneliness and distance that teenagers often experience in their surroundings, in particular towards the adult world. Our aim is to strengthen young men and women and to help them integrate into an active and fulfilling life within society, by providing opportunities for genuine and meaningful human encounters.

This type of encounter depends on acceptance, and on taking adolescents into account as they are. For many teenagers, such encounters can only happen at the right time and at the right place and cannot be imposed. They will accept an open invitation - only when out of choice.

Who are we?

The Friends of Bait Ham Association (Non profit Israeli association Reg. No. 580037570) was established in Jerusalem in 1981 by new immigrants from France, with backgrounds in psychology, medicine, education or psychotherapy. The organization's goals are to connect with youth who feel isolated (and may be at-risk situations) and to restore them to their rightful place within society.

Why are we special?

The organization has a unique professional approach, a socio-educational-psychological approach, based on principles of social justice and on participatory management as a therapeutic tool. Our work is process-oriented and long-term and applies the principles of an approach developed in France – Institutional Psychotherapy – and adapted to the conditions and culture of Israel following our extensive local field experience. At its core, the method involves establishing youth clubs – Bait Ham means "warm home" – operated by a staff of two male and two female youth workers with multi-disciplinary training, who provide a receptive ear and extend an open invitation to join in the participatory management of the club setting as a living space. Mediation, between the young people themselves as well as between them and their surroundings, is the tool best suited to support each individual in his or her efforts to re/gain life skills and find the way back into society, on a basis of recognition of self-worth and through personal determination.

The following regulations are observed in all Bait Ham clubs:

• Acceptance without exclusion – a place for everyone and acceptance of others – and unconditional positive regard
• Participation of all those present in the house (club), self-management, participatory management
• Use of words and dialog to solve conflicts
• Channeling emotions and expression through creative activities, such as music, sports, theater, drumming or photography
• Protecting the anonymity and privacy of each young man and woman

We operate some 30 clubs, all established in collaboration with local authorities and with their organizations, usually in disadvantaged neighborhoods and for underserved populations. We also run a music center, creative arts workshops, sports & study programs and are in the process of setting up a computer skills program.

Achievements

To date, the Association has set up a network of clubs – in Jerusalem and in the center, south and north of Israel, where over 10,000 young men and women have grown up. Bait Ham now has over 100 counselors (youth workers) and staff facilitators. Over 25% of our youth workers are Bait Ham club alumni.

Bait Ham has four training centers for multi-disciplinary counselors; professional human resources of high quality are of ultimate importance: The Bait Ham Institute in Jerusalem; a program in the Ben Gurion University of the Negev, a program in the Max Stern Academic College of Emeq Yezreel and a fledgling training center in Tel Aviv, operating in collaboration with the ICHPAT, the municipal department for the advancement youth.

The clubs and projects host an average of 1,500 adolescents annually (over the last two years), mainly between the ages of 14 and 18.

One of our greatest achievements is that there are many club "alumni" among the club staff. Here is what one of them has to say:

"If I am somebody today, if I am a staff facilitator and youth worker, it's because of what I received over the years as a kid at Bait Ham. Not just the warmth, love and support but also because of the instruction and supervision I received from the senior staff. Because of the open discussions in the Institute, because of the study [program] that was based on my experience and that of other students. I always knew I had a place. The atmosphere was open and respectful, we were all partners."