ELEM’s Youth Centers
At the centers, adolescents meet professional staff and volunteers who build meaningful relationships with them and provide personal guidance, genuine listening and compassionate support.
The informal environment allows youth to drop in when they want, enjoy group activities, express themselves authentically in a safe space, and feel that they belong unconditionally.
The teams’ consistent presence helps identify emotional distress and risk at an early stage, enabling support that is tailored to the needs of each young person.
When needed, the centers connect teens to additional ELEM programs and to appropriate professional and community services.
Types of programs
Youth centers provide a safe and welcoming space for teenagers who need a significant adult, advice, and support. The centers offer social, educational, and therapeutic activities, alongside personal, eye-level, and informal guidance.
MATAL is a therapeutic framework of the Elem association in cooperation with the local authority, providing professional support to male and female youth and young adults dealing with trauma, risk situations, and life crises. Within MATAL, individual emotional therapy, group work, family support, and professional training are provided, at eye-level and with personal adaptation to the needs of youth and young adults. The framework operates in cooperation with welfare, education, health, and community treatment services, with the aim of enabling a process of processing, strengthening, and building a better future.
The Noor model is a unique and culturally sensitive model developed for girls and young women from the Arab society who are dealing with risk situations, distress, exclusion, and exposure to violence. The model is based on creating a beneficial and continuous relationship with an emphasis on employment and education, stemming from a deep understanding of the unique social, familial, and community characteristics of Arab society. The responses combine personal guidance, emotional support, strengthening the sense of capability and belonging, maximizing rights, and building a future outlook. The activity takes place within a social, educational, and individual space and is operated by the Elem association in cooperation with local authorities.