Crossroads
Crossroads is a distinctive intervention project. Its aim is to help English speaking teenagers who have difficulty acclimating to Israeli life and are spending excessive numbers of hours on the streets – or even living there. The children served (ages 13 to 21) are the ones that have been sent to Israel for a year to “straighten themselves out.” Of course, with no support structure in Israel (these kids just drop out of the institutions they are sent to), they end up on the streets. Crossroads also serves Israeli-American kids who never successfully integrated when their parents made aliyah. Based in Jerusalem, the Crossroads Center offers rehabilitative services to several hundred teens each year. Their staff of social workers has been highly successful at reaching youth who have been alienated from society and their families.
Three to four nights a week, Crossroads reaches out to teens in their natural environment, on the streets of downtown Jerusalem. This hands-on approach has gained Crossroads both visibility and trust, ensuring that English speaking teens know where to turn to for help. They congregate at the top of Nahalat Shiva and Yaffo Street at a place nick-named Crack Square. Crossroads’ social workers have a routine of walking though the popular areas but always return to Crack Square.
Crossroads has a clubhouse located downtown that is open from 3 pm to 6:30 pm and three nights per week until 10: 00 pm that was in jeopardy of being closed. They have workshops, computers for classes and for the kids to check their email, tv and tutoring (for high school equivalency diplomas). The therapeutic segment at Crossroads includes 3 ½ full-time social workers each having a caseload of 15 – 25 kids.
Our Involvement
Reaching the Center requires walking up flights of stairs. The first thing you see is a dark room with a big screen tv and lots of older teens sitting around watching it. The smell of cigarette smoke permeates the air. When we met with Caryn, the director, we asked about rules. There is no talking about drugs at the Center and intoxication or being high there is not tolerated. We were able to speak candidly to a young girl originally from the States who would be returning there soon to testify against her abusive father. She told me Crossroads social workers were coaching her with her testimony so she could stay strong, lucid and clear. She told us she liked the cooking classes (they pay a small fee and also get to eat the meals) and going to Crossroads was a convenient way to check her email. She was seeing a social worker for counseling and was going to school. She feels safe at Crossroads.
Hands On Tzedakah gave Crossroads a small grant to pay for the tuition for two teens to take a vocational electrician course outside the Center. Additionally, HOT issued them a challenge grant. The Crossroads Clubhouse became a wish list item. Three nights per week, a social worker, food and snacks, supplies for activities, board games and a video camera comes to $14,710. The challenge grant was met and Crossroads found funding for one-half and Hands On Tzedakah paid the other half. HOT recently gave Crossroads a grant to apply for a class called Networking: An Introduction to Web Design, which is a 10-week interactive course for 8 participants who are motivated both to learn and to work. Crossroads has many other wish list items including funds for a new music workshop ($3,000); vocational courses in cosmetology and haircutting ($2,500 each); coffee tables and 12 chairs ($625).
Contact Information
Crossroads Center, Caryn Green, Director, Hachavatzelet St. 2, Jerusalem 91028, telephone: 972-50-868-9207, email: crossroads@bezeqint.net, web site: www.crossroadsjerusalem.org
