About Crossroads

Israel is facing a new and troubling reality: a growing number of youth at risk on the streets of its largest cities. While many organizations have been established to meet the needs of these vulnerable teens, certain groups remain permanently and dangerously sidelined, such as the population consisting of hundreds of English-speaking youth. These Anglo youth and teenagers, who are wrongly stereotyped as members of an affluent and integrated immigrant community, are suffering from poverty, isolation, and neglect. They are estranged from any rehabilitative framework in which to recover and rejoin society.

The Crossroads Center was established in 2001 to meet the needs of these English-speaking teens. As the only organization actively targeting this population, Crossroads offers a range of intervention services in order to support those in need. A team of social workers, therapists, and volunteers work to ensure that as many at-risk teens as possible can be reached, assisted, and empowered.

We provide our clients with:

• Information and Resources
• Individual Therapy
• Job Support
• GED Preparation Course
• Various Programs and Activities
  • Music Program
  • Theatre Group
• Crisis Intervention and Community Outreach
• Referrals to Needed Services

Our certified social workers circulate the streets of downtown Jerusalem at night, seeking out English-speaking teens in distress. They connect with these teens on their own turf and offer them immediate assistance when necessary. Teens will then venture into the Center during the afternoon to chat with our social workers, hang out and do formal intakes for therapy and other needed services.

We offer emotional and psychological support as well as concrete guidance to all English-speaking teens on the streets of Jerusalem. Our long term goal is to help teens turn their lives around into a path toward a healthier future.