Young Woman Becomes Crucial Support for Sderot Youth Through Nighttime Outreach
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Eden, a young woman with a history of personal trauma, now works nightly in Sderot to support at-risk teenagers. She builds trust through consistent presence and intervention, becoming a crucial resource for youth in distress.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Eden provides nightly support to Sderot's teenagers.
- Her outreach is informed by her own past trauma and struggles.
- She builds trust through consistent presence and small gestures.
- Eden intervenes in critical situations requiring professional help.
- The youth of Sderot now rely on her as a trusted figure.
Eden, a young woman who experienced significant trauma in her youth, now dedicates her nights to supporting teenagers in Sderot, acting as a vital anchor for them. Her own difficult adolescence, marked by a traumatic event at age 12 and subsequent risky behaviors during her teenage years, has informed her approach. Despite struggling with her education, even retaking her matriculation exams five times, Eden is now in her final year of a degree in education specializing in at-risk youth.
She began working with the National Directorate for Community Security in late 2019. Eden emphasizes building trust through consistent presence and small gestures, like offering a favorite candy, which opens doors to conversations about school, home, friends, violence, and fears. Her street work involves recognizing subtle changes in behavior and being a non-judgmental presence for the youth.
Beyond routine engagement, Eden's work becomes critical during crises. She has intervened in situations involving teenagers in distress needing professional help, stayed with a girl locked out of her home after an argument, and facilitated connections with police and welfare services for a girl experiencing severe domestic violence. In these moments, she notes, street work demands real-time risk assessment and collaboration with parents, police, and social services, all while preserving the trust with the young person.
Through years of consistent outreach, the youth of Sderot now recognize and approach Eden, often turning to her when they feel they have nowhere else to go. She stated, "The teenagers understand that I remember them."