Yedidim

Yedidim ("Yedidim for Youth and Society") is an Israeli non-profit association founded in Jerusalem in 1991 by a group of young, recently discharged soldiers and students. It was originally created to help absorb the wave of immigrants arriving in Israel in the early 1990s, under the banner "Friendly Absorption – the Yedidim mentoring model," in which teenage volunteers were paired with immigrant children and teens to guide them through their first steps in the country. Within a few years its activity spread to more than 30 localities, and in 1996 it broadened its focus to additional populations of at-risk youth, leadership and community-volunteering programs, changing its name to "Yedidim for Youth and Society." Today Yedidim is one of the largest organizations of its kind in Israel. According to its own materials it assists roughly 3,000 beneficiaries each year through year-long, process-oriented activities, and operates more than 1,600–2,000 students and volunteers in education and welfare programs across more than 160 groups nationwide. Its programs span an age continuum from about 6 to 36 and address immigrant absorption, school-dropout prevention, at-risk boys and girls, youth in conflict with the law, preparation for meaningful military service, employment, and women's empowerment. The educational approach rests on a "triangle" model combining personal mentoring, peer-group activity, and community volunteering. Yedidim works in partnership with government ministries and social organizations, including the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services, the Ministry of Education, the Israel Police, the youth probation service, and National Insurance funds. It has also established "Friends of Yedidim" branches in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. In 2020 it received consultative status at the United Nations. The association has received numerous honors, including the President's Award for Volunteers, the Jerusalem Mayor's Award, and the Knesset Chairman's Prize for Quality of Life. It estimates that some 100,000 alumni have passed through its ranks over the years.

Yedidim was founded in Jerusalem in 1991 by a group of young, recently discharged soldiers and students. It was registered as a non-profit association under the name "Yedidim for the Absorption of Youth by Youth" (ידידים לקליטת נוער על ידי נוער), with the goal of assisting the absorption of the wave of immigrants arriving in Israel in the early 1990s. The organization introduced an operating framework titled "Friendly Absorption – the Yedidim mentoring model," in which teenage volunteers were paired with immigrant children and teens, serving as mentors and accompanying them through their first steps in Israel. This was combined with group work among peers of similar age, background and status. Within a few years, the association's activity expanded to more than 30 localities across the country. In 1996, it broadened its work to additional populations of at-risk youth, as well as leadership and community-volunteering programs, and changed its name to its current form, "Yedidim for Youth and Society." In the same period, the Yedidim Institute for Leadership, Management and Volunteering was established in 1998 to develop the organization's training, instruction and management doctrine and to support evaluation research and metrics for its various programs. To date the Institute has trained more than 2,800 managers, coordinators and volunteers, combining academic theory and knowledge with field-based practice. In the early 2000s, Yedidim continued to expand geographically, socially and educationally-professionally, establishing and operating dedicated programs for different ages, hardships and risk situations. Its growth was supported by cooperation with social organizations and government ministries, including the Ministry of Aliyah and Integration, the Ministry of Labor, Welfare and Social Services, the youth probation service, the Ministry of Education, the Israel Police, National Insurance funds, and other organizations and funds in Israel and abroad. Among other activities, Yedidim managed community volunteering for thousands of scholarship students in Israel. The organization also established "Friends of Yedidim" branches in the United States, under the presidency of actor Mike Burstyn, as well as in Canada and England. According to the association's estimate, about 100,000 alumni have passed through its ranks over the years. In 2020, Yedidim received consultative status at the United Nations. The organization has received numerous awards and honors, including the "Excellence in Management" prize from the third sector awarded to its CEO, the "Deputy Minister for Aliyah Absorption Shield" for excellence in volunteer activity for immigrant absorption, the President's Award for Volunteers for the activity of teenage volunteers in immigrant absorption, the Jerusalem Mayor's Award given to Yedidim as an outstanding organization for promoting the welfare and quality of life of Jerusalem residents, and the Knesset Chairman's Prize for Quality of Life for its contribution to increasing immigration.

• 2020

  Received consultative status at the United Nations.

• 1998

  Yedidim Institute for Leadership, Management and Volunteering established.

• 1996

  Expanded to additional at-risk youth populations and renamed "Yedidim for Youth and Society."

• 1991

  Founded in Jerusalem as "Yedidim for the Absorption of Youth by Youth" by young IDF veterans and students.

One of Israel's largest non-profit organizations for at-risk children, teens and young adults, using a long-term mentoring and community-volunteering model.

• Yedidim Batim

  Warm homes for children and youth in neighborhoods with multiple hardships.

• Yedidim Achi Yonatan

  Bar/bat mitzvah celebrations for boys and girls from low-income families.

• Yedidim Sal'a

  Assistance for girls in at-risk situations.

• Yedidim Sayarot

  School-dropout prevention.

• Yedidim Sikuyim

  Assistance for youth in conflict with the law.

• Yedidim Atid Batuach

  Developing life skills and employment horizons for at-risk youth.

• Yedidim Ma'agalei Achrayut

  Preparation for meaningful IDF service.

• Yedidim LeManhigut – HaDerech HaChadasha

  Preparation for meaningful IDF service and promotion of optimal integration of Ethiopian-Israeli youth into Israeli society.

• Yedidim BaTa'asuka

  Assistance for employment integration among young adults.

1. 1ארגון ידידים - דף הבית - עמותת ידידיםyedidim.org.il
2. 2Yedidimwikidata.org
3. 3ידידים (עמותה)he.wikipedia.org