Volatile youth learn that the first trick to holding down a job is not losing your temper.
By MICHELE KLEINwater slide 224 88(photo credit: Courtesy)
'I'm not going to work another minute. I'm f---ing angry. It's NOT fair! He's a …………' The expletives and protests continued in earnest for some time, interspersed with strong drags on a cigarette. The boy's body swayed as he kicked the air with frustration. "I'm not going back to work; I'm leaving." Mike (not his real name) fumed about the fact that he hadn't had a toilet break when he needed one. He wore a vest, shorts, and a ring in his eyebrow. His scant beard shaded his clenched jaws, while the gelled spikes on top of his head added a few inches to his slight build. A young clown sat next to him, listening with interest and sympathy. She looked him straight in the eyes and explained to him softly and calmly that he had good reason to be angry. She waited quietly for him to let off steam and then talked to him rationally, about what he would lose if he dropped out of the business and what he could gain if he stuck to his work patiently. A regular employer wouldn't have such patience.
Mike is 17, going on 18. He lives in a hostel for teenagers who have been placed in full-time care by court order. He and the other hostel teenagers grew up in a difficult environment and learned long ago that if someone treats you badly, you treat that person badly in return: forgiveness doesn't pay. In their experience, quick reflexes and pre-emption are the key to survival. But this approach led to trouble and that's one reason why the kids are in a rehabilitation framework.
These hostel boys work several days a month in a business venture. Many non-profit organizations that run hostels with rehabilitation programs now engage in a business enterprise that gives adolescents work experience and responsibility. Such enterprises include, for example, catering businesses, a goat dairy, an olive oil manufacturing company, an organic vegetable farm, water sports and printing services. At the same time, they educate the public, by encouraging tolerance and acceptance of those who are different and vulnerable. The Joint (JDC), Ashalim and Zionut 2000 provide start-up support for such business ventures, with contributions from corporate bodies: once a business is up and running, it should become self-sustaining. The overall project is called "Turning Point," as the experience of working in such a business aims to lead the youth to a turning point, away from antisocial habits, toward responsible, productive citizenship.
Mike and three other boys from the Nofit non-profit hostel rose at dawn to set up and man their inflatable water slides and trampolines at a wildlife park that belongs to another non-profit for youth at risk, Wing of Love. Both non-profits run businesses that cater for corporate and family events, birthday and school parties, and summer camps. Wing of Love set up creative activities, food stalls, donkey rides, as well as tours of the zoo and the nearby dairy farm. The two businesses combined forces on this particular full-day event for the families of employees of the First International Bank of Israel, one of the partners in the Turning Point program for youth at risk.
Mike had been working in the business for a year. But if he continues to explode every time he gets frustrated, and if he gives up every time he feels angry, he clearly won't be able to hold down any job. Ma'ayan Ben-Na'im, who dressed up as a clown and helped with the entertainment for the bank's families, counseled him patiently. She has been working with Mike and the other youths at Nofit through the Scouts movement. Ma'ayan and Mike took time out during the event to talk through his crisis and after a half hour they both returned to work. But sometimes a boy needs a whole day or more to work through hurt feelings and refuses to return to his work with visitors.
Mike's midday crisis is an example of one of the many challenging breaking points when working with youth at risk. But luckily there are also turning points that show that the venture is successful, not only as a source of income but also as a therapeutic tool. "This is the best day we've had all summer," said one five-year-old youngster from Shoham to his friend at a summer camp in the park, as they were distracted from their focus on some copulating red beetles when a squirrel monkey swung over their heads into a fig tree. Another child of that age was scared to get up onto a donkey's back, but Danny, one of the Wing of Love youngsters who will soon be 17 years old, talked kindly to him, gave him a gentle helping hand, and assured him that he would be safe and would enjoy the ride. The kid's knuckles were white as he clutched the saddle, but slowly Danny's calm reassurance helped the child relax and by the end of the ride he didn't want to get out of the saddle.
"Respect for the donkey is as important as respect for the youth," says his teacher. The boys learn from the animals they work with. One year ago, when Danny joined the Wing of Love framework, he was withdrawn, angry and uncooperative. Danny's work with the donkeys led him to feel a change in himself. "I am not like I used to be," he admits. "I enjoy working and I want to work and earn money. This place helps me a lot with my behavior and I am happy to learn about animals."
When they enter the rehabilitation framework, the teenagers are unused to working and unwilling to put an effort into anything. They had literally dropped out of school, home and society. But in order to take part in the business, they have to work hard, show respect and become reliable. "They only receive full pay if they have done their share of work, preparing the event, hosting it, and clearing up afterward. Such a change from their old life takes time and a lot, really a lot, of support," explains Wing of Love director Boaz Miller. The boys enjoy earning money, but they also understand that this project helps them to prepare for the work market when they leave the hostel.
One-third of the income from the park's visitors goes to pay the boys; the rest goes to cover the costs of producing the event and to the maintenance of the zoo. "There is great demand for a venue for such child-centered events; you could run them here every day of the year," says Yuval Ofir, of Meltzaratz catering company, who has helped with three large events in the park. If Wing of Love ran the business every day, both the boys' wallets and the zoo would profit. So why doesn't it? "If the boys were to run events every day," says Miller, "they would put no effort into school work, vocational training and sports. There would also be no time for the supportive dialogue and counseling that they need, or for family and community activities. They would probably soon lose their enthusiasm and see the business project as another chore. While it is not very lucrative to run only two to four events per month, this is the right balance in a rehabilitation program."
Michele Klein is a volunteer at the Wing of Love non-profit organization, which works to rehabilitate youth at risk: michele2kl@gmail.com
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