NIGHT OWLS TARGETS RUSSIAN KIDS ON THE STREETS

Excessive drinking, hooliganism, promiscuity and even anti-Semitic expression by Russian immigrant teens are seen nightly on Israel's streets. Meanwhile, hundreds of Russian-born students are scoring at the top of their classes and enrolling in honors programs throughout Israel.

What's going on?

The pressures of aliyah have wreaked havoc on young Russian immigrants. Back in Russia, the Jewish community placed a high value on academics, and needed to work harder to achieve. Children who remain connected to their parents and cultural roots also tend to strive for academic excellence.

But others, who feel estranged from their immigrant parents and don't fit in with native Israelis either, crave a new identity. That often plays out with the "new Russian culture" we're seeing among Russian teens, who score high on all the measures of social failure – school dropout rate, drug use, juvenile crime, etc.

Night Owls counteracts these trends, sending young Russian immigrant counselors who have been through the same crises out to the streets and parks at night to connect with alienated teens, create structured activities, and liaise with local agencies to access all available resources.

In a six-month pilot in Ashkelon, Beersheva, Ramle, Rehovot and Upper Netzaret, 50% of the hundreds of teens befriended by Night Owls counselors admitted to skipping school several days a week. By the end of the program, only 12% said the same thing. Several dozen Rehovot youth started attending an evening tutorial center. Ashkelon established skateboarding, music and volleyball clubs, a youth disco, barbeques and trips for its teens. Beersheva and Ramle opened soccer clubs, and Upper Netzaret started a tennis/sports club.

JOI has partnered with IAIC to expand Night Owls nationally. With a $100,000 grant from the Jewish Venture Philanthropic Fund of Los Angeles, coupled with matching funding from the Israeli Ministry of Absorption and local municipalities, Night Owls has been extended to 17 cities. Many other cities are clamoring to be included in this highly-acclaimed, effective solution to the widespread problems they similarly face with Russian teens.

ARIK TEACHES BY EXAMPLE
Meet Arik, a Night Owls counselor in Rehovot who's been there, done that, and wants to help others turn their lives around too.

Born in Kavkaz, a rough area in the Caucasus Mountains, Arik emigrated to Rechovot at age 15. Like many teen immigrants facing the pressures of absorption, Arik quickly became estranged from his parents and his peers and spent most of his free time hanging out in parks and getting into fights.

Fortunately for Arik, an uncle got through to him and got him back on track. Today at age 21 – while one-third of his former friends are on drugs and in jail, and others are struggling at back-breaking, low-paying jobs – Arik serves in the army and plans to begin an army-sponsored university degree next year. He spends his nights roaming the same city parks and hangouts he once frequented, talking to kids and encouraging them to make something of their future.

Connecting regularly with 250 kids, Arik is making a big impression on a lot of young minds. Multiply that by over a dozen counselors across Israel, and you begin to see what an impact Night Owls is having on the troubled youth of the Russian aliyah.

A NIGHT OWLS SUCCESS STORY
"My name is Sergei. I'm 17 years old and I immigrated to Israel from Siberia seven years ago. I liked Israel, except school. I didn’t understand anything and I didn’t know anyone. Everything seemed strange and weird. I decided to cause problems at school, and got myself kicked out.

Most of the time, I hung around and met many kids like me who were also out of school. I would hang out all night until morning, and often got into trouble with the police. I got a criminal record, and things kept getting worse.

One night I met Tanya, a Night Owls counselor. At first, I didn’t understand what she wanted from me. With time I saw that she wasn’t against me. She wasn’t working for the police, the city or the school; she was one of "ours." I felt that she wanted to help me.