{"id":155476,"date":"2026-06-11T11:03:08","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:03:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/155476\/"},"modified":"2026-06-11T11:03:08","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T11:03:08","slug":"nirim-changing-the-lives-of-high-risk-youth-in-israel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/155476\/","title":{"rendered":"Nirim \u2013 Changing the lives of high-risk youth in Israel"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cThe message to at-risk youth<\/a> is simple,\u201d says Raz Karni, Director of Nirim Youth Village. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter where you came from, whether you have a criminal record, or what mistakes you have made. If you are willing to work hard and change, the sky is the limit. At Nirim, we teach an emotional language. We emphasize honesty, authenticity, and meaningful relationships.\u201d<\/p>\n

Karny is the former commander of the Havat HaShomer and Michve Alon IDF Education Corps bases, and a former elite Maglan Unit training commander. He holds an MA in Public Administration and Policy.<\/p>\n

Nirim, established in memory of Sergeant Major Nir Krichman z”l, an Israeli \u201cNavy Seal\u201d (Shayetet 13) soldier who was killed in battle, provides approximately 850 at-risk teens a last chance to change their lives for the better. The organization was founded in 2003 by Nir\u2019s parents, \u00a0Pniel and Hadas Krichman, along with Ziv Gershoni, who was Nir\u2019s commander, and Ziv\u2019s father Yaakov, who was the driving force behind the organization during its first decade. Ziv, who was himself once an at-risk youth, was motivated to create a program to elevate and empower troubled teens. At Nirim, the numbers speak for themselves: 90% of Nirim graduates enlist in meaningful IDF service, and 85% are eligible for a high school matriculation certificate (bagrut).<\/p>\n

The organization\u2019s programs include the Nirim Youth Village, a three-year residential setting for youth at extreme risk; Nirim in the Neighborhoods, a series of community-based programs for at-risk youth throughout Israel; and the Nitzan Nirim School, serving youth in the Gaza Envelope who have experienced post-trauma following the events of October 7.<\/p>\n

Nirim teens come from all sectors of Israeli society. \u201cWhat unites the teens who succeed at Nirim,\u201d says Karni, \u201cis their willingness to make a change.\u201d<\/p>\n

Twenty years ago, the prevailing approach toward at-risk youth was largely institutional. Many believed troubled young people should be placed in facilities and managed. Nirim introduced a completely different philosophy, drawing on concepts from Israel\u2019s naval commando unit, including perseverance, teamwork, personal responsibility, and the belief that a person\u2019s past does not determine their future.<\/p>\n

The Nirim Youth Village is located in Bustan HaGalil, between Acre and Nahariya, directly on the Mediterranean coast. Karni explains that the village\u2019s treatment model is built around four main areas \u2013 the rigorous and comprehensive academic program, the therapeutic framework, the residential environment, and wilderness therapy.\u00a0 Nirim has a staff of 25 social workers, and each student meets individually with a staff member once a week and participates in group therapy. \u201cThe teens learn an emotional language and develop the ability to discuss feelings, relationships, and personal challenges in a way that many of them have never experienced before,\u201d says Karni. The village operates under the auspices of Israel\u2019s Ministry of Welfare and Social Affairs and the Youth Protection Authority.<\/p>\n

The residential framework includes a wide variety of activities, workshops, and enrichment programs. \u201cI myself run a triathlon group for the teens,\u201d says Karni. \u201cOnce a week, I lead activities that include open-water swimming, running, and cycling. In addition, the teens receive a great deal of instruction and guidance from counselors. We currently have 37\u00a0shinshinim\u00a0(pre-army service volunteers) accompanying the teens.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nirim\u2019s wilderness therapy program<\/a> is designed to teach independence, teamwork, and responsibility. Every Tuesday, instead of regular classes, the youth participate in field activities. Every six weeks, they embark on a multi-day expedition, usually in the desert or the Golan Heights. They carry all their food and equipment and spend four to five days navigating and functioning as a team. Karni explains that these demanding expeditions enable the teens, many of whom have lost faith in their ability to succeed, to regain confidence in themselves and rediscover what they can achieve.<\/p>\n

The graduating twelfth-grade students eventually complete a final expedition on their own, without direct supervision. Staff members follow at a distance with communication equipment, but the participants are responsible for navigation, decision-making, and leadership.<\/p>\n

Nirim maintains a close and ongoing relationship with Nir Krichman\u2019s family and with Shayetet 13. Naval commando soldiers regularly visit the village, spend time with the youth, play sports with them, and serve as role models.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe work hard in the youth village, we work hard in the Nirim in the Neighborhood program, and we work hard in Nitzan Nirim,\u201d said Karni. \u201cIf you have just one person who believes in you, and gives love and limits, change can happen. It\u2019s not a miracle. It\u2019s hard work.\u201d<\/p>\n

Nirim is planning on expanding its impact within communities throughout Israel, and the organization wants to broaden its support for children coping with post-traumatic stress, particularly in southern Israel and the Gaza border region.<\/p>\n

In addition, says Karnie, the organization plans to establish a knowledge center that will teach the Nirim methodology and wilderness-therapy approach to other organizations. \u201cOur goal is to share what we have learned, scale the model, and create a much larger impact nationwide.\u201d<\/p>\n

Visit this link – https:\/\/nirim.org\/en\/homepage<\/a> – to help change the life stories for more Israeli teens at risk.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cThe message to at-risk youth is simple,\u201d says Raz Karni, Director of Nirim Youth Village. \u201cIt doesn\u2019t matter…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":155477,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[49483,37,49482,9832,3616],"class_list":["post-155476","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-at-risk-youth","tag-israel","tag-nirim","tag-trauma","tag-youth"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/116731143905832676","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155476","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=155476"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/155476\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/155477"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=155476"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=155476"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=155476"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}