Kedma Youth Village
Kedma Youth Village is located in the Negev area of Israel, close to the development town of Kiryat Gat. Ten years ago, Kedma was caring for only 50 adolescents. Today, Kedma is home to 147 adolescent girls and boys ages 13 to 19. The children are from immigrant and Israeli families.
The main characteristic of the children at Kedma is that they have dropped out of the structured school framework. Many were homeless, had suffered physical and emotional abuse, and/or had been involved with the juvenile justice system before arriving at Kedma.
Kedma has adapted the buildings and facilities it originally inherited from a dismantled kibbutz to provide its children with extensive vocational training. Such training includes carpentry, machinery maintenance, agriculture, gardening, animal care, hair styling, sewing and fashion, communications, administration and office management.
Every child at Kedma requires therapeutic treatment - either group or individual. Many different therapies are available at Kedma such as art and play therapy. Kedma also utilizes animals in its treatment programs providing pet and horse therapies. Today, Kedma’s philosophy is to give the children a quality education as well, believing that education is, in itself, a successful treatment methodology.
Through its partnership with Yemin Orde, Kedma is adopting the main elements of Yemin Orde’s methodology. It has opened a Graduate House for those graduates who do not have anywhere else to live in Israel, has hired a graduate coordinator, and is offering scholarships for its graduates. Kedma has also introduced spirituality programs into the Village.