ELEM has been operating pop-up spaces serving evacuated youth from the North and South since the beginning of the war. The pop-up spaces serve as place for them to talk, vent, or even stay silent and just be. It is a judgement free space where we offer our ongoing support and bring some light to teens who are experiencing very dark days. Beyond the pop-up spaces we also continue to serve youth across Israel, who still live under the threat of rocket and experience the pain of war.
We wanted to share some of the feelings and thoughts our youth and expressed. Some of them lost loved ones and many live in uncertainty about the what the future holds.
“I have a lump in my throat. When I’m around the adults I don’t cry because they will fall apart. Only with you do I allow my tears to come out.” – A displaced youth in an ELEM pop-up space.
***
“ELEM is the light at the end of the tunnel. Thank you for making it all the way to the hotel room and convincing Yoav to leave the room, after he had closed himself off since that Shabbat.”- A mother of youth in an evacuee center
***
“It’s really important to have someone like you to share. We feel more at home when you’re here.” – A displaced girl in one of our pop-up centers
***
“How do they expect us to go back to normalcy? Or manage to concentrate? Going back to normal happens after something is over. Nothing is over yet. Those events are still ongoing. We’re still in it. It’s scary to live this way.” – A displaced girl at ELEM’s Shfaim pop-up centers.
***
“Teach everyone how to talk to us, You talk to us about life in general and don’t immediately dig into things that are too heavy… and you know when the right time to ask the right question and it feels like we can talk to you about everything and you won’t judge us…” A displaced boy at ELEM’s Ma’ale Hahamisha pop-up centers.
***
“Until you came to us I didn’t find myself. Everything seems so dark and these questions about how I’m doing all the time just make me feel bad.” – G, 15 years old, evacuee from Gaza.
To read more about our work during the war click here.
An ELEM Pop-Up Space
