Safe Space - Training community teams and youth Counselors to Create Safe Spaces on their Kibbutzim
Maslan - The Negev's Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence Support Center
Field: Informal Education
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Requested sum: $9,367
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33% ot total budget
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Location: Kiryat Gat, Shafir, Lachish
// About the Organization
Maslan has been providing direct care to survivors of violence and sexual abuse in the Negev for more than 37 years. It is dedicated to combating violence and creating social change through awareness and prevention initiatives.
// Project Description
The Safe Space project addresses rising violence, especially sexual violence among children and adolescents due to exposure to harmful content, instability and emotional struggles in the current security reality. Educational teams, such as youth counselors report difficulty handling complex situations and lack the appropriate tools. This project is a direct respond to these needs, through a combination of professional development and practical tools that create safe and supportive educational environments.
// Project Goals
Goals of the project include training designated staff members to identify and address violence and sexual abuse and develop safe spaces for youth, to promote open dialogue on healthy sexuality and abuse prevention and to strengthen adolescents' sense of security. The project will train 5 groups of community teams, as well as provide training workshops for youth counselors in Lachish and Shafir councils on how to create safe spaces.
// Target Population
The number of people effected from the program:
Five community teams from Lachish and Shafir councils–impacting hundreds of children, adolescents and adults.
Thirty youth counselors in informal settings–impacting 400-600 children and teens from youth movements, clubs, local NGOs, and more.
// Outcomes
Short term outcomes include implementing immediate tools to enable open dialogue on healthy sexuality, violence prevention, identifying abuse and harmful exposure and coping strategies. Long-term outcomes: reduced inappropriate or violent behavior, an increase in the number of reports from staff members, and an improved sense of security among the youth.
// Project Timeline
July 2026–September 2026: Marketing the program to local authorities, moshavim and kibbutzim. October 2026–May 2027: Provide training to five groups of community teams and workshops for 30 youth counselors. June 2027: Activity summary, evaluations and conclusions for next year.
// Budget Sustainability
The program provides training in order to create long-term safe spaces for hundreds of teenagers. Currently, Maslan and Tair Centers work to secure ongoing funding enabling teams to continue activities in educational settings beyond the funding period.
If Maslan doesn’t receive the full amount, the program will begin with only 2 groups and 10 youth counselors. Maslan and Tair Center's resource development teams will collaborate to find additional funders for the program.
// Project establishment status
Maslan continuously seeks financial support from local authorities and government ministries to fund its ‘Awareness and Prevention’ activities in the Negev. In collaboration with the Tair Center, Maslan can secure support from local authorities for this program.