The Nahal OZ Youth's Healing Journey to Greece
On October 7th the community of Nahal OZ went through an indescribable day of horror and loss. The teenagers of our kibbutz were the age group that was hurt the most, when 4 teenagers were murdered, one was kidnapped, some lost parents, siblings, or their entire family. All our teenagers went through serious trauma after long hours of terror locked in their safe rooms, or standing out of them trying to protect their families.
When we arrived to Mishmar HaEmek the teenagers were in a very bad condition, many of them did not want to socialize, study or interact with any one, they used to get out very late at night and just wander around. They were angry, confused and terrified.
In a few days we opened new educational institutes in our new home. The new youth guides had to work very hard in order to get the teenagers to cooperate and "get back to life". After a few months we could see improvement, but they still did not function as a group, something we believed could be very helpful when dealing with trauma.
When the idea of going on a journey together to Greece came up we immediately understood that is a huge opportunity, if we get the funds and design the program especially for them. We took with us 2 experts in trauma treatment, 2 leaders of the educational program, 3 youth guides and a tour guide. We decided on a bigger program – 6-7 meetings before the trip to get them work together and develop a sense of belonging. The week in Greece as one group with educational and therapeutic sessions every day. And a few group sessions when we got back.
The results of the program were unbelievable. Firstly, throughout the trip we had 0 incidents of bad behavior or limit checking. The teenagers were at their best - They came on time to sessions, cooperated, and treated the staff with respect. Secondly, they started opening up more easily in the group sessions, and developed a strong sense of empathy towards one another. Every day during the trip we could see amazing progress, even with individuals who were dealing with serious issues, or that were not usually feeling comfortable in social activities. The group made sure that no one was excluded. They spoke a lot about the ideal of "all for one and one for all", and how they felt that they became stronger with the group.
In the last couple of nights, while taking long walks on the beautiful beach, many of them chose an adult they felt they could trust and started speaking for the first time about their experiences on October 7th. It wasn't something we asked them to do, they just had to get it out, and many who refused to get psychological treatment before the trip started sessions after it. As a group it was important for them to keep the atmosphere they created in Greece and continue being a well-knit group.
When dealing with trauma, teenagers can be very challenging. They usually refuse treatments and behave as if they are fine. The opportunity you have given us to get them for one week and treat them as one group was priceless. They could identify the difficulties they were all going through, and it has given them the understanding they were normal. Apart from that, they saw how they can be a supportive circle of friends for each other, and how important a sense of belonging to the group is. The tools they were provided with made the
entire group, and each individual in it, to become much stronger. A week after the trip there were parents who said we took their child to Greece and returned a new, better one.
I would like to sincerely thank you for your most generous support that made this come true. Many communities who deal with traumatized youth copy today the model we built for Nahal Oz youth because of the huge success. Many do not understand the importance of taking a traumatized group of teenagers to a whole different scenery, away from their everyday lives, to make them open up and get them motivated. Thank you for believing in that program, what you did made a huge change in our group of teenagers, and was by far the most impactful project we had for them. I pray we will be able to do this again for them next year.
Thank you!
Michal Magen and Berri Meirovitch Directors of Kibbutz Nahal OZ
Oshrit Sabag Head of informal education of Kibbutz Nahal Oz
