The HILA Program: A Second Chance for Youth at Risk
Himi Hana
Abstract
The article describes research concerning the HILA Basic Education program for the inclusion of at-risk
adolescents in Israel, aimed at improving the adolescents’ functioning to the point of reintegration in normative
frameworks. The data presented here relating to HILA activities in 2009-2013, showthat only approximately a
third of the youth at risk attending Youth At-Risk Advancement units begin the HILA program and only
approximately 50% of them complete the course. These findings indicate that further study is needed to identify
means to attract more of the at-risk youth to participate in the HILA program therapeutic and educational
intervention and to prevent drop-out so that they would remain within the program until age 18, and gain the
necessary skills and resources to improve their functioning in normative society.
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