Young Adults ProgramThere is a moment when young people who grew up in residential care or foster families realize that their experience is not just their own, but shared by many – and that together, their voices matter.
Yeladim’s Leadership Forum offers a home for that shared voice – bringing together young adults from across Israel who turn lived experience into collective action and social change.
Young Adults Program
Young People Leading Change for Young People
“I grew up feeling completely alone. In the Forum, I realized there are others like me, and that together, we can be a force.”
Maya, 24
At the Heart of the Forum: Young Adults Shaping a New Reality
Dozens of young adults ages 18-30, graduates of residential care and foster families, meet every two weeks with professional facilitation to lead social initiatives born from their own life experiences.
They develop projects, write and create content, conduct research, speak in the media, and engage with decision-makers – bringing the voice of care alumni into public discourse in a clear, authentic, and accessible way.
Who Is the Forum For?
The Forum is designed for young adults who grew up in residential care or foster families and want to influence change – for themselves and for the next generation.
Its impact, however, extends far beyond the Forum itself:
• For professionals and care teams, the Forum offers a rare opportunity to hear directly from care alumni, gain insight into their lived reality, and work together to improve existing services.
• For public and government bodies, it serves as a platform for collaboration, learning, and policy development that reduces gaps and promotes genuine equality of opportunity.
Our Values
Excellence
continually improving and developing new responses for care alumni
Collaboration
working in partnership with systems and stakeholders
Innovation
creating solutions rooted in lived experience
Mutual Respect
fostering inclusion, dignity, and open dialogue
Leadership
ensuring care alumni are heard in the public sphere
Our Goals
The Forum works on two interconnected levels: supporting children and alumni of residential care – and strengthening the Forum members themselves.
For children and alumni of residential care:
• To amplify their voices in dialogue with government, media, and civil society
• To improve services and responses for children and young adults in out-of-home care
• To translate lived experience into knowledge that drives policy change
For Forum members:
• To develop personal growth and leadership capacity
• To build a strong sense of belonging, community, and shared purpose
• To grow together as a supportive leadership group
• To bring in new members each year and expand the Forum’s impact
What We’ve Already Achieved?
• Meetings with government ministers, members of Knesset, and local authority leaders
• Creation of the Care Alumni Youth Manifesto
• Participation in Knesset committee hearings and leadership of public conversations on alumni rights
• Development of practical initiatives focused on employment, housing, and community connection
• Production of the “Lights Out” podcast — authentic voices from lived experience
Our Podcast – “Lights Out”
When the lights go out in the residential home, the stories begin.
In Lights Out, Forum members speak openly about freedom, love, fear, and dreams – without filters. They create, record, edit, and host the podcast themselves, because these are their stories, told in their own voices.
Other Program Areas
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Soldiers and Reservists Without Family Support
Support for young adults without family support during and after military, national, or civil service - including those who are orphaned or entirely on their own. -
Pathways to Independence
Education, employment, and entrepreneurship support for young adults for whom these steps are not obvious - but life-changing.
Guidance is personalized, practical, and partnership-based. -
Bridge to Independence
A national program funded by the Ministry of Welfare, in partnership with foundations and civil society organizations.
A network of 48 transitional apartments across Israel, supporting young adults as they move toward independence within a supportive community.
Implemented in partnership with Or Shalom and SOS Children’s Villages. -
Personal Mentors
Ongoing personal guidance for young adults building independent lives in the community.
Each participant is matched with an adult mentor who believes in them and accompanies them consistently. -
אמא זקוקה לאמא
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Young Mothers at Risk
Support for young mothers who grew up in residential care and are building independent lives while raising a child - often without family or economic support.
The program offers steady, human support at a critical moment. -
Life After War
Israel’s recent wars have reshaped daily life long after the sirens stopped. For many young people, there was no real return to normal. When the world was shaking, we were there.
And when the noise faded, we stayed.