An Israeli army base for empowerment -
by Corinne Spector
The basic training camp looks like a kind of agricultural village– it seems to be a green paradise, but as I meet the young people there and say "Wow! This looks like a hotel, not like an army base", they laugh and say "It’s not a hotel here. It doesn't even have a half-star rating!" While it's true that it is very basic, with some parts heavily used and run down, the setting among the olive trees is beautiful.
At the gate, there is an arch that reads: "The future starts here".
On the walls of the buildings, there are motivational murals and sayings that participants over the years have created together with local artists. These "Talking walls" tell about the experience these young people go through here, and help make the place into their home. It's written: "If you can beat your challenge, that success is yours forever".
The young people who arrive here are from populations with various kinds of coping problems: they are often from lower socio-economic groups, perhaps from immigrant families, maybe have drug or alcohol issues, or problems with the police and courts. Most of them were already not in school at age 16 when they received their first draft notice. They may have social or interpersonal difficulties or both, which may lead to violence and crime, little or no family support, and further alienation from society.
This is not a regular army base; it is both a secure base, and one that provides a different kind of security to those who stay here. The commanders, chosen from the Education Corps of the army, come here with the motivation and training to hold out their hands to others, with the goal of pulling these troubled young people upward.
Those who come here have often been affected by multiple life traumas, yet they gradually learn both that they are not alone in their past experiences, and that they are not alone now –the guides here support them by teaching them tools for life. Sometimes it will be slow and hard to advance, and they will only move forward with baby steps. Their challenges may be physical and mental, even spiritual. The young soldiers here often undergo powerful growth experiences – both within this group and on an individual level.
The commanders tell me that these kids have dropped out of every framework.
Now they are soldiers yet they tell me how they have a hard time coping with limits, and don't have meaningful reasons to get up in the morning; they lack motivation for even simple things. They are sometimes embarrassed in front of the others, or make fun of everything, sometimes imitating their commanders. They joke and give their own names and meanings to each command, and of course, they swear, smoke and hit one another at every opportunity…
The goal of this program is to give them the coping tools they need to integrate into the army, and into Israeli society. The idea is to give these young people the opportunity to turn their lives around here and now, and to empower them for their future. They are adopted into a framework that gives them equal standing with the rest of society -some for the first time - by providing each with individual attention and support, while both training them as soldiers and teaching them life skills.
They are placed in a special group for 2 and a half months of Basic Training, where the commander tells me about special lessons they receive: anger management, how to ensure their messages are clear and received, coping with change, overcoming difficult situations, and finding motivation in their lives.
They learn about Israel by touring the country – going to Jerusalem and to the desert. In season, I hear about how they pick and press the nearby olives to make the oil they use.
And all along, they are working on improving their personal efficacy and strengths.
They are then provided options for training in various trades that they can do in the army: cook, driver, electrician, hair-dresser and so on, jobs in which they can also work after the army. The hope is that they will be able to become soldiers who contribute now, and also become a part of Israeli society later, rather than hurting themselves and others.
The commanders here are mainly young women, in order to reduce friction that may arise between male commanders and male soldiers. Often these young soldiers come from places where the women in their lives have little power, but ultimately they come to accept and respect their female commanders.
Commanders in this program tell me they believe that within each of these individuals lie abilities and strengths, and that they help them discover these for themselves.
Participants begin to understand that even though they have one arm tied behind them – a difficult past, little family support or self-discipline problems-- this is a place where they can put their best foot forward and discover their personal potential, both for the army and for life afterwards.
The program also promotes excellence. If you can turn your difficulties around, you can achieve great things if you wish and if you are willing to work for them. The success rate of this program is about 75%, and 10% even go on to become combat soldiers, with some even going to Officer's training school, both of which are considered the highest in terms of motivation in the Israeli army.
It is hoped that they will understand that this is a gift given to them. Ultimately, it is also a gift to society because if these young people don’t find a positive way to contribute, they may cause great harm through criminal behavior.
One of the commanders said: "The path to building one's future begins here. It will not be easy; in fact, it will be very challenging, but the sky is the limit. Here you have all the conditions to succeed, it's all about the choices you make from here on out.
We believe that you have the ability and desire to improve, as it says on our symbol:
"We believe in the human spirit".
As a photographer, I found this place touched me deeply and I hope to take it on as a long-term project. This was the first chapter.
- Corinne Spector February 2020
