[RBS] Something wonderful is happening here

[Phil'n'Chanie Rosenfelder]

translated  and adapted from a letter to the hebrew rbs list by Shmuel
(Mooly) BarShai

Shalom to all
Last week, we attended an appreciation evening for the volunteers and
coordinators of  teh Parents Patrols (Sayeret Horim) of various
neighbourhoods in Beit Shemesh
The evening included an excellent meal at Gehalim, preceded by an
interactive lecture and followed by discussion of some of our concerns
as vounteers.
The evening was characterized by the caring, modest and family-style
nature of the Sayeret, and mostly by the sincere desire to be involved
and reach Our Youth.
There was a decision to have occassional get-togethers with
professionals in order to work out issues that come up.

The Sayeret program started in Ramat Beit Shemesh a year ago, as  an
initiative of local parents who wanted to be involved in the lives of
local youth, to reach those who don't have an anchor, and to protect
those who need protecting, as well as to keep our streets safer and
quieter.  The vision is becoming a reality, and we are seeing
wonderful things as a result of our involvement with the youth and
young adults who are out on the streets and in the parks late into the
night.
Thanks to the Sayeret, several teens who had no framework are now in
schools; cases of public  drinking and vandalism are way down; and
many "kids" now feel that they have to whom to turn.  Parents have
been approached in certain cases and have chosen to get professional
guidance for help with their special children.  And the kids
themselves are always happy to see us and talk to us .

The only sore point in all this is the small number of volunteers in
RBS and other areas.
Here in RBS, we have 25 volunteers, doing 1 to 2 shifts of 3 hours a
month.   This means that the Sayeret is only out there for one shift a
night, two nights a week.  The kids want / need and deserve more than
this.
Giventhe number of parents in the neighbourhood, there was hope that
we could have ten times that number, or more.

To volunteer, one does not have to speak Hebrew, though attending the
course or some of the lectures can be a big help.  The basic
instructions and summaries can be shared by those who speak both
languages.  There are plenty of Anglo kids out there waiting for a
listening ear.

Please join us, and be part of something very special in our city.

for more information, feel free to contact us
Phil and Chana Rosenfelder
077 9310139