בני נוער כסוכני חוסן בזמן שגרה ומשבר

This article focuses on the functioning of teenagers as a complex population and investigates their ability to be social agents in cases of crises that touch upon traditional social structures. Our case study was the 19COVID- pandemic in Israel, where traditional social structures were undermined and the perception of the roles that youth and educational professional staff should take changed completely. The study takes a comparative approach, concentrating on countries of different types: those that are depicted in scholarly literature as countries with a collectivist social culture( Japan, Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Taiwan )and those that are considered to have an individualistic social culture( Louisiana – USA, Canada, Spain, Germany). Afterwards, this study examines the Israeli test case, where the main question at hand is what lessons can be drawn, in the context of youth, from the pandemic that hit the country. To this end, we interviewed seven school principals from several regions throughout the country and from diverse sectors. The interviewees shared their experiences in school management from the first 19COVID- lockdowns in Israel. The basic conclusion drawn from the study is that activating youth for the benefit of the community during emergencies is one of the best ways to cope with stressful situations – both for the youngsters and for the community. Taking things a step further, we recommend three action items:( 1 )the establishment of a resilience authority( ;2 )designing a contingency plan to deal with crises ;and( 3 )training youth for the role of social agents of resilience in the community. Each of these actions has proved itself in the countries reviewed in this article. The combination of a can lead to a significant development of national and community resilience.