תוכנית התערבות מקוונת חברו"ת (חוסן, בריאות ותקווה) לעידוד הרגלי פעילות גופנית ושיפור מדדים רגשיים וחברתיים בקרב בני נוער בסיכון במהלך משבר מגפת הקורונה 2020

The restrictions imposed on the population in Israel during the Covid-19 pandemic included social isolation, lock downs, and distance learning. These limitations had significant consequences on the physical, emotional, and social well being of adolescents in general, and of at-risk youth in particular – a population that is considered especially vulnerable. To improve their quality of life and their coping abilities, the Haverut (Resilience, Health, and Hope) Program was developed, to include a bi-weekly online mentoring program. The aim of the program was to promote physical activity and personal contact with school students over a six-month period. This program, jointly initiated and led by the Ariel University and the Ministry of Economy and Industry, stemmed from the cooperation of several organizations that had partnered together during the pandemic. The purpose of the current study was to assess the impact of the Haverut Program on the emotional and social indicators of at-risk youth during the Covid-19 crisis. The program included 9th-12th grade students who were studying at vocational high schools, under the supervision of the Ministry of Economy and Industry. A total of 56 teenagers (27 in the study group; 29 in the control group) were assessed at two time points: before and after the program. The findings showed that after the conclusion of the program, the participants in the study group exhibited higher levels of resilience and social support, as well as decreased levels of psychological distress, compared to before the program. Moreover, about 90% of the participants in this group presented normal levels of resilience after the program, compared to only 33.3% before the program. No differences were found in the levels of resilience and psychological distress in the control group before and after the program.