Back to an independent and social life

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Kareem Radwan, Palestine, Photo: East Jerusalem YMCA, 2021

The psychosocial therapy of Horyzon's reintegration program helped 18-year-old Kareem out of the negative spiral of his feelings and back into a normal, independent and social life.

Kareem Radwan is one of the many young people in Azzun, Qalqilia (Palestine) who were repeatedly detained. These incidents negatively affected his psyche: Kareem experienced feelings of sadness, loneliness, anger, powerlessness, and fear of being arrested again. As a result, he withdrew from social life, suffered from poor concentration, nightmares, listlessness, and lack of self-confidence. His family was very supportive and understanding of the emotional impact of repeated detentions. The household of nine lives on his father's pension and his mother's salary as a teacher.

Kareem was in 11th grade when he was approached by the reintegration program's psychosocial counselor. By that time, his education had suffered significant setbacks. In coordination with the Department of Education's counseling department, Kareem was able to participate in group counseling sessions. After several sessions, Kareem exhibited fewer symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, felt more comfortable talking about his detention experiences, and was able to concentrate better. He also became involved in a youth group that conducted community outreach on the rights of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated children.
Unfortunately, for financial reasons, Kareem was unable to enroll in university. As an alternative, he decided to pursue vocational training as an electrician offered by the reintegration program. Since Kareem was one of the best learners, the instructor offered him a job after he successfully completed the course.

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