Self-Advocacy for Women & Teens with Disabilities

We thank the GlobalGiving community and our generous donors for making the 2025 Self-Advocacy & Empowerment for Youth with Disabilities program possible. Donor support enabled Chimes Israel to deliver life-protecting education to children and adolescents with intellectual disabilities. 

This trauma-informed program delivers structured, professionally facilitated education on body awareness, consent, communication, and respectful peer interaction. We recently redesigned the program as a carefully supervised co-ed framework that reflects real-life social environments while maintaining safety. Girls practice setting boundaries, while boys learn consent, respect, and shared responsibility, strengthening outcomes for all participants.

One powerful success story illustrates the program’s impact. A 12-year-old boy who initially struggled with impulse control and boundary awareness made significant progress after facilitators adjusted his group placement to match his developmental needs. In the new setting, he learned to regulate his behavior, listen to peers, and respect boundaries. As his behavior improved, girls in the group practiced assertive communication with greater confidence, set limits more clearly, and trusted that others would respect their voices. The group dynamic became calmer, safer, and more respectful, showing how educating boys alongside girls directly strengthens protection and empowerment for girls.

Demand for this program continues to grow. We now seek support for the 2026 program cycle so we can reach more youth, expand sessions, and sustain this proven model of prevention through education. Your continued partnership will protect vulnerable adolescents, strengthen self-advocacy, and help build safer, more respectful communities for young people with disabilities across Israel.