As a licensed program expert (LPE) with Youth Villages, Madi Harp often acts as the team’s beloved ‘work mom.’ Her role is dedicated to supporting young adults facing mental health challenges.
digital Articles
Local expert explains how music can relieve stress for students
With spring break ending and summer break ahead, this time of year can lead to student burnout. But there’s an easy solution… music!
Devin finds independence with LifeSet
At 20 years old, Devin now feels confident about the future he is building and has strong faith in his direction. Growing up, he spent time in foster homes and under the care of the Department of Children and Families (DCF).
Welcoming a new sibling into the family
Welcoming a new child into the family is an adjustment for parents and siblings. This transition is difficult for children welcoming a sibling for the first time, who are used to having a lot of individualized attention.
LifeSet helps Rory take the next steps towards higher education
At 18, many young adults rely on parents and friends for guidance, stability and a safety net when life becomes difficult. For thousands of teens leaving foster care, that support is absent.
Alexis finds her voice with LifeSet and Scholars
For most of her life, Alexis has navigated challenges far beyond what many young people face. Entering foster care at just 12 years old, she moved through multiple homes, three different high schools and a constant cycle of change. Stability was rare.
It takes a village: Honoring Lauren Birchfield Kennedy and Sarah Siegel Muncey at Red Kite Nite 2026
At Youth Villages, we believe something simple and profoundly true: no child, family or young adult thrives alone. Lasting change happens when people are surrounded by support, when a village shows up.
Michalann, Dylan and Charissa show the ways former foster youth are influencing positive system change
Young people with lived experience in foster care have been a force for positive change in child welfare policy for decades, with deep impact that traces back to the lobbying effort that led to the passage by Congress of the pivotal Chafee Foster Care Independence Program in 1999.
How clearer court processes help children and families find stability
Courts play a central role in child welfare. Court decisions shape safety, permanency timelines and how families experience the system during periods of significant stress.
Investing in modern technology to strengthen outcomes for young adults exiting foster care
Modernizing child welfare systems is not a partisan issue. Across administrations, there has been growing recognition that outdated technology can slow down frontline work and limit the impact agencies have on young people and families.