The pandemic affected students on all levels. In this piece for Chalkbeat, writer Julian Shen-Berro explores how the pandemic influenced school completion.

The pandemic affected students on all levels. In this piece for Chalkbeat, writer Julian Shen-Berro explores how the pandemic influenced school completion.
Two years ago, Tiphanie Martin felt helpless. Her daughter Kiana was struggling with anxiety, depression and an eating disorder. Martin had taken her to an inpatient facility and an outpatient facility, with little success.
For many kids who have lived in challenging circumstances, having a supportive mentor can be a life-changing experience. The connection was on display Sunday, Feb. 19 as Youth Villages hosted its 34th annual Soup Sunday event.
At just 20 years old, Katrina had walked a rocky road for most of her life. Due to domestic violence and verbal abuse, she was removed from her biological home.
Turning 18 years old can be hard, but it can be even more challenging for people aging out of foster care who may not have a person to turn to for help. A new program that launched in Northwest Arkansas and the river valley is looking to change that.
The University of Memphis Tigers football team marched to the beat of a different kind of drum Wednesday evening. Youth Villages partnered with the Tigers to teach them how to play an African drum.
At 19, Silvia was the one who found her brother-in-law lifeless, shot to death, lying on the pavement of a gas station lot. A few years later, she was the victim when a man snuck up behind her and held a knife to her chest.
The Tennessee Titans surprised one of our youth, a 17-year-old named Max, and his adoptive dad, Kevin, with a trip of a lifetime to Super Bowl LVII.
Catherine Bergrud, a Family Support Partner in Asheville, North Carolina, goes above and beyond to help Jeremy live out his dream and supports them to overcome behavioral challenges. The Joey Logano Foundation continues their support of Youth Villages’ mission by providing kids like Jeremy with experiences of a lifetime.
The state of foster care in Tennessee is in crisis. More children than ever need temporary, safe homes compared to the amount of open foster homes. Nationwide, a child is placed into foster care every two minutes, so the need is great. In Tennessee, more than 8,000 kids are in the foster care system with only around 4,000 certified foster homes available.