Youth Villages stories

Youth Villages is excited to welcome Amanda Matthews as the new supervisor for the LifeSet program in Oregon. We are so grateful to have Amanda lead the LifeSet team as we begin 2022, a year with ambitious growth goals for the program.

Amanda brings a true passion for transition-age youth services that dates back to her roots growing up on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming. She saw firsthand the systemic challenges facing her community – and was driven to make a difference. Amanda attended the University of Wyoming, earning her undergraduate degree then Master’s in Social Work, all the while working and volunteering with organizations that advocated for young adults. After graduating, she worked as an independent counselor specializing in adolescents, and to this day serves on Wyoming’s Youth and Young Adult Council to help transition-age youth advocate in the legislature on policies that affect them.

When Amanda found out about Youth Villages and the LifeSet program, it was an instant fit and she knew this was where she wanted to work. “LifeSet gives intentional social support to advocate for the changes that transition-age foster youth want to make in their lives,” Amanda said. “Whether this is in education, housing, money management, or other areas of their life, we act as those adult, peer mentors to help guide and teach them how to be successful in their goals.”

Amanda has seen how there is a major gap in services for transition-age youth, and she is excited to lead the expansion of LifeSet in Oregon so more youth can receive the level of support they need to be successful. And she joins our team at a crucial junction. For the first time since we launched LifeSet in 2015, we are seeing public investment through a pilot program funded by the recent federal stimulus package, and meaningful investments from the State of Oregon. Coupled with strong private funding support from individuals, organizations and foundations, we are excited for the growth of LifeSet in Oregon this year.