Ten years ago, a handful of Youth Villages staff — members of the new Strategic Partnerships department — boarded a flight from Memphis to Seattle to train employees at the Y Social Impact Center to deliver LifeSet, Youth Villages’ evidence-based program model supporting young people transitioning from foster care to adulthood.
Memphis Magazine celebrates Youth Villages’ 40th anniversary, as CEO Patrick Lawler reflects on its evolution from a small residential program serving 88 children to a national organization impacting more than 50,000 young people each year.
In Oregon, young people who experience foster care face steep barriers compared to their peers. Only 57% graduate from high school, and many age out of the system without family support. According to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, only one in 10 foster youth enrolls in college.
I know what it feels like to pack your life into a trash bag.
I know what it feels like to walk into a new house and not know if you’re staying two weeks or two years.
I know what it feels like to pretend you’re okay at school when your whole life feels unstable.
Since 2023, Youth Villages in Oregon has helped young people build critical financial skills and stability as they prepare for adulthood through its Financial Literacy initiative. This year’s funding from the Marcia H. Randall Foundation and OnPoint Community Credit Union supported stipends for young adults who participated in financial workshops and a savings match for Portland-area program recipients.
Erica Robinson, the state director of Youth Villages in Mississippi, spoke with Meredith Biesinger from the Daily Journal about the work Youth Villages is doing in Tupelo and the surrounding areas in Lee County. Erica emphasized how staff help parents navigate a...
There are moments throughout the year that remind us why community matters and Red Kite Nite 2026 was one of them. The event was a reflection of what happens when a village comes together with a shared purpose: to ensure every young person has the opportunity to dream bigger and achieve more.
Nick, 17, had been living in hotels around Atlanta with his mom and two siblings for more than a year. There was physical and emotional abuse, food insecurity, prevalent substance abuse, and very little structure or supervision. Diagnosed with ADHD and intellectual disabilities, Nick started acting out. He was suspended from school twice in just a few weeks, took his mother’s car without permission and refused his medication.
Dressing for success, from head to toe and all points in between, is more about capturing the air of positivity than showing off the hottest designer gear and bling.
Youth Villages was featured in the Courier Journal through an op-ed by Ali Massengill, Kentucky’s state manager.