Trick or treat! Youth visit the YV Operations Center

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More than 50 kids from the Memphis-area campuses visited the Operations Center for the annual Halloween Celebration. Dressed in costumes and armed with empty treat bags ready for goodies, the kids strolled through various departments, decorated in themes ranging from Rock Band, Super Mario Brothers and Pac-Man to the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, Christmas and “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

Earlier in the afternoon, the Operations Center staff held a costume competition where groups and individuals competed for bragging rights for the best costume. With appearances from Ms. Pac-Man, Jack Sparrow, Lady Gaga and the annual Thanksgiving Day turkey, a good time was had by all.

Knoxville Hosting Interview Days to Hire Family Intervention Specialists

Our Knoxville office will be holding multiple interview days this month to hire Family Intervention Specialists for our Intercept program.

Our Intercept program serves a broad population of youth, including those involved with multiple child-serving systems and those at high risk of removal from their families. The program specializes in diverting youth from out-of-home placements by helping their families safely maintain youth in their home environment. This position is responsible for providing intensive home-based therapy to a caseload of four to six families.

In order to be invited to an interview day, candidates must apply online and receive an invitation. Please apply as soon possible. Our interview openings are filling up quickly!

To learn more about this position and to be considered, please submit an application here.  

View our previous blog post to learn the ins-and-outs of living and working in Knoxville as a Family Intervention Specialist.

Lessons from YV Summer Interns

As the 2011 YV summer internship comes to a close, we asked 2 interns to share about what they learned working in our residenial programs this summer.

Kevin Rios spent the summer on our Dogwood Campus:

“My summer with Youth Villages has been amazing! Not only was it a great experience, but I learned so much from my staff, the youth, and other interns. Processing with my residents and helping them grow into mature, responsible, young adults is a very rewarding feeling. At first, I did not know what to expect. In fact, I was a little nervous during the first week.  The butterflies quickly disappeared after my staff showed me the ropes. My residents were also welcoming of me. A great way to earn their respect and trust is to interact with them as much as possible. Joining in on their conversations, playing sports, and participating in activities are excellent ways to get them to open up to you. What is also great about this internship is that you are able to counsel kids while you are working on your undergraduate degree.  I will miss my residents dearly, seeing the improvements they have made will make leaving them hard. Interning for Youth Villages has helped prepare me for a career in counseling or psychology. I plan on applying again for next summer. I recommend anyone interested in helping troubled youth to do the same, you will not regret it!”

Patrick Allen worked in our Recreational Therapy Department:

“Working at Youth Villages truly informed me of how tolerant you must be to work with at-risk youth as well as working with anyone with Mental Health issues. One piece of advice that I really took to heart during orientation is that I should not take anything the kids do or say personally. Inappropriate comments or any kind of rudeness from the children was faced with stern spontaneity from me. Anything bizarre or odd enough might get them to laugh or puzzle them into silence. Of course you have to use mature discretion with how far your topics go, but this has worked every time I have used it. The kids may get frustrated with your unusual responses, but any initiative they take into thinking about what you tell them is a positive thing and means they’re listening.”

Thank you to all the 2011 Summer Staff for sharing your summer with Youth Villages!

YV Staff: Work Hard and Play Hard

Here at YV, kids come first. We do all that we can to help children and families live successfully. And still manage to fit in time for shaving cream beards, diving for Spam and a family fishing rodeo. This is one great organization to be a part of.

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My First 10 Days

Meet Kristen – the newest addition to the recruiting team at Youth Villages.  Kristen gives the inside scoop on what can typically make or break a new job – the first two weeks. Not only is Kristen’s head spinning being in a new environment with a lot of new information, but she has just relocated from New York City back to Memphis!