This past weekend, Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) shared an eventful experience that will not soon be forgotten. Generous donors of the Yellowstone Foundation joined together in support of YBGR’s Spiritual Life Program for an event to celebrate the Ranch’s 60 year legacy of faith, hope and love.
View a video of the Spiritual Life Program below and read more on the Yellowstone Foundation’s website: http://www.yellowstonefoundation.org/category/whats-new/.
(Billings, Mont.) April 25, 2017 – Yellowstone Boys and Girls Ranch (YBGR) has been asked for advice on national policy regarding juvenile justice. Regularly, the Federal Advisory Committee on Juvenile Justice (FACJJ) consults organizations such as YBGR and the National Center for Youth Law to compile research, findings, and guidance which are consolidated and reported to the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency Prevention, and subsequently the President of the United States and Congress.
“It’s a great success for YBGR to be recognized as a national leader in the field of children’s mental health and juvenile justice,” said Mike Chavers, YBGR’s CEO.
Through a phone conference on April 21, Chavers presented to the FACJJ about juvenile justice and child welfare, detailing his recommendations, based upon experience in the field and knowledge of the juvenile justice system. Chavers discussed his previous work in the state of Illinois, his implementation of youth and community engagement approaches and the current work of YBGR to implement a coordinated continuum of services to obtain sustainable positive outcomes for youth.
He discussed the importance of educational and vocational training for youth, which has shown to significantly improve long-term outcomes and mitigate the costs of incarceration or other forms of support or welfare. He also emphasized the implementation of collaborative trainings and education on an ongoing basis, and increased enumeration for direct-care staff who work with youth.
Chavers input was well-received by the advisers and law practitioners that make up the FACJJ. Additionally, he was asked to continue communication and feedback as they look to develop and advance juvenile justice approaches and strategies on a federal level.
More information of the FACJJ and their Annual Reports can be found at: https://facjj.ojp.gov/annual-reports.
(Livingston, Mont.) April 4, 2017 – Livingston and surrounding area, join us this weekend, April 7 and 8, 2017 for the Empowered to Connect Conference Live Simulcast, hosted by YBGR in partnership with Child Bridge, Montana. In an effort to help equip families, churches and professionals to better serve children impacted by foster care and adoption, the conference will focus on the “Trust-Based Relational Intervention” methods as developed by Dr. Karyn Purvis and Dr. Davis Cross from the TCU Institute of Child Development.
The event will be held at the Livingston Christian Center, 1400 Mount Baldy Drive in Livingston, MT 59047, Friday, April 7 and Saturday, April 8 from 10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. There will be a break for lunch on your own each day with an optional half-hour discussion time following lunch.
Workbooks for the Conference should be printed ahead of time by each participant from a link that will be provided to all who register.
To register or get further information, contact the Livingston office at 406-222-6492, or e-mail hollyk@ybgr.org or tlujan@ybgr.org.
Check out the event at:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1255139661206652/
Learn more about Child Bridge here: http://www.childbridgemontana.org/