New Heights Massachusetts - Winter 2014

Meet Assistant Director Lori Sustek ... page 5

Women of Excellence photos ... page 9

Family Victories from Youth Villages Massachusetts

Molly and mom reunited Intercept helps a mother and daughter reconnect Campus girls find strength, style thanks to Styled for Success

Make a difference volunteering ... page 11

Winter 2014

A message from our director

Lawrence

Massachusetts Worcester

Woburn Arlington

Springfield Plymouth

System reform — What’s best for kids?

Matt Stone

YOUTH VILLAGES MASSACHUSETTS BOARD Joanna Jacobson, Chair Sandra Edgerley Jack A. Eiferman

The tragic death of 5-year-old Jeremiah Oliver of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, sparked a clamor for change in the way child services are delivered in the commonwealth. While change comes too late for Jeremiah, this is the time for all of us — private providers, taxpayers, voters and citizens who care about children and families — to urge our new governor-elect and other lawmakers to make changes that truly benefit children and their families served by the state in the years to come.

At Youth Villages, we commend the work of and reform recommendations issued by the Child Welfare League of America, along with reform suggestions made by The Center for the Study of Social Policy and Massachusetts Law Reform Institute.

Youth Villages partners with several organizations to advocate more changes to Massachusetts’ children’s services.

These include increasing the line item funding intensive in-home services that are a safe, effective and more cost-effective alternative to traditional child services.

We are also asking for child services professionals to award contracts to private providers based on long-term successful outcomes for children, not tradition.

Janet Glidden Paul S. Grogan Phill Gross Margaret Hall Kathy Harris Beth Klarman Lisa Lebovitz Sharon Liszanckie Yvette Lowenthal-Mulderry Mark O’Donnell Helen Chin Schlichte Kim Syman Kevin Tabb Richard Talkov Linda Whitlock

Children deserve to be served by programs that can prove positive outcomes.

We believe Massachusetts eventually should shift toward an outcomes-based contracting system. Finally, young people aging out of state care who don’t have viable family are at great risk of experiencing homelessness, unemployment, teenage pregnancy and incarceration. Massachusetts needs to set aside more funding for effective services for young adults aging out of state care to help them make a successful transition into independent adulthood so they won’t have to rely on state services throughout their lives. Please help us make these important points to legislators and thought leaders now and in the months ahead.

I always enjoy hearing from you directly if you have questions or comments, or if you would like to learn more about our programs and services. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

CONTACT US 400 W. Cummings Park, Suite 5200 Woburn, MA 01801 781-937-7900 324 Grove Street Worcester, MA 01605 508-368-4300 36 Cordage Park Circle, Suite 123 Plymouth, MA 02360 508-732-6500 c/o MSPCC, 439 South Union Street Lawrence, MA 01843 978-681-9514 30 Capital Drive, Suite A West Springfield, MA 01089 413-452-3600

Matt Stone Executive Director of Youth Villages New England 781-937-7917 Matthew.Stone@youthvillages.org

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Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence 18 Claremont Ave. Arlington, MA 02476-5812 781-648-6200

Annette is taking cosmetology classes with the help of the Youth Villages transitional living program.

MOLLY AND HER FAMILY BELIEVE IN CHANGE

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ot everybody believes people or situations can change. But Molly, 16, of Lawrence, Massachusetts, did. Most of all, she believed in herself and her family. Now her family believes in her.

To have fun instead of arguing and

getting upset,” Molly said. “It helped

Florida for a couple of years, Molly was

yelling. To help Molly learn to better

immensely.”

ready to come home to her mom and

deal with anger and disappointment,

siblings.

and to be more forgiving, especially of

Molly and her family, helping them

herself. But none of them knew how to

get on the same page. She also

with her dad. They had tried a

get there. Reluctantly, they gave Brie,

helped mom learn to assert herself

type of in-home therapy, but it just

a family intervention specialist with

wasn’t working. Back in Lawrence,

Youth Villages, a try.

After living with her father in

Things weren’t going smoothly

Massachusetts, Molly, her sister and

Molly wanted to be part of her family

mom clashed repeatedly. After Molly

again. She knew her siblings were

spent two weeks in the hospital, her

afraid of her temper — how she could

mom reached out to the Department

go from smiling to raging in seconds,

of Mental Health to get help for her

hurtling hurtful words and, often,

daughter and family. DMH connected

objects.

the family with Youth Villages’ Intercept® intensive in-home services.

“I was not thrilled,” Molly’s mom

Brie served as the buffer between

“I learned a lot of coping skills about managing my anger and bringing myself back in the moment without getting upset,” Molly said. more. After a while, she challenged

“I thought she’d never stop throwing

mom and Molly to go on an outing together, just the two of them.

things,” Molly’s mom said.

“I remember coming in and telling

But a month into family sessions

said. “I knew Molly had been through

with Brie, Molly’s mom did notice a

Brie what Molly and I did, how we

it before, and I thought this was the

change.

hung out and had fun together.”

same — it felt like a lot of time.”

“Molly didn’t throw the phone. She

Molly echoed her mom’s sentiments.

didn’t lose her temper. She managed

“Great; I got to sit here for an hour

to get through sessions and sit there,”

and fidget,” is what she thought.

But what Molly and her mom and siblings ultimately wanted was for

she said. “That’s when I started to buy

They had become a family again.

“I started caring,” Molly said.

“Things are great now.”

Molly’s goal is to work with animals, maybe as a veterinarian. With

in.”

“I learned a lot of coping skills about

determination and a newfound belief

all of them to get along. To not walk

managing my anger and bringing

in herself, everyone believes she’ll

around one another on eggshells.

myself back in the moment without

make her way.

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At 24 months post-discharge

MASSACHUSETTS PROGRAMS UPDATE Volunteers *82.7% of youth were in state custody at admission to the program.

MASSACHUSETTS PROGRAM SUCCESS The Youth Villages Intercept® intensive in-home

NEW: CONTINUUM SERVICES

Youth Villages awarded continuum contracts

services program helps children and families in their

With the awarding of the Caring Together Continuum

homes. The graphs below show outcome data for chil-

contracts through the Department of Children and Fami-

dren at 24 months post-discharge from the program.

lies and Department of Mental Health, Youth Villages launched continuum services in the Merrimack Valley and Metro North regions. Since July 1, Youth Villages has

100

been serving families through the continuum service, which coordinates care for children served at home or in

80

0

No involvement with the law

20

At home with family

40

75%

84% In school or graduated

60

86%

an out-of-home program.

TRANSITIONAL LIVING EXPANDS REACH

Young adults in southeast now served by TL The Youth Villages Plymouth office has begun providing transitional living services, serving the southeastern area of the commonwealth and Cape Cod. Transitional living is designed to help young adults aging out of state care, as well as young adults who are homeless or at risk of homelessness make a successful transition into inde-

The graph above represents the status of Massachusetts youth receiving Intercept® intensive in-home services at two years after discharge through June 2014. Figures include only youth who received at least 60 days of service and reflect a response rate of 42 percent.

pendent adulthood. Transitional living provides guidance and support to young adults as they identify their independent living goals and take the steps toward achieving them.

FROM A CHILD’S PERSPECTIVE

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or the girls receiving help on the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus, writing about their pasts and putting their thoughts and feelings on paper can be highly therapeutic. When Jane Shurtleff, a communications professional with a passion for writing, started a journaling workshop, several girls signed up. Shurtleff and her students recently published a booklet with a selection of writings produced during the workshop, titled “A Collection of Girls’ Writing 2013-2014.” Below is an excerpt.

Strong And Me

By A., 16 At one point I saw no future.

Had no reason, till I realized I’m not going to be you.

I refuse to be.

It is my life.

My choice.

It does not make me weak nor strong.

It makes me, ME!

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I can’t change the past but I can shape my future.

The fact that I wake up every morning, loving life now is a miracle.

And that is what makes me strong.

To put a smile on when hurting.

To make something of myself.

To help others the best I can is why I am strong and ME!

MEET ASSISTANT DIRECTOR LORI SUSTEK

L

ori Sustek began her career at Youth Villages in Washington, D.C., in 2006. A year later, she returned to Massachusetts, where she has helped launch Youth Villages’ Intercept® and transitional living programs.

Sustek moved back to her home state of Massachusetts in spring 2007 to help Youth Villages New England

cept services in

Sustek holds a master’s degree in

New Hampshire.

social work from Simmons College

Today, Sustek

and a bachelor’s degree in psychol-

Executive Director Matt Stone start

also oversees Youth

services in Lawrence and grow Youth

Villages’ continuum

Villages’ Intercept® program from

services and Chil-

League’s public policy committee

an initial two families to hundreds of

dren’s Behavioral

and is a volunteer mentor to young

families served over the past fiscal

Health Initiative

people being helped through Youth

year.

programs, leading

She also helped Youth Villages Massachusetts launch transitional living

more than 115 staff.

ogy from Clark University.

She serves on the Children’s

Lori Sustek

Villages’ transitional living program.

As a mentor, Sustek built a three-

“My career at

year (and counting) relationship with

services in 2009 for young adults aging

Youth Villages allows me to be part

a young woman who has no ties to

out of foster care.

of a movement to provide the very

her biological or adoptive family,

best services to children and families

helping her become a successful,

sistant director of community-based

and to witness the changes these

independent adult and serving as a

services, overseeing Youth Villages’

programs bring, resulting in stronger,

pillar of strength and support during

Massachusetts Intercept and transi-

healthier, happier, more successful

her pregnancy and years of early

tional living services and also Inter-

families,” Sustek said.

motherhood.

In 2011, Sustek was promoted to as-

CAMPUS GIRLS PARTICIPATE IN GLOBAL YOUTH SERVICE DAY

O

ne powerful and transforming experience for girls in treatment is the realization that their contributions can make a difference for others. That’s the experience our girls had when they participated in this year’s Global Youth Service Day.

More than 20 girls arrived on Locke School Playground in Arlington, Massachusetts, in late spring to participate in Global Youth Service Day. Organized by Youth Service America, the largest service event in the world brings together hundreds of thousands of youth from more than 135 countries in the spirit of service to help change their communities.

Equipped with large waste bags, gloves and rakes, campus girls helped clear trash from the playground and small park, including a large knife that could have injured the children playing in the park. The girls also raked leaves from flower beds and other areas to help make them more sightly.

Girls receiving help at the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus clear trash and rake leaves at an Arlington playground.

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STYLED FOR SUCCESS GROWS, BRINGS SMILES

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eveloping a positive body image and learning how to dress to suit one’s body type can be a challenge.

For girls in treatment, these challenges are often compounded by financial constraints, mental health issues, eating disorders, histories of abuse or neglect that can dissuade youth from taking care of their appearance. Style coach and image consultant Doreen Dove’s goal is to help girls learn to love and accept their bodies so they can feel more comfortable and confident about their appearance.

For style and image consultant Doreen Dove, the secret to style comes down to accepting and loving your body first. But that isn’t always easy for women and girls, as Dove knows from firsthand experience.

“I was teased relentlessly in elementary school for being skinny,” Dove said. “As a result, I flipped the switch and started thinking of my body as an asset as opposed to a liability and sought out modeling as a hobby.”

Throughout high school and college,

“I was teased relentlessly in elementary school for being skinny,” Doreen Dove said.

Dove modeled at department stores

Style and image consultant Doreen Dove helps a girl at the Youth Villages Germaine Lawrence Campus pick a new outfit to suit her style.

and other places, starting a lifelong love for and career in fashion encom-

image and dressing to fit their shape,

esteem and that we are not born

passing all aspects of retail, wholesale,

learning beauty and skin care tips, as

knowing how to navigate that path.

men’s wear, women’s wear and more.

well as proper hygiene routines.

At the end of the day, they have to

Today, she dedicates herself to her

At the end of the workshop,

love themselves before they can help

roles as style coach and image consul-

campus girls paired up with volun-

themselves. I try to jump-start the

tant.

teers, including women from the

process by giving them the oppor-

Winchester Rotary Club, the Junior

tunity to share with the adults and

Winchester Rotary Club a couple of

League of Boston and the girls’ men-

each other the things they struggle

years ago, the club’s women asked her

tors, who helped the girls pick sev-

with when it comes to liking and

whether she’d consider volunteering

eral new outfits from thousands of

dressing their bodies,” Dove said.

with the girls at the Youth Villages-

items of donated clothing volunteers

“Once on stage they begin to form

Germaine Lawrence Campus in

had lovingly sorted and stacked or

opinions about the clothing, begin

Arlington. Dove agreed and, with the

hung by size and type in the campus

to search out items that look good

help of the Winchester Rotary Club,

gym.

on them and even begin to share

After giving a presentation at the

clothing with one another, adding

began organizing Styled for Success, a

Several girls showed off their new

half-day body image and styling work-

outfits on stage, confidently and excit-

positive, encouraging commentary

shop for the girls receiving help on the

edly describing the items they had

along the way. It’s pretty amazing to

campus.

picked for themselves.

watch how quickly they switch from

More than 50 girls attended the most recent workshop to learn about body

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“The girls hear the message that we all struggle with body issues, self-

Massachusetts

student to teacher to borderline fashionista!”

Volunteer Spotlight

V

olunteers play a crucial role for the girls receiving help at the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus, the youth in our transitional living program and our fundraising efforts. Over the past few months, volunteers have provided girls with many hours of fun and educational activities, including planting and weeding campus grounds and the new campus vegetable garden, refurbishing old chairs, baking and decorating cookies, giving voice lessons, jewelry-making parties and much more. Our job prep training mentors helped young adults in our transitional living program prepare for the working world. Other volunteer groups have helped sort donations of school supplies and stuff backpacks, as well as providing support at our fundraising events. Below are some photos of recent volunteer groups and their efforts.

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News & Events Volunteers

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he 21st annual Spring Celebration attracted an audience of more than 300 and raised more than $330,000. A portion of the funds was designated for Youth Villages’ transitional living program to help more young adults aging out of state care make a successful transition into independent adulthood.

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News & Events

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he annual Youth Villages Women of Excellence Breakfast brought more than 300 supporters together to celebrate four women dedicated to making a difference in the lives of girls and women in Massachusetts. Honored were Linda Driscoll, founder and CEO of Dream Big!; Jacquelyn Lamont, director of youth safety and forensic interviewer for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office; Queenette Santos, director of programming at Walter Denney Youth Center of the Boys and Girls Club of Dorchester; and Stephanie Guirand, cofounder of Daughters of Yemaya Collective and assistant director at West African Research Association, who received the Rising Star award. The event raised more than $112,000 for the girls receiving help on our Germaine Lawrence Campus. Big thanks to Attorney General Martha Coakley for serving as mistress of ceremonies.

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GIRLS PRACTICE AFRICAN DRUMMING, DANCE

S

ince the introduction of therapeutic African drumming to the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus in 2013, drumming has become one of the girls’ favorite activities. An anonymously given grant that pays for the salary of a drumming instructor, drumming and everything related to it makes the program possible.

Earlier this year, Therapeutic African Drumming Coordinator and Residential Project Manager Tom Harris, who works on the Youth VillagesInner Harbour Campus outside of Atlanta, Georgia, flew to Boston to lead a drum-making session with the girls on the Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus.

Harris is trained to make a traditional African drum called the djembe and produces them in the traditional style for all of Youth Villages’ residential programs.

Harris orders the wooden drum bodies from Ghana, along with goat hide. He uses special strings that can be tightened and adjusted over time to mount the hide to the drum.

During the recent drum-making

Harris tightens strings on one of 15 drums he, a colleague and several girls made for the campus during a recent djembe-making workshop.

ming classes and performances.

Harris and a colleague from Georgia also led a two-day Fanga dance camp

Black Dance and Music Inc. The dance camp brought smiles to the faces of girls and staff alike.

sessions, Harris and several girls

along with Boston Conservatory’s De

receiving help on campus made a total

Ama Battle, an African dance instruc-

ticed by the Yoruba people of West

of 15 drums to be used during drum-

tor and founder/director of the Art of

Africa to welcome visitors.

GERMAINE LAWRENCE EMPHASIZES ART The Youth Villages-Germaine Lawrence Campus hired a new art teacher this summer. Peter Flister is a former employee of the campus who enjoyed the chance to return to help girls with emotional and behavioral issues through art classes.

Some recent themes he and his students explored include a series of self-portraits, street art consisting of silk flowers the girls took apart, painted and reassembled in imaginative ways and more. Here are a few photos of the art Flister and his students created during the fall.

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Fanga is a traditional dance prac-

Make a Difference

SUPPORT OUR GERMAINE LAWRENCE CAMPUS

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here are many ways to get involved and make a difference. Youth Villages offers plenty of volunteer activities from one-time events to weekly projects with the girls on campus or the chance to become a mentor to a girl. In addition, we always welcome gifts of new and gently used winter coats and art supplies for our art classes and volunteer activities.

Support art activities: •

Our campus art teacher recently submitted a wish list of art supplies he needs, including glazes and paints, to continue doing clay work and other art projects with his students. Please see the wishlist online at www.dickblick.com. Simply click on Registries & Lists and search for Youth Villages. Items range from just a few dollars to $50.

Donate new or gently used items: •

Our campus girls always need newly bought bottles of shampoo, conditioner, deodorant, soap, body wash and other hygiene items,as well as socks, underwear and bras.

•

Many of our campus girls need clothes appropriate for the season. We have a greater need for largersized adolescent girls’ clothing. If interested in making a donation, contact us to schedule a drop-off or pick-up.

Become a volunteer or mentor: •

Become a volunteer or mentor by attending an upcoming orientation on Feb. 11 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. or Feb. 28 from 10 a.m.-noon. As a volunteer, you may suggest a volunteer activity you’d like to lead or participate in organized volunteer activities. Our campus girls welcome activities like Zumba, baking, arts and crafts, knitting and much more. As a mentor to a girl on our campus, you can serve as a positive role model by spending two to four hours a week with your mentee and building a lasting friendship.

•

Become a career coach to a former foster youth and attend our job prep training program with a young person who will benefit from your support, experience and encouragement.

GET INVOLVED: Learn more about volunteering, schedule a donation drop-off or pick-up, or sign up for an activity or volunteer orientation by sending an email to Hannah.Hergenrather@youthvillages.org or calling 781-937-7965.

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YOUTH VILLAGES 400 W. Cummings Park Suite 5200 Woburn, MA 01801

NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID YOUTH VILLAGES

A private nonprofit organization, Youth Villages serves more than 22,000 children and their families from offices in the following cities: Alabama: Auburn, Birmingham, Dothan Arkansas: Jonesboro, Little Rock Florida: Lakeland, Miami Georgia: Atlanta, Douglasville Indiana: Bloomington, Columbus, Indianapolis, Jasper, Jeffersonville, Louisburg, Madison, Waynesboro Massachusetts: Arlington, Lawrence, Plymouth, Springfield, Woburn, Worcester Mississippi: Biloxi, Greenwood, Hattiesburg, Hernando, Jackson, Tupelo New Hampshire: Manchester North Carolina: Asheville, Boone, Charlotte, Concord, Greensboro, Greenville, Pinehurst, Raleigh-Durham Oklahoma: Tulsa Oregon: Portland Tennessee: Chattanooga, Clarksville, Columbia, Cookeville, Dickson, Dyersburg, Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Linden, Memphis, Morristown, Nashville, Paris Washington, D.C.

New Heights Massachusetts is published by Youth Villages Please e-mail Kristin.Wright@youthvillages.org or call 781-937-7931 to have your name removed from our mailing list.

Founded in 1986, Youth Villages a leading dedicated to providing the most effective local solutions to Youth Villages produces lasting is success fornational childrennonprofit and families through its Evidentiary Family Restoration™ approach, help emotionally and behaviorally troubled children and their families live successfully.

We help more than 20,000 children and involving intensive work with the child and family, as well as a focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community families each year from more 20 states and Washington, D.C. and Youth Villages’ Family Restoration™ approach whenever safely possible andthan providing accountability to families funders.

In Evidentiary Massachusetts, Youth Villages this year will involves intensive work with theand child andfamilies family, afrom focus on measuring outcomes, keeping children in the community whenever help more than 1,000 children their offices in Woburn, Worcester, Plymouth, Lawrence and West Springfield, safely possible, and providing unprecedented accountability to families and funders. and from its Germaine Lawrence residential campus in Arlington.