“A new life, you can start”: A Recent Graduate Reflects on His Journey
On a pleasant Friday afternoon in May, six ...
“Holy Ground”: How Faith Grounds Youth at MacLaren
At MacLaren, faith can be simultaneously vibrant and deeply personal. In some ways, that makes sense: a difference in identity can become another source of division or conflict. Yet in speaking with youth from different faith backgrounds, it’s clear that spirituality grounds their experiences of the justice system. As youth are removed from their communities, ...
Celebrating Women’s History Month
March is Women’s History Month – a time to celebrate historical and current contributions from women. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the progress women have made while also recognizing the work that remains. At the Oregon Youth Authority, Women’s History Month is a time to focus intentionally on the unique strengths, experiences, and needs of the young women we ...
Honoring Effort, Persistence, and Growth at MacLaren’s Lord High School
At MacLaren’s Lord High School, educators have begun a new practice: recognizing students of the month from among its roughly 90 high school students. Recognition is one of the school’s core values, developed cooperatively by school and MacLaren staff as part of a broader effort to build a shared organizational culture supported by a partnership with Breakfree Education. Students may be recognized for academic accomplishment, but they ...
Trask River High School Students Use Teamwork to Face Engineering Challenge
Students at Trask River High School serving Camp Tillamook and Tillamook Youth Correctional Facility had the opportunity to participate in a 16-week hands-on engineering challenge to create pedal cars that could race each other around the facility track. Led by Trask teachers Mark Roberts and Aaron Yarnell, two teams of students took on the task ...
Mentorship in Practice: Finding The Next Step Together
January is National Mentoring Month, and OYA celebrates the many mentors who support youth on their journey to become productive, crime-free adults. Much of this work unfolds in small moments, such as a November coffee between a youth and his mentor, Andre White. Mr. White arranged the coffee after the youth shared that he needed to start earning money. Mr. White then reached out to an organization that could help the ...