Category: Uncategorized

On a pleasant Friday afternoon in May, six students graduated from Bend’s J Bar J Youth Services. Their accomplishment was celebrated by roughly 50 people: other youth, family, educators, parole officers, staff from OYA’s Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations, and more. In her remarks, language arts teacher Jade reminded the graduates that, “no matter ...

Community religious volunteers serve as a vital bridge between the outside world and youth at MacLaren. While chaplain Sean Page coordinates religious services broadly, religious ministry is delivered by an array of faithful volunteers. Youth approach religious services with everything from curiosity to devotion, and volunteers meet them where they are. Yet their religious service ...

For some youth committed to the Oregon Youth Authority, gang affiliation is a big piece of how they see themselves. The strong pull of that identity requires OYA to manage immediate safety and operational concerns, while also planting seeds that wil l grow to long-term stability for each youth and the community to which they’ll ...

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, ...