Blog Post

The youth at Mount View Youth Service Center had a few extra special treats for Easter this year!

Several of the youth at Platte Valley Youth Services Center had an incredible opportunity to be a part of a newly developed equine therapy program last week. The youth involved were able to interact closely with the horses and spend the afternoon learning about boundaries and spacial respect. One of the youths commented that “I learned patience with stubborn horses. I feel at peace with my life when petting the thick coat of the horses.

The honorable judges at Weld County Judicial District 6 were treated to a lunch prepared by the youth in the culinary catering program at Platte Valley Youth Services Center last week. The youth were able to apply what they learned through the programs grocery store and budgeting curriculum to feed approximately 20 people for 80 dollars. After creating a shopping list for the event, the youth learned how to cost out the plates per person.

April 9, 2019: The Colorado Department of Human Services, Office of Behavioral Health (OBH) has been awarded the Healthy Transitions: Improving Life Trajectories for Youth and Young Adults with Serious Mental Illness grant totaling $5 million over five years. The project is funded by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

When a young person commits a crime, it can start a life-altering cycle of confinement, conflict and destruction — against themselves and the community. Lookout Mountain Youth Services Center in Golden is working to change that through an innovative restorative community justice program. Eight young men attended the April 5 State Board of Human Services meeting and shared how the program has helped them change their lives.

Local street artist Bimmer Torres, whose works can be seen all around Denver, shares his talents and vision with the youth of DYS through collaborative design and production of murals. Organized and overseen by Martin Friedman, a client manager and parole officer with a love for restorative community justice, the youth involved are able to be a part of the process from beginning to end. Torres meets with the youth at their facilities where they work together to create and visualize their latest mural.

Platte Valley YSC celebrated the graduation of two incredibly talented youth for their culinary catering program this month. For their final showcase of what they have learned throughout the program, the two youth each created three dishes: a soup, main entree, and dessert. Staff and instructors present were amazed by the dishes that these two youths were able to prepare with little to no direction from the kitchen staff. Natalie Chrastil, Associate Director for DYS, was able to share in the celebration and presented the coveted chef’s jackets to these new graduates.

On January 26, 2019 Grand Mesa Youth Services Center took 2 staff and 4 Female youth to Colorado Mesa University for a Women’s Career Fair. These females have consistently gone above and beyond in the facility. They have shown leadership on the unit as well as in school and other areas. These young women have either graduated or are currently working on getting their high school diplomas and are eager to move forward to higher education. This career fair allowed the ladies to explore 16 different career paths as well as how to obtain scholarships to several universities.