Youthville
Encyclopedia
Originally founded in the early 1920s as an outreach of the United Methodist Church
to be a residence for homeless and abandoned children, Youthville is a nonprofit child welfare agency in Kansas
involved in Foster Care
, Adoption
, Psychiatric Residential Treatment and Counseling and Therapy
. At any given time, Youthville exercises custody of over 1,400 Kansas children and is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the state of Kansas.
led additional fundraising efforts. The new funds enabled 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land to be purchased for an orphanage
, which then became the site of the Kansas Methodist Home for Children. Libbey Hall, named after Mr. Libbey, was built in 1929. The campus also included an orchard, barns, a farmhouse, stables, granaries, cow lots, and chicken houses. Over the next three decades, a chapel and residential cottages were also built.
In 1960, the Board of Trustees officially changed the agency name to United Methodist Youthville. They also approved a plan that focused on providing services to adolescent youth with emotional or social adjustment problems. That same year, Youthville took over the Bronco Buster Boys Ranch in Dodge City, Kansas
. Youthville then planted offices across the state.
In 1996, Kansas became the first state in the nation to fully privatize its adoption, foster care, and family preservation services. Youthville has maintained the state's Region 5 foster care / reintegration contract since the inception of privatization by Kansas' Social and Rehabilitation Services (Child Protection Services) in 1996.
From 2001 through 2003, Youthville went through voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
In early 2007, the Wichita Branch NAACP and Youthville held the first of a series of meetings to discuss the possibilities and options available for increasing the number of extended family and/or culturally compatible placements. According to the NAACP, "Of the 356 African American children from Sedgwick County
, 47% are sent outside of the county to foster homes in more rural areas of Kansas, most often not of the same cultural background. And of the 147 Bi-Racial children from Sedgwick County, 31% are sent outside of the county to foster homes in more rural areas of Kansas, most often not of the same cultural background."
The organization acquired Family Consultation Service in July 2007, which employs over 20 therapists and offers psychiatric services and medication management.
In August 2008, Youthville's Trauma Recovery Center in Wichita, Kansas adopted Dr. Bruce Perry's
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics as its official clinical framework.
The Expressive Arts Center also presents an annual summer Chalk Art Festival in Newton, Kansas. As a part of this festival, professional artists auction their works to raise money for Youthville.
, Kelly Kultala
, is currently an employee of Youthville. Youthville itself, however, is not officially affiliated with any political party.
United Methodist Church
The United Methodist Church is a Methodist Christian denomination which is both mainline Protestant and evangelical. Founded in 1968 by the union of The Methodist Church and the Evangelical United Brethren Church, the UMC traces its roots back to the revival movement of John and Charles Wesley...
to be a residence for homeless and abandoned children, Youthville is a nonprofit child welfare agency in Kansas
Kansas
Kansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
involved in Foster Care
Foster care
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in the private home of a state certified caregiver referred to as a "foster parent"....
, Adoption
Adoption
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting for another and, in so doing, permanently transfers all rights and responsibilities from the original parent or parents...
, Psychiatric Residential Treatment and Counseling and Therapy
Therapy
This is a list of types of therapy .* Adventure therapy* Animal-assisted therapy* Aquatic therapy* Aromatherapy* Art and dementia* Art therapy* Authentic Movement* Behavioral therapy* Bibliotherapy* Buteyko Method* Chemotherapy...
. At any given time, Youthville exercises custody of over 1,400 Kansas children and is one of the largest nonprofit organizations in the state of Kansas.
History
In the early 1920s, Mr. Edward P. Libbey left the bulk of his estate to the United Methodist Church's Youthville project. The City of Newton, KansasNewton, Kansas
Newton is a city in and the county seat of Harvey County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 19,132. Newton is located north of Wichita and is included in the Wichita metropolitan statistical area...
led additional fundraising efforts. The new funds enabled 20 acres (80,937.2 m²) of land to be purchased for an orphanage
Orphanage
An orphanage is a residential institution devoted to the care of orphans – children whose parents are deceased or otherwise unable or unwilling to care for them...
, which then became the site of the Kansas Methodist Home for Children. Libbey Hall, named after Mr. Libbey, was built in 1929. The campus also included an orchard, barns, a farmhouse, stables, granaries, cow lots, and chicken houses. Over the next three decades, a chapel and residential cottages were also built.
In 1960, the Board of Trustees officially changed the agency name to United Methodist Youthville. They also approved a plan that focused on providing services to adolescent youth with emotional or social adjustment problems. That same year, Youthville took over the Bronco Buster Boys Ranch in Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City, Kansas
Dodge City is a city in, and the county seat of, Ford County, Kansas, United States. Named after nearby Fort Dodge, the city is famous in American culture for its history as a wild frontier town of the Old West. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 27,340.-History:The first settlement of...
. Youthville then planted offices across the state.
In 1996, Kansas became the first state in the nation to fully privatize its adoption, foster care, and family preservation services. Youthville has maintained the state's Region 5 foster care / reintegration contract since the inception of privatization by Kansas' Social and Rehabilitation Services (Child Protection Services) in 1996.
From 2001 through 2003, Youthville went through voluntary chapter 11 bankruptcy reorganization.
In early 2007, the Wichita Branch NAACP and Youthville held the first of a series of meetings to discuss the possibilities and options available for increasing the number of extended family and/or culturally compatible placements. According to the NAACP, "Of the 356 African American children from Sedgwick County
Sedgwick County, Kansas
Sedgwick County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. The county's population was 498,365 for the 2010 census. The largest city and county seat is Wichita. The county was named after General John Sedgwick...
, 47% are sent outside of the county to foster homes in more rural areas of Kansas, most often not of the same cultural background. And of the 147 Bi-Racial children from Sedgwick County, 31% are sent outside of the county to foster homes in more rural areas of Kansas, most often not of the same cultural background."
The organization acquired Family Consultation Service in July 2007, which employs over 20 therapists and offers psychiatric services and medication management.
In August 2008, Youthville's Trauma Recovery Center in Wichita, Kansas adopted Dr. Bruce Perry's
Bruce D. Perry
Bruce D. Perry, M.D., Ph.D., is the Senior Fellow of The ChildTrauma Academy in Houston and an Adjunct Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Feinberg School of Medicine of Northwestern University in Chicago...
Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics as its official clinical framework.
Expressive Arts Program
Youthville's therapeutic Expressive Arts Program involves, among other activities, a unique traveling art exhibit called Walk-A-Mile consisting of shoes that the children of Youthville's Expressive Arts Program have designed and decorated to tell the story of their life in the child welfare system. Other artworks by Youthville children have been on display in various locations throughout Kansas.The Expressive Arts Center also presents an annual summer Chalk Art Festival in Newton, Kansas. As a part of this festival, professional artists auction their works to raise money for Youthville.
Political Involvement
The 2010 Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of KansasLieutenant Governor of Kansas
The Lieutenant Governor of Kansas is the lieutenant governor of the U.S. state of Kansas. The lieutenant governor is elected on a ticket with the governor for a four-year term...
, Kelly Kultala
Kelly Kultala
Kelly Kultala is a Democratic member of the Kansas Senate, representing the 5th District since 2008. She also served as the 5th District Commissioner for the Government of Wyandotte County/Kansas City from 2001 to 2005. She has served on the Piper School Board and is a current member of the...
, is currently an employee of Youthville. Youthville itself, however, is not officially affiliated with any political party.