Valley Youth House Aids Students
March 30, 2022
The Valley House Youth program is located throughout the entire state, but the local chapter meets with our students each semester.
The goal of this program is to assist students in any area they might need it. This includes complex issues such as low grades, lack of good role models, life skills, and as simple as just needing someone to talk to.
“I enjoy working with teens as they have lots of energy, a variety of interests and goals, and are fun to be around. I think this program is important as it reinforces topics we all need to have in order to be good citizens when we become adults,” said instructor Will Squire.
He began at Valley Youth House as a Life Skills Counselor in January 2021, but became the life skills instructor in August of 2021–just in time for the first semester of our school year.
According to their company website, Valley House Program “is committed to collaborating with each young person to build a foundation for success.”
The Valley House program has been around for almost 50 years and was founded in Pennsylvania. Since then, they have impacted and changed the mindset of many young adults, including students right here.
Every Tuesday from 2:45 p.m.-to 5:15 p.m. students can attend these special meetings in the room across from the guidance office. The program runs each semester, offering 15 classes for students to attend.
The program is funded to support up to ten students from any grade each semester, but this year hasn’t seen a full class.
In order for students to join, they can specifically request to be a part of the program by speaking to their guidance counselor. Often, though, guidance refers students to the program.
According to guidance counselor Stephanie Hurley, when looking for attendees, counselors look for students who are struggling either academically, socially, or personally, but no problem is too big or too small for the support group.
Students can even receive funding for attending these meetings; $11 per meeting with an additional $35 for attending all 15 meetings. They are even offering food from places like Jimmy John, Chick-fil-lay, and more.
While enjoying the food and the community, they dive into their weekly lesson. These lessons include learning important skills like communication, career planning, budgeting, and more. Please click here for a detailed list. VYH weekly sessions
The program generally follows the format of focusing on personal interests, then exploring potential careers, and finally focusing on budgeting and balancing life and work.
“We know that many of these topics are already covered throughout their high school experience so we hope to reinforce the information in a less stressful, more conversational way.,“ said Squire.
If you are interested in more information, please review the following documents that Squire provided.
VYH SBLS Brochure for Families
Loading ...
