With Texas’ 84th Legislative Session beginning in only 8 months, it is not too early to begin planning our advocacy activities! At TNOYS, as well as in many of our member organizations, we engage in advocacy in order to impact changes in state policy that will help empower youth to succeed. By building strategic relationships… Read more »

After 30 years, the PEAKS program is still going strong! Although I have been participating as a PEAKS volunteer for a long time, this was my first time being the PEAKS Camp Director. Even though my role has changed, the experience stayed challenging and empowering! I love PEAKS because it is a great program that… Read more »

No response to initial request despite new Tasing incident this week; mounting evidence these weapons pose extreme danger to children Austin, TX – A coalition of advocacy organizations concerned with student safety is again urging Governor Rick Perry to declare a moratorium on the use of Tasers and pepper spray on Texas students. A similar… Read more »

     The Harris County Transition-Age Youth and Families Initiative is an opportunity for youth, young adults, parents/caregivers, and service providers to come together to support mental health during the transition into adulthood.  A six-month planning phase is drawing to a close, but the initiative is one that will continue to grow and change over… Read more »

  By Lara O’Toole, LMSW There’s just something special about face-to-face interactions.  There’s just something special that allows for a certain type of magic to form in relationships, and a certain type of enthusiasm for the work at hand.  This magic is far more difficult to find within the emails, conference calls, or webinars of… Read more »

  Athletes For Change (AFC), a residential treatment center located in De Soto just south of Dallas, has joined the Creating a Culture of Care initiative as our latest intensive support site. We visited them in January and found out about their programming. Believing that “teens in crisis deserve loving and supporting environments,” they have… Read more »

TNOYS staff recently had the opportunity to visit Bexar County Juvenile Probation Department facilities. We were accompanied by Chris Castillo from Roy Maas Meadowland and Krystle Ramsay and Cindy Marrs from Hill Country Youth Ranch, who are participating in our Creating a Culture of Care project, and LaQuinton Wagner, a youth advocate who works with… Read more »

Dan Peevy, 79, of Eagle Lake,a past Board member of TNOYS from 2000 through 2007, and Board Chair 2005-06, passed away in Columbus, Texas on January 30th.  Daniel Alfred Peevy was born February 5, 1934 in Houston.  He and his wife, Shirley, met and graduated from Stephen F. Austin High School in Houston  in 1952. … Read more »

A barrier to providing services for homeless youth is the lack of accurate data on the number of young people ages 16-24 who do not have stable housing. Homeless youth are difficult to count for several reasons. First, youth who are homeless are not part of a service delivery system, such as the foster care… Read more »

  The transition to adulthood is challenging for all youth, but it is especially perilous for youth with mental health conditions. Youths and young adults ages 16-24 with serious and persistent mental health needs and their family members often have difficulty accessing appropriate mental health, employment, education, and housing services. This is problematic because research… Read more »