The programs on this page provide services and support to youth served at Douglas County Youth Services.
K A N S A S
The Lawrence Arts Center classes are taught by Laura Ramberg for both youth in detention and youth in Day School. These classes are funded by USD 497.
Loving Paws Animal Assisted Therapy is a non-profit organization that launched their program in October 2013. They currently have 6 teams that have certified therapy dogs.
The GaDuGi Safe Center works with students at Youth Services to help end sexual violence.
Music Therapy is taught by under graduate and graduate students from the University of Kansas, and are supervised by a board-certified music therapist. Music is used to teach detention youth non-musical goals, such as social skills, team work and leadership skills.
For more information, see the KU Music Therapy website.
The Social Skills program is a nine week class taught by students participating as Interns in the KU/DCYS Truancy Program. During the program, interns are supervised by Teaching Assistants from the KU Department of Applied Behavioral Science. The Interns help the students practice new skills throughout the nine weeks, such as resisting peer pressure, accepting negative feedback and problem solving. At the end of the nine weeks, there is a pizza party for the social skills group as a reward for participating.
School-Connect is a 40-lesson curriculum designed to improve high school students' social, emotional and academic skills as well as strengthen relationships among students and teachers. The program consists of four modules, based on the Social and Emotional Learning Competencies identified by researchers as critical to success in school, the workplace, and life in general: social awareness, self-management, relationship skills and responsible decision making.
School-Connect is implemented across the U.S. and Canada, and in a variety of courses, including freshman seminar, student advisory, health, ninth grade English, life skills, student leadership, special education courses, and out of school programs.
For more information, see the School-Connect website.
Japanese and Chinese culture classes are taught by professors from the University of Kansas Center for East Asian Studies.
Volunteer Tonya Masem helps teach youth basic job skills, such as resume writing, attending interviews and other life skills for finding employment.
Pastor Gary Pearson volunteers once a week to offer detention residents the opportunity to attend services on Sundays.
If you would like to Volunteer at Douglas County Youth Services, please contact Casey Crane, Detention Operations Manager at 785-331-1300 for more information. You can also email Casey at ccrane@douglascountyks.org .
