News & Announcements

Incredible Years® (IY) is an evidence-based early-intervention series of workshops focused on helping mothers, fathers and caregivers learn effective parenting skills. In addition, the program fosters greater parental involvement in their children’s school, promoting students’ academic, social, and emotional skills and ultimately reducing or resolving conduct issues.

Three IY parenting groups meet each Thursday, with one of the four groups group conducted in Spanish. Currently, 16 children ages 4-8 are enrolled in the program. Each group session covers strengthening the parent-child relationship, reducing harsh discipline, and helping parents promote their children’s social, emotional, and language development.

Mayra and her son Charlie (not their real names) have attended each IY workshop since the program’s inception.

“I really like that The Village has a workshop for parents,” says Mayra. “In the group therapy, Charlie learns how to cope with his feelings. He’s getting better. It’s a work in progress.”

As children in the program learn, they receive tokens, which builds incentive to learn more — something Charlie appreciates. “We learn a lot about emotions and that we need to listen to rules,” he says. “My favorite thing is getting tokens. When we get five tokens, we get a toy.”

Incredible Years® workshops have been a positive experience for both parents and children. As a reward for their progress, the groups recently enjoyed a pizza party. Some children have formed friendships and are bonding with others in their group.

The groups will wrap up the week before Thanksgiving, and a new round of IY workshops will begin in the new year. Since the program’s launch, three Village therapists have received training in the IY model, ensuring that Incredible Years® will continue enriching the lives of  Village parents and their children.

We are pleased to announce the launch of our Mentored Internship Program and our first six interns from USC. The program reflects our commitment to fulfilling our strategic plan’s goal of being a “first-choice” agency for top-tier training in culturally affirming, trauma-informed social work and behavioral health care.

Funded by a Mentored Internship Program from the national organization Advocates for Human Potential, Inc., we recruited an initial group of six interns, all from the University of Southern California. They are Eunice Lee, Alani Romero, Amanda Sanchez, Vivianna Shields, Isabella Sos, and Lihn Vo.

In addition to gaining valuable experience in a social work/behavioral health care setting, the interns have received training in The Village’s recently launched Incredible Years® parenting program. Each intern has discovered new tools and knowledge that they will use to hone their professional skills and further their careers.

Lihn plans to stay in the community health field, focusing on non-profit organizations. “This internship has helped me so much,” she says. “I feel like I’ve really found my passion.” Lihn recently worked virtually with a 7-year-old who was dealing with phobias and severe anxiety. “Working virtually has actually been great,” she says. “He’s been able to overcome most of his fears.”

For Eunice, witnessing the results of The Village’s work with clients has been invaluable. “Seeing the impact on clients in such a short amount of time has been really meaningful for me,” she says.

Amanda expressed her appreciation for The Village’s emphasis on peer and parenting support. “I feel like one of the most unique things about the Village is having peer support specialists and parent partners. Having them makes it easier to connect with the kids. And I also enjoy having a wide array of exposure to different clients.”

Isabella has been impressed with The Village’s strong sense of community. “Everyone is very welcoming and willing to help,” she notes. “They teach and learn from one another. We have great supervision, and I feel like I can talk through anything. Overall, I feel comfortable and supported.”

For Vivianna, who plans to work primarily with children, the internship has been eye-opening. “It’s a whole new skill set for me,” she says.

Vivianna echoes the opinion of all six mentors: “Interning at The Village has really helped me grow and prepare for my career.”

Village Board member Matthew Inouye is well-acquainted with the societal pressures and obstacles many LGBTQ+ and unhoused youth face. Not so long ago, he was estranged from his parents and facing homelessness, sleeping on friends’ sofas while attending college.

Through a queer studies class, Matthew learned about The Village and visited our Drop-In Center for Youth Services. There, he took a shower, ate a hot meal, met the staff, learned how to access resources, and turned his life around. With his classmates, he later produced an acclaimed drag show. Not long afterward, he was invited to become an employment specialist at the Drop-In Center, helping other young people with urgent needs like his.

That was five years ago. Today, Matthew, who identifies with he/him pronouns, works at The TransLatin@ Coalition as Public Policy and Community Engagement Coordinator. In 2021, in recognition of his past work at the Drop-In Center, he was appointed to a Youth Representative position on The Village’s Board of Directors.

Matthew strongly praises The Village’s outreach efforts to attract and engage youth, especially those who identify as LGBTQ+. “The Village meets LGBTQ+ youth where they are in the community,” he says. “It’s so important to have people who identify as LGBTQ+ working for us. It makes our youth more comfortable, and we can better build rapport.”

Matthew is working with Village staff and other Board members to find even more effective ways to reach vulnerable youth. “I really like the promotoras [community health workers] model of doing outreach,” he says. “We need to physically bring more immigrants, LGBTQ+ community members, and people of color into spaces where people congregate for celebrations and other big events.”

Matthew is passionate about creating positive change in the historically under-resourced San Fernando Valley. “After living here for more than ten years, I’ve developed a real relationship with the streets I’ve walked on and the people I’ve spoken to,” he observes.

“At The Village, we are change-makers on a personal level to those who need it, and we are change-makers on a macro level regarding what we’re doing in the community. So if folks want to get involved or provide resources, time, and energy, they are investing directly in the lives of people who need it the most.”

“It’s been an interesting journey,” he continues. “As a member of the Board, I’ve gotten to know the organization on a deeper level, such as finances, new Village initiatives, and programs. I’ve been getting to know the other Board members, and it’s been a real pleasure. I feel privileged to work with The Village, and I’m proud to be a member of their Board.”

In June, The Village hosted its first-ever Youth Night Out. The event took place at The Village’s Drop-In Center for Youth Services and was open to young people across The Village’s programs and throughout North Hollywood and San Fernando Valley communities.

Youth Night Out drew some 300 participants, most of whom were new to The Village and were previously unaware of the services provided at our Drop-In Center. Attendees enjoyed a resource fair, live entertainment by local band Pio Gabriel, free In-N-Out burgers and Mr. Softee ice cream, and a drag show presented by local drag queens.

“Youth Night Out was a tremendous success and enabled us to engage with young people in a fun and casual environment,” says The Village’s CEO, Hugo Villa. “We want transition-age youth throughout the area to know we’re here for them and ready to help.”

Los Angeles County has one of the largest unhoused youth populations in the nation. And those who identify as LBGTQ+ or who are aging out of the foster care system are particularly vulnerable. Last year alone, The Village served 635 youth at its Drop-In Center.

In its continuing efforts to reach underserved youth and further engage the community, The Village will host more events, such as Youth Night Out. Check our website regularly for details or to learn how you can help support our youth services.