Rite of Passage

Understanding the intersection of education and the youth justice system is vital for creating positive change. When we provide young people with access to quality learning opportunities and an enriching educational experience, we’re not just teaching them academic skills—we’re offering them a path to a brighter future. Education plays a crucial role in guiding youth towards positive outcomes by helping them build confidence, develop interests, and gain essential life skills. By offering youth comprehensive support that includes education, our industry can empower youth to make informed choices and pursue their dreams. Let’s invest in their potential and create opportunities for lasting change. Together we can help break the cycle and build a hopeful future for our youth. 💙📚 #YouthEducation #BreakTheCycle #EmpowerChange

🎃 Happy Halloween Season! 👻 Still on the hunt for the perfect costume this spooky season? How about a Youth Care Worker? Our programs across the country are hiring, and we'd love to see you suit up and join our amazing team just in time for Halloween! Costume Includes: - ROP swag + Uniform 👕 - A Competitive Perks and Benefits Package ✨ - Opportunities for growth at over 60 programs nationwide 🌱 - And, of course... coffee ☕ to keep you going! What you should bring to accompany your new costume: - A big heart for helping youth 💖 - An awesome attitude 😎 Ready to apply? Suit up here: https://lnkd.in/g3nQV2W #YouthCare #ApplyNow #JobHighlight #Halloween #YouthEmpowerment #WeareROP

Culture and heritage are a huge piece of identity, and for #HispanicHeritageMonth, Rite Track staff collaborated on a mural that celebrates Latino heritage, while enhancing the facility's vibrant atmosphere for therapeutic groups. Cacti serve as significant symbols in Mexican culture, representing national identity and courage. Additionally, these resilient plants flourish even in the harshest conditions making it a symbol for the youth we support, as they have consistently demonstrated their own resilience. Through this artistic expression, Rite Track staff hope their students will continue to feel connected and inspired to their heritage. Culturally responsive programming, similar to this, is of great importance at ROP. Many of our programs have visits, educational opportunities, and exciting activities that are related to the culture of the students we serve because we know that meeting students where they are and valuing their diverse identities and lived experiences creates an environment where we can prioritize healing, belonging, and growth. #Culturallyresponsiveprogramming #livedexperiences #Valuingdiversity #culture #Latinocommunities

This week, we’re proud to feature Dana Napier Rexrode, LPC, LCMHC as one of the 40 remarkable individuals making a lasting impact at ROP. Dana joined the team in 2022 as the National Director of Clinical Operations, but her dedication to youth care and experience in clinical roles has spanned her whole career. Her expertise and passion quickly led her to take on exciting expansion initiatives into specialty behavioral health programs. These programs, which serve youth with autism, behavioral challenges, and mental health diagnoses, are thriving under her leadership and the dedicated team she has helped build. Dana's work goes far beyond program management. She’s deeply committed to building a supportive, and fun environment for both staff and youth. Whether the hours are spent on program startups, welcoming new teams with ROP swag and goodies, or even breaking out in dance battles with students, Dana brings energy and heart to each day. One of the aspects of her role that Dana cherishes most is mentoring and guiding new clinicians, helping them navigate our programs and equipping them with the tools to succeed. As we continue to grow our specialty behavioral health services, Dana is excited to further nurture the programs she’s helped build and to continue working with the next generation of leaders in the field. We are incredibly grateful for Dana’s dedication and leadership, which have been vital to the success of our autism and behavioral health programs. We look forward to seeing her continued success and impact as we work together to create therapeutic environments where every child’s needs are met. Thank you, Dana, for your unwavering commitment to our mission and for always making a difference in the lives of students and staff! #Impact #MakeaDifference #WeareROP #Employeespotlight

Hurricane season can be a time of great loss and devastation for many people and communities, and this year was not an exception. After evacuating for Hurricane Helene, youth and staff returned to their communities and immediately got to work—clearing debris, cleaning streets, and helping neighbors get back into their homes. Moments like these remind us of the power of coming together as a community, even through the struggles. With another hurricane on the way, it is especially important to us to take this moment to recognize the youth and staff in Florida for their incredible resiliency and the energy they have dedicated to helping others in their communities. Our hopes and thoughts of safety are with those who are preparing for another storm this week. 💙 #Hurricanehelene #helpingothers #Community #Communitystrong #WeareROP

Last week, Dana Centanni, a long time ROP staff member, celebrated her 20 year anniversary and was promoted to the Southern California Regional Director! This week we are highlighting Dana and her impact as one of our 40 impactful individuals. Dana began her career at ROP in 2004 as a coach counselor at ROP's first academy model program, Silver State Academy. In this role, she deeply connected to the mission and the services we offered to youth. Her passion for the mission was noticed early on and caused her to rise to case management roles, then to the Director of Student Services at SSA. In 2021, when we expanded our programming to Southern California, Dana became the Program Director for our Southern California Treatment Programs where we serve youth in community centered residential therapeutic programming. When Dana reflects on her past 20 years at ROP, and through all of the different roles she has had, seeing youth transform right before her eyes is still one of the most rewarding parts of the job. Amongst all of her favorite memories over the last 20 years, being the first female coach for our football team at SSA is amongst the top. When students come back to tell her about their successes and accomplishments and when she hears the words 'Thank you for changing my life,' that's what makes everything come full circle. Dana makes the list for her strong and true dedication to our mission. Her years of tireless work in giving youth great experiences and opportunities, mentoring staff to be the best youth mentors they can be, and exemplifying all of the values we teach youth each day is inspiring. We thank Dana for her 20 years of service and appreciate her continued dedication to the youth we serve and our wonderful team of staff. Please join us in congratulating Dana for her accomplishments, promotion, and to many more years of improving the lives of youth together! #Makeadifference #impactfulindividual #WeareROP #employeespotlight #Youthempowerment

We are looking forward to sharing the film that means so much to our organization with other professionals in the field at the upcoming 2024 National Symposium on Juvenile Services! See you there 🤩

October is Youth Justice Action Month, and we are talking about it all month long! This is a time to come together to raise awareness and support positive change in the justice system for the youth we serve. Check out the image below for more details, and help us reach more youth advocates like you by sharing this message! #YJAM2024 #YouthJusticeActionMonth #SupportYouthJustice #JuvenileJustice

This week for our impactful individual highlight, we are celebrating Larry Woodford, a dedicated Rite of Passage employee whose commitment to youth and community has left a lasting impact. Larry joined Rite of Passage in 1986, starting in our admissions department and becoming the National Marketing Director. In this role, he fostered a unique and infectious culture within our organization, which through the years has only continued to grow. At heart, Larry was a kid person, often engaging with them through sports and conversation, helping them to recognize their own strengths and potential. As a mentor, Larry stood out for his ability to connect with young people. With a background in athletics, he was a spirited competitor on the court-- or some may say a dry lake bed-- and a guide the kids looked up to off of it. Colleagues and students alike remember him for his unwavering dedication, whether it was mentoring youth after their transition back to the community or putting in extra hours to ensure their needs were met. Following Larry’s passing, we honored his legacy by naming one of our newest programs the Woodford Home, located in Larry's hometown. This transitional program empowers youth to build on the lessons learned at Rite of Passage, guiding them toward becoming productive members of their communities. Larry’s influence lives on not just through those he mentored but also through the ongoing work of the Woodford Home. His passion for supporting youth continues to inspire our mission every day.

Over the years, vocational training has become more and more engrained into our programming because we know that it works. The research shows that providing opportunities to youth to explore career paths, gain new skills, and learn about a variety of career opportunities is not only beneficial to the students success in finding work, but it boosts confidence and mental health. We are lucky to have great programs, partners, and mentors that make providing services like these to the kids we serve possible. Learn more about the benefits of vocational education and skill building in our most recent blog post: https://lnkd.in/dxZZtSuS If you are a part of an organization eager to help students build promising careers, we'd love to work with you! Let us know if that is you, by emailing us at info@rop.com and telling us what kind of opportunities you have that could be beneficial for the students at our programs! #Vocation #Careerskills #Youthempowerment #CareerPartners