We’re excited to announce we have partnered with Young Life, a Christian nonprofit organization that offers spiritual programs and activities for youth, to help us launch a spiritual wellness program on our New London campus!

Through this partnership, we hired Young Life’s Program Manager Jared Stanley to implement the program, which will be tailored for our residential youth. This will help us enhance our Christian-based approach to academics, treatments, and staff and youth relationships while complementing the hard work of our therapists, caseworkers, Starr Academy instructors, and other staff.

Being youth focused will help create a safe space and set of activities for our youth to explore their spiritual needs, ask questions about religion and faith, and get to know Christ. We are also planning to offer future opportunities that include camps, conferences, educational activities, aftercare, and referral programs. We’re eager to get Jared acquainted with our youth and staff and integrated into our culture to begin developing the proper program that will make a huge difference for our entire organization!

Jared’s spiritual journey began with Young Life as a freshman in high school where he attended the Young Life Castaway Club and summer camp and became a Christian. He earned a bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education and Social Sciences from UW Oshkosh and a master’s degree in Adolescent Literacy from Concordia University. He started teaching in Manitowoc before transferring to Appleton West High School where he worked for 9 years as a social studies teacher and 3 years as an at-risk coordinator. We are confident that Jared’s experience in the education field and working with at-risk youth makes him a great fit for the role!

“Through all my experiences, I found my heart to be for kids who are on the fringe, overlooked, abused, and misunderstood,” Jared said. “The students I have the privilege of working with have taught me more than I could ever teach them, and I am grateful for them.”

Christian values have always been at the core of guiding our youth for over 55 years, so it is our hope that Rawhide alumni will continue their involvement with Young Life beyond their stay with us. We hope that, as adults, they will stay connected with other Young Life programs in their communities when they return home to continue nurturing their relationship with Jesus.