MVCS - Island Wide Youth Collaborative

The Island Wide Youth Collaborative (IWYC) impact on the community has picked up steam serving more than 225 at risk families in 2016 and upwards of 330 individuals. The IWYC assisted these folks utilizing a targeted family systems approach which connected the families with housing needs, financial supports, behavioral health needs and resolving immigration issues, to name a few. The IWYC building operated at full tilt this year providing programs and training for well over 860 Island Clinicians, educators and parents including the Recovery Coach training that took place over four weekends that has resulted in the creation of the MVCS Recovery Coach Services. Without the generosity of MVYouth, the IWYC would not have reached the level of success it has seen over the past two years as quickly as it did. In addition to providing a welcoming, safe space for staff to provide case management services to high risk adolescents and their families, the space allows the IWYC to run parenting education classes, trainings for clinicians and community providers, cooking classes (in collaboration with Island Grown Schools) and adolescent support groups, to name a few. Furthermore, the space has become an accommodating location to hold numerous youth related meetings in the community. We are beyond grateful to MVYouth for enabling the IWYC to provide these essential services to the children and families on Martha’s Vineyard. In the words of an IWYC client: “When I was referred to IWYC I didn’t have much of anything left. I was scared and alone. I didn’t know what was going to be the future I once held so firmly in my hands for my son. The IWYC may not have known it, but they saved my life.”