Welcome to the TNOYS Blog!

Hello, and welcome to the new TNOYS blog, your source for information, insight, and updates about the Texas Network of Youth Services (www.tnoys.org). TNOYS is a membership association comprised of youth serving agencies and individuals committed to shaping better outcomes for the otherwise forgotten youth of Texas: Foster children, youth at risk of entering the juvenile justice system, young people struggling with all manner of mental health challenges, runaway and homeless, pregnant and parenting teens, and more.

We provide high quality training and education, skilled consultation, and critical support to agencies serving youth at-risk so that they have up-to-date information and research-based techniques at their fingertips. Each year,  TNOYS serves about 500 agencies across the state; including member agencies, Services to At-Risk Youth (STAR) providers, Community Youth Development (CYD) program providers, federal Runaway and Homeless Youth (RHY) program grantees, and others. Our direct service programs provide youth with positive opportunities for self expression and learning including arts education, experiential camps, community engagement and advocacy.

We thought now is the right time to open the door and start a conversation with the youth services community, parents and teachers, legislators and the public, about what's happening in youth services today. We intend to use this blog to:

- Provide information about TNOYS and the efforts of our network;

- Present opportunities for grassroots advocacy on behalf of youth and families and empowering young people to advocate on their own behalf;

- Highlight our programs, services and activities, both current and future;

- Offer resources, articles, links, and information of interest to youth services professionals, teachers, and parents;

- Allow TNOYS members to showcase their agencies; and,

- Provide information about best practices in the field.

Additionally we want to hear from you; what you think, how you feel, how we can help. We plan on posting at least a couple of times a week so grab the RSS feed or sign up for an e-mail alert to receive notification of new entries as they are posted.