Youth Service Bureau, a private, non-profit United Way partner agency with offices in Covington, Slidell, Franklinton and Bogalusa, recently installed five new members to its board of directors at an installation dinner held at Benedict’s Plantation Restaurant in Mandeville.

Special guest of honor 22nd Judicial District Chief Judge Raymond Childress presided over the installation, administering the oath of service to new YSB board members Clinton Bravo, Claire McGuire, Traci Petruccelli, Aldric Poirier and Wanda Siverd.

Childress also presided over the installation of the bureau’s incoming board officers: Cindy Petry, board chair; Bobbie Calandro, vice chair; Cheryl Short, secretary. Tim Wyche, treasurer, was not present.

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YSB provides troubled or at-risk youth and their families with programs of prevention and early intervention, enabling youth to choose a new direction and become responsible community members. The agency also fosters quality advocacy efforts to help ensure Northshore children have safe, permanent homes.

YSB’s programs include:

• Families In Need of Services: a program that provides resources and support for families who have children with ungovernable behavior (such as truancy or running away) in an attempt to keep families from becoming involved in the Court system.

• Crossroads: a delinquency intervention program providing services and programs for youth who have broken the law, offering them the opportunity to choose a new direction.

• Options: a family-focused licensed outpatient treatment program for adolescents experiencing problems with alcohol and/or other drugs.

• TASC: a truancy reduction and prevention program providing resources and support for children in grades K-5 and their families in order to reduce truancy and prevent juvenile delinquency.

• Court Appointed Special Advocates: a program that trains and supervises community volunteers from all walks of life to be advocates and the voice in Court for abused and neglected children, helping judges find them safe, permanent homes.

“Our work is critical to the well-being and emotional and mental health of young people and their families,” YSB president and CEO Ila Dieterich said. “Youth Service Bureau provides a continuum of care, services, and solutions via our five major programs serving the Northshore’s youth and families.”

The YSB tackles major problems affecting children and teens, including dangerously silent epidemics such as adolescent substance abuse, serious anger issues and child neglect and abuse, Dieterich said.

YSB’s board of directors supports and enhances the agency’s work and community outreach efforts. Petry, an attorney who resides in Covington, serves as the bureau’s current board chair.

“I’ve come to realize that Youth Service Bureau touches so many young people and it’s important for the community to understand that YSB affects a large number of youth in a very positive way, helping to move their lives forward in a healthy way,” Petry said. “Young people learn life lessons and skills at YSB through classes, therapeutic counseling sessions, and other services offered – they talk about issues with YSB staff and the light bulb comes on.”

To learn more about the bureau’s services for youth and their families, to make a donation, call 893-2570. To learn more about applying to become a CASA volunteer, call 649-4092.