News“Camp Tillamook Youth Transition Program sits south of town, just across from the Tillamook Air Museum. While residents may not know it’s there, it has been actively partnering to make Tillamook better for roughly 20 years.
This year, for Public Service Recognition Week, the State of Oregon honored that sustained dedication by naming the facility’s leadership — Director Jim Sapper and Assistant Director Dean Jones — as “Public Service Ambassadors.” Yet both leaders are quick to note that their approach to public service requires robust partnerships with their staff, community organizations, and youth.
In Oregon’s juvenile justice system, Camp Tillamook represents a distinct opportunity. Courts will commit youth with the greatest needs to a youth correctional facility. When youth are ready to leave that setting, they may not be completely ready to return to the community. Transition programs like Camp Tillamook serve these youth, providing greater freedom and flexibility to youth while keeping them in secure, supervised settings. Youth may go outside the fence to work, recreate and begin building the skills they …”