Programs and results
What we aim to solve
We all saw a great need for a safe place where kids, teens and young adults could come together in a fun and safe environment, practice their skills amongst a cohort of similar peers, receive family support, and most of all feel accepted and validated for who they are as a whole person. There are lots of great individual supports out there, but it is extremely difficult to find play and social skills group supports that are skill-based, evidence-based, local and affordable for families to access, and most importantly, with their peers. We have found that there is a high need for this type of support for our teens and young adults.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
PEERS® social skills intervention for adolescents, young adults & parents
Teenagers (13-17) or Young Adults (18-30) and their parents are invited to attend our certified PEERS® social skills group which works on correcting common social errors through CBT, role-play, homework and social coaching, over 14-16 weeks of time.
Sibling Support Groups
Siblings are often the "shadow warriors" that are a lifelong ally for their brother or sister with autism spectrum disorder. But they need support too! This group helps them feel they are not alone, gives them praise and attention for their own unique gifts, and helps them navigate their role and share what it's like to be a sibling in an accepting small group environment.
Social skills & Play Group for Kids
Expert and Novice players are paired in small groups with an adult Group Facilitator, to focus on fun and bonding, and skill building around each novice player's unique affinities.
Where we work
External reviews

Photos
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
We believe we have created this special, safe place at Our Village. Our Village is designed to be a “Social Learning Community,” that helps insulate kids, teens and young adults against bullying, social isolation, and social rejection. At the same time, our programs help improve their self-confidence in their social and friendship skills with others. Our mission is to help children, teenagers, and young adults with social challenges that may stem from autism, ADHD, anxiety, depression, or any social challenges through evidence-based social skills groups, that offer exceptional quality for families.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
We provide programs that follow research-based behavioral therapy and play therapy methodologies. Our models currently utilized include: The Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills (PEERS®) for Teenagers and Young Adults, Sibshops for Siblings of a brother or sister with a special need ages 4-17, and components of Integrated Play Groups (IPG)© and Peer Mediated Social Skills Group for Children ages 4-12.
PEERS® is the only available evidence-based social skills program for adolescents with ASD, and is used clinically for youth with ADHD, anxiety, depression and other social challenges. It is a 14- week evidenced based social skills group designed for motivated teens and young adults who are interested in learning skills to make and keep friends.
We also provide internship and potential job opportunities for young adults who have experienced social difficulties by partnering with local agencies.
What are the organization's capabilities for doing this?
Our Village is led by highly experienced and trained professionals in the field who have and are concurrently working in clinic, home, and school based services. Backgrounds included a licensed clinical psychologist, marriage and family therapists (MFT), board certified behavior analysts (BCBA), registered play therapists, credentialed school psychologist, and credentialed general education teacher. Other staff have experience or training as behavior technicians, special education teacher, MFT interns or trainees, clinical psychology interns, school psychology interns, or social work interns. Our executive board includes a member with an events background, to assist us with the extremely important issues of fundraising and marketing.
Our group leaders running PEERS are trained and certificated, and we are always looking for on-going professional development opportunities to stay abreast of the most current research and information in the field.
Lastly, we strive to have our community advisory board consist of members who reflect a variety of perspectives, as well as stakeholders from our community. Members include parents of children with autism, young adults and teens with autism, leaders from local agencies providing ABA support, and professions such as physician, psychologist, and occupational therapist.
What have they accomplished so far and what's next?
Since our establishment in 2015, we have seen steady growth in our ability to provide services, as evidenced by our ability to financially sustain Our Village and support more families. For example: As of January 2019, we were able to secure our own office space, which has made a tremendous difference in our ability to provide our programs. In the first 2-3 years, we provided two PEERS groups twice a year; now, we have been able to run five groups three times a year in both Redondo Beach and Long Beach locations. This has been due in part to our vendorization with Harbor Regional Center and courtesy vendored with Westside Regional Center.
We hope to continue to work with UCLA in learning and delivering evidence-based programs to kids, teens and young adults including Naturalistic Developmental Behavior Interventions for parents, children and mentors (e.g. JASPER).
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
OUR VILLAGE
Board of directorsas of 03/22/2023
Stefanie Rushatakankovit, LEP, BCBA
Jessica Bowsa
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? No -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? No -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? No -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? No
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
Race & ethnicity
Gender identity
Sexual orientation
No data