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New World’s History, Vision and Mission
New World was founded by Celeste McKnight in 1995. Her vision was to nurture and empower emancipating youth. Celeste McKnight died of cancer in July 2008, but her legacy lives on. She believed that if she can live in a nice home, then “her kids” deserve no less. During her final days Celeste said, “Tell all of the kids that I love them”, and, “Keep the group homes open.” New World lives up to its name, its founder’s intent and its principals of excellence.
Our mission is to provide a group-based home-away-from-home for youth 13-17 years old in need of stable, caring group home living, life empowerment skills and intensive transitional support services.
Youth that come to our homes have most often experienced one or more traumatic events in their life. Experiences may include: immediate removal from their biological family, homelessness, victimization of abuse, neglect, lack of educational support, malnutrition, and/or victims/witnesses of domestic or other violence. Our goal is to help minimize the effects of past, negative experiences and help cultivate a new, positive life perspective. We want youth to know that their life has value and that their past experiences do not have to dictate their future paths.
Furthermore, teen boys are less likely to be placed in foster care or adopted. Most boys remain in New World until they emancipate at age 18 or 22. New World believes that each child should have technical skills, life skills, an educational plan and confidence to transition into adulthood and a productive life on their own.
New World is a unique program that is large enough to have a strong administrative infrastructure, but small enough to maintain a smaller, family-style living environment for teen age boys. Other organizations have good reputations as well, yet their focus is a bit different and includes: serving teenage girls and young mothers, more of a campus, dormitory approach, and short-term emergency respite care and referral services. New World creates a home-environment that can cater to the very specific needs of at-risk youth, teen boys, that are not likely to be placed in foster care, but are more likely to emancipate from New World. New World becomes their parents to help them transition from their youth into young-adulthood.
Our signature program, the Life Empowerment Emancipation Project, is a homeless prevention and emancipation preparation project that provides intensive employment and life transition services to at-risk foster system youth in danger of becoming homeless, victims of poverty, or perpetrators of crime. This project invests in lives now in order to prevent more prisons or shelters later.
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New World Independent Living Program
- Invest In Success -
231 E Alessandro Blvd Ste A-448, Riverside CA 92508
Phone: (951) 924-0622
Fax: (951) 485-7967
Email Map
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