This series documents the history of the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village from its inception in 1944 until its closure in 1985. Included are founding documents, meeting minutes and membership lists; fundraising and publicity materials; records of proposed projects including Youth Village Manner and the Boy’s Ranch; and writings about Youth Village, Father Schmidt and juvenile delinquency.

There is documentation of the various athletic programs affiliated with Youth Village, including boxing, track and field, gymnastics and a Little League baseball team. There is more extensive coverage of track and field, including correspondence related to finding housing and employment for international athletes; fundraising; the Olympic Men’s Track & Field Committee; track meets and schedules; and the Santa Clara Valley Youth Village’s dissolution of the track team (after 16 years) in favor of building a gymnastics program.

Scrapbooks contain a wide variety of materials. Some consist predominately of newspaper clippings about Youth Village, but others include organizational records and correspondence; photographs of Youth Village events, participants and visiting Hollywood celebrities; and ephemera. Materials documenting the many theatrical productions at Youth Village can also be found in the scrapbooks. Indicative of the era in which it took place, there are photographs and ephemera from minstrel shows with actors appearing in blackface.

Note: Boxes labelled "Youth Village Scrapbook Pages" contain disassembled scrapbooks.