Ogemaw County, Michigan — Now 15, Michael thinks about where he was two years ago and sees a totally different kid.
“Back then, I was a screw up, couldn’t do anything right, always getting in trouble,” he said, adding that he was angry and distrustful.
This summer, Michael enjoyed time with his parents and younger siblings. He also started a yard business with two customers, one of whom is an elderly widow, a cancer survivor who Michael works for free of charge.
Michael’s parents, Don and Sara, say as an adolescent, Michael was in and out of court and youth justice facilities. Michael said his behavior was triggered by abuse from a relative and later a close friend. With four young children in a rural Michigan community, Don and Sara’s struggles to help Michael put a strain on the entire family.
“We did everything,” Sara said. “We’ve been through three or four parenting classes, counseling for kids dealing with trauma; community mental health services; and we studied everything we could.”
Sara recalls at least one probation officer and a few family members suggesting it might be best to send Michael away, perhaps to a group home.
“Donny and I — that wasn’t our choice; we fought to keep him home; there were many nights that we cried,” she said. “He [Michael] was hurting; his heart was breaking.”
The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services connected the family to Youth Advocate Programs ™, Inc. (YAP®). Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, the national nonprofit partners with county and state youth justice, child welfare and other systems to deliver community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration and residential care.
“Michael’s YAP® Advocate was a really big help,” said Don. “She made a real difference.”
Now in 32 states and Washington, D.C., YAP® hires mostly neighborhood-based Advocates who are trained to empower program participants to see and nurture their strengths.
“I learned that I’m good at drawing and that I’m a good communicator,” Michael said, adding that his Advocate would listen to him during trips to the park where she would give him colored pencils and markers and encourage him to draw.
“Another gift is my honesty,” Michael said, recalling a time when a juvenile court judge shared that he appreciated that Michael always told the truth.
During his year as a YAP® participant, Michael said he began to look at himself differently and noticed that others were doing the same.
“I started hearing good news from the YAP® workers and I realized I was not a screw up; I wasn’t a failure; I just needed to try,” he said.
As part of his probation, Michael worked at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which serves people struggling with homelessness, poverty and addiction.
“It gave me a warm feeling to help someone in need. It makes me feel good,” he said.
YAP®’s strength-based approach is guided by principles of its decades-old, evidence-based YAPWrap® youth and family services model. The nonprofit’s Advocates, behavioral health professionals and/or other staff connect program participants as well as their parents, guardians and other loved ones with individualized economic, educational and/or emotional tools to firm their family foundation.
“Different staff worked with the family over the year,” said YAP® Program Director Shannon Collin, who also visited with and participated in activities with the family.
With help from the YAP® team, things began to settle down at home where Michael said his younger siblings had become accustomed to his outbursts and unpredictable behavior.
“They don’t look at me as a threat anymore,” he said. “My six-year-old brother, he wants to do everything with me. He always sticks by my side. He looks up to me.”
Michael said he has also improved academically, adding that when he was introduced to YAP®, he was enrolled in an alternative school.
“After discharge Michael was able to enroll in a traditional school and passed ninth grade this past year,” Collin said.
Don and Sara said Michael also took a community college welding course and that he’s making plans for his future.
“He has a girlfriend now and he’s come up to being a very respectful young man,” Sara said,
“My dream is to become a mobile diesel mechanic,” Michael added.
Michael and his parents will serve as panelists for the nonprofit’s 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit on Nov. 6, 2025,in Philadelphia, Pa.
Learn more and register for the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary events at https://www.yapinc.org/50th.
