YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Newark, NJ — Essex County, New Jersey Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. hosted a special graduation ceremony this month for 30 participants of a pilot program that supports individuals leaving prison when their sentences “max out.” The program is a partnership between YAP and the New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC), which connects individuals to the program up to 180 days before their release date.

“When you max out, you return to society often after many years in prison, with no supervision, but also with no support,” said Program Director Edwin “Chino” Ortiz who oversees the pilot, working alongside his brother, Program Coordinator Carmelo “Melo” Ortiz. The Ortiz brothers maxed out of prison in 2016, each after serving 30 years. When Edwin was 19 and Carmelo was 20, they were convicted on charges related to the death of man during a robbery.

Incarcerated people often choose to max out rather than taking a chance on a parole hearing where additional time might be added to their sentences, the Ortiz brothers said. They added that 50-75 percent of people leaving prison in New Jersey are technically maxing out.

“I knew Chino and Melo from prison and worked with them before I got out,” said 51-year-old Maurice Romero. “When I got out, they brought me to the office, gave me a huge backpack with clothes, gift cards, everything I needed. They took me to the bus station to get bus cards, helped me get reduced rent for the apartment, and gave me suits for job interviews.”

Romero returned to Newark in April after serving 36 years in prison for purposeful or knowing murder and felony murder. At age 15, he accompanied two boys to a robbery that he quickly fled from when he realized it was a home invasion of an elderly couple. When police arrested him the next day, he learned that the wife was raped before being killed by one of the boys who pled guilty and remains in prison for those and additional crimes committed during his incarceration. Romero, who now has a full-time job and an apartment, and is pursuing a master’s degree in criminal justice, credits the YAP re-entry program for preparing him for his transition, transporting him from prison, assisting him with getting his ID, and helping him make the emotional adjustment that comes with living for the first time as a free man.

In addition to presenting certificates of completion to participants, the ceremony recognized local supporters. “Reverend Seth Kaper-Dale received a certificate of appreciation for his unwavering support,” said Carmelo Ortiz. “His organization – The Reform Church of Highland Park Affordable Housing Corporation – supports our program with housing opportunities for our participants. They rent apartments and sublease it to our participants at affordable rates.”

YAP staff Advocates meet program participants at the prison gates on the day of their release and transport them to emergency housing. But before that, while they are still incarcerated, they meet with their YAP Advocates to create strength-based individualized service plans. Later, YAP staff are at each program participant’s side to help with applying for ID cards, accessing food pantries, and connecting with job training, healthcare resources, employment services, educational programs and recreational activities to strengthen family bonds. Participants also take part in weekly support group sessions and benefit from mental health and substance use treatment and restorative justice and other services that provide ways to give back to their communities.

First-year funding for the program will enable YAP to serve up to 70 NJDOC referrals. However, news of the re-entry team’s work has been spreading among men and women who have been in the community for months, even years after maxing out of prison. Adhering to the 47-year-old nonprofit’s No Reject, No Eject policy, the YAP team has also been connecting these “walk-in” program participants with re-entry tools and resources and has invited those who have been successful to also take part in the graduation ceremony.

YAP is a 47-year-old national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other systems to provide community-based services as a more effective alternative to youth incarceration and congregate residential placements. In recent years, YAP has also been combining its evidence-based wraparound services model with violence intervention approaches to help communities curb violent crime.

Learn more about YAP at www.YAPInc.org and follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.

Prescott, Ariz. — Ten months ago, 15-year-old Tucker could never have imagined being where he is now – off probation with his friends, family and Prescott, Ariz. community members celebrating his achievements.

Tucker recently completed services at Yavapai County, Ariz. Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and Washington, D.C. that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other systems to deliver evidence-based services in families’ homes and communities as an alternative to placement in youth prisons and congregate residential care facilities.

“Before all this, I used to get angry really, really quickly. Since all this has happened, it doesn’t happen as often,” Tucker said.

YAP hires neighborhood-based Advocates who are trained to empower program participants to see and nurture their strengths while connecting them and their parents/guardians and families to educational, economic, and emotional tools to strengthen the youths’ foundation.

Tucker had been on probation for more than a year when he became a YAP participant.

“I met a young man with very little impulse control. Not a good sense of physical and personal boundaries and anger issues. There was also a lot of fear and insecurity with being on probation,” said Tucker’s former YAP Advocate Eric Schulze.

Yavapai County Juvenile Probation Department began referring youths to YAP in 2020 after receiving a program startup grant awarded through the Safely Home Fund, a YAP partnership with Georgetown University’s Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. YAP received an Arizona Governor’s Office of Youth, Faith and Family Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Title II Formula Grant in 2021. That funding enabled YAP to serve 10 youths through October 2022 with the Arizona Community Foundation covering costs of serving two additional program participants.

In the nine months that Tucker was in the program, Schulze spent time with him and his family in their home. He also met with Tucker at school and took him bowling, hiking, and kayaking with other program participants.

“I was getting out of the house and doing stuff. When you’re on probation you’re stuck,” Tucker said.

Schulze saw Tucker eagerly learning new skills while also taking time to motivate and build up his peers.

“It’s been encouraging to see him take on new opportunities,” Schulze said. “He has always had an amazing sense of humor and has known he operates a little different within the world. And he’s ok with being that different person and letting himself shine.”
As Tucker began focusing on his strengths, Schulze encouraged him to take advantage of tutoring and other learning resources at his school.

“This year, I’m doing the best in school than I ever have,” Tucker said. “I’m really good at math. It’s been my best subject – that and homeroom.” Tucker describes homeroom as “a family within a family,” where his classmates shared with him his excitement of being off probation.

Schulze also connected Tucker to the Prescott Valley Park Collective, a community nonprofit, where he satisfied his community service hours and stayed on through YAP Supported Work, where program participants earn income while getting on-the-job experience.

“One of the people I worked with – his name is Coach – it used to take him an hour and a half to clean the playground,” Tucker said. “With me helping him, it takes 45 minutes. It made a difference for him because he got to go home early. You get joy with helping people. I personally try to make everyone feel better.”

Earlier this year, Tucker learned that a planned promotion for his Advocate was put on hold when some anticipated program funding didn’t come through.

“I kept nagging her [Yavapai County YAP Program Director Patty Delp] to give it to him,” he said.

While embarrassed by Tucker’s campaigning, Schulze was proud to see that after months working as his YAP Advocate, the tables had turned with Tucker advocating for him.

“The magic in our model is its simplicity,” Delp said, adding that nine of the 12 youths receiving services over the past year successfully completed the program requirements and all celebrated major milestones.

“These kids are coming to us from the system, and we start our work by looking underneath the trauma that came before the acting out,” Delp said. “These are not bad kids; they’re young people who have had a tough go at it.”

Tucker’s former probation officer Dan Lammers was among those attending his YAP graduation. “We can work together to help kids that are in the system, and the system is not bad or overbearing when the right resources are used to assist in helping our kids move forward,” he said.

Tucker is completing his fall semester with good grades, work experience, a driver’s permit, and new respect and admiration from his family, friends, and community. Meantime, Schulze has been promoted from Advocate to Program Coordinator; and Delp is pursuing funding so that the program can continue serving justice-involved Yavapai County youth for years to come.

Learn more about YAP at www.YAPInc.org and follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.

Charlotte, N.C. – Mecklenburg County Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. hosted an Open House on Oct. 26 to welcome program participants, their families, and members of the Beatties Ford Road neighborhood.

The event allowed the community to meet members of Charlotte’s YAP staff including those from the national nonprofit’s Mecklenburg County Youth Justice program and the organization’s Violence Intervention (Alternatives to Violence or ATV) program team.

The YAP Youth Justice Program partners with the court system, where through referrals, program participants get a neighborhood-based Advocate who champions for them and their families, guiding them to achieve positive outcomes. The program is led by Director Malik Glover and Assistant Director India Harrison.

The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, in collaboration with Cure Violence Global (CVG) and YAP launched ATV a year ago in response to reducing violence in the Beatties Ford Road corridor. ATV Site Supervisor Earl Owens and that program’s team members, all of whom are deeply rooted as volunteers and activists on the Beatties Ford Road corridor, were also in attendance.

The Charlotte team is available for support and can help connect youth, families and residents to economic, educational, and emotional tools to achieve positive goals. The afternoon included light refreshments, neighborly support, and an opportunity to view YAP’s new office location on Beatties Ford Road.

YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based services as a more effective alternative to youth incarceration and congregate residential care. YAP combines its wraparound services model with other evidence-based approaches to also provide alternatives to neighborhood violence.

To learn more about YAP visit yapinc.org and follow the nonprofit on Twitter @YAPInc.

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Site Supervisor LaToya Rivers

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Team

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence team; Credible Messenger Chantelle Mitchell speaking

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Interrupter Cornelius Chisolm

Saxophonist Earl White, Jr.

Just Say Grace Catering by Sylvia Evans staff members

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Interrupter Shantone Curry

YAP President Gary Ivory (Plants from Flowers by Eddie)

YAP CMO Kelly Williams with Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Site Supervisor LaToya Rivers, Credible Messenger Chantelle Mitchell and YAP President Gary Ivory

MUSC Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP) Director and Trauma Surgeon Ashley Hink, M.D. with TTVIP Program Director Christa Green and TTVIP Violence Interruption Advocate Cat Yetman

Open House Day at Midland Park Ministry Center

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence program participant Jaclyn

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Team

YAP Southeast Region Vice President LaVeisha Cummings

MUSC Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP) Director and Trauma Surgeon Ashley Hink, M.D. and YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Interruptor Shantone Curry

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Site Supervisor LaToya Rivers speaks with a guest

MUSC Turning the Tide Violence Intervention Program (TTVIP) Director and Trauma Surgeon Ashley Hink, M.D.

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Credible Messenger Chantelle Mitchell and open house guest

YAP Lowcountry Rising Above Violence Site Supervisor LaToya Rivers with MUSC Turning the Tide Violence Intervention (TTVIP) Program Director Christa Green

YAP Charleston County, S.C. – Lowcountry Rising Above Violence, Charleston’s new community violence prevention and intervention program, hosted an Open House to introduce themselves and the services they offer.

The program is staffed by employees of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. through a partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC). Funded by the Office of Juvenile Justice Prevention (OJJDP), the program is designed to help curb violence among young people ages 10-18 in Charleston and the North Charleston neighborhoods.

The program uses the Cure Violence Global model to detect and interrupt conflicts; identify and treat individuals at the highest-risk of violence engagement; and change social norms, while also delivering YAP wraparound services that empower youth and families with tools to nurture their strengths and put/keep their lives positive trajectory.

YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that delivers community-based services as a more effective alternative to youth incarceration and out-of-home placement. In recent years, YAP has combined its evidence-based model of hiring and training neighborhood-based staff with shared experience with other evidence-based approaches to help cities curb violence.

The YAP Charleston County team includes Site Supervisor Latoya Rivers, Credible Messenger Chantelle Mitchell and Violence Interrupters Shantone Curry and Cornelius Chisolm.

The team extends special thanks to Midland Park Ministry Center Pastor Jerry Zapata, Just Say Grace Catering by Sylvia Evans, Saxophonist Earl White, Jr., and Flowers by Eddie.

To learn more about YAP visit yapinc.org and follow the nonprofit on Twitter @YAPInc.

Patty Rosati is a no-nonsense leader who has been carrying out the mission of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. for over three decades.

She started with YAP in Philadelphia, before serving as Regional Director of the Southwest and was then promoted to Vice President of the area. Most recently she was tapped as YAP’s Chief Impact Officer where she will lead several strategic initiatives across the national nonprofit and report directly to YAP President Gary Ivory.

“Patty will help to coordinate projects of strategic importance and she will help ensure, along with others, that YAP is a high impact organization by assuring that initiatives are done well and on time,” Ivory said. “This fits nicely into our emphasis on performance management and continuous quality improvement. I am pleased to have Patty work alongside me to advance YAP’s mission.”

YAP serves 33 states and the District of Columbia, and has a 47-year history of providing community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home child welfare, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities placements. The mission of YAP is to provide care for youths and their families by connecting them to economical, educational and emotional resources so that they and their communities have safe alternatives to institutional placement.

Rosati called her transition “bittersweet” and feels fortunate to be playing a bigger role in helping the agency expand and provide excellent services to YAP’s youth and families. Rosati’s new duties will move her away from her team where she oversaw youth justice, child welfare and workforce programs in Nevada, Arizona, California, Kansas, Colorado and Utah.

YAP Yavapai County, Arizona Program Director Patty Delp said Rosati was the best leader and mentor she’s ever worked with in her career.

“It has been such a pleasure working with Patty Rosati. She brings her experience, intelligence and encouragement to our youth and families with every encounter,” Delp said. “Hands down, I have no doubt that with Patty’s support we will build sustainability and be here to do this important work for the long haul. Thank you, Patty, and best wishes in your new leadership role.”

YAP Southwest Regional Director Nyeri Richards agrees with Delp, adding that Rosati “leads with ethics and morals; above all, always displaying compassion and provides sound guidance from an impartial lens.”

“When you see someone with such a commitment to the mission, agency, and her team receive her flowers, you can’t help but be emotional,” Richards said. “I am proud to have served under her and to call her my mentor.”

In addition to her dedication of YAP’s mission, Ivory said Rosati rose to leadership roles because of her amazing skills and tireless work ethic.

“Patty knows YAP’s model well and has been relied upon to train other leaders across the organization,” he added. “She will continue to work with leadership nationally.”

Learn more about YAP at www.YAPInc.org and follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.

Utah – Helping a program participant get a conspicuous tattoo covered up and assisting another youth with getting a mole removed from his face – are just some of the ways Utah’s Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. credible messengers go above and beyond to help program participants.

The Utah YAP Credible Messenger program connects youth justice system-involved young people with credible messengers, also known as Advocates, who are trained to help program participants see and nurture their strengths. The credible messengers provide individualized services to the youth and their parents/guardians, connecting them to economic, emotional, and educational tools to help them thrive. Utah’s program spans across four counties — Weber, Salt Lake, Davis, and Utah County.

YAP is a national nonprofit in more than 100 communities in 33 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration, congregate out-of-home placement and treatment. YAP also partners with public safety systems to combine the nonprofit’s unique wraparound services approach with other evidence-based models to reduce violence. Utah’s Credible Messenger program is a partnership with the Division of Juvenile Justice and Youth Services, which refers youth to YAP for community-based services.

“We have a great relationship with our referring authority,” said Director Nathan Badell. “They are totally committed to helping the youth of Utah reclaim their lives and put their past behind them and move on.”

The program has five full-time and five part-time staff members, most of whom are from the neighborhoods where the YAP participants live.

“The people we have working here are committed to youth,” Badell said.  “It’s not your typical credible messenger program,” he added, explaining that the staff’s credibility comes from their shared lived experience with program participants for whom they provide wraparound advocate services.

“Utah’s DJJS has some of the most progressive and passionate staff I have had the pleasure of working with in my 33 years here at YAP,” said YAP’s Chief Impact Officer Patty Rosati who oversees Utah. “They truly get it, and they know their kids deserve ‘a seat at the table.’ I am so impressed by Brett Peterson (Director of Utah DJJS) and his entire leadership team.  They know all their youth by name and situation.

YAP Advocates or credible messengers are invested and go out of their way to help the youth and their families, says Office of Community Programs Director Rachel Edwards of DJJS.

“For example, Nathan Badell went and purchased a graduation dress for a youth who earned her diploma and was able to attend the graduation ceremony as well. It has been a great partnership.”

Jill McKinlay, program director of DJJS’ Office of Correctional Facilities said they have been impressed with the credible messengers and their relationship and rapport with the youths.

“One specific example of this is during our Youth Parole Authority Hearings, credible messengers are oftentimes there to support and advocate for our youth,” McKinlay said. “This can be a stressful time for these youth and the presence and support of their credible messenger is really noticed and appreciated. It’s one more person in their corner cheering them on.”

Advocating for Youth and Families

 Badell was born in Chicago and grew up in Delaware. He attended college in Utah, and returned to Delaware for 25 years before moving back to Utah. Before joining YAP, most of Badell’s experience was working with foster youth, former foster youth, and young people in traditional and independent living.

“One of the most frustrating things for me personally was we would take care of these children and help build their resilience and my biggest issue was the youth made progress, but the families hadn’t,” he said. “The kids were removed from these unsafe conditions then they were returned to the same dysfunctional families they were removed from.”

That is the main reason, Badell said, that he enjoys working with YAP because it not only helps youth, it also helps their families; that the organization’s mission aligns with his personal beliefs.

“I always felt like we could do more to help the families. Why can’t we invest in the family? It’s a lot cheaper to do that than it is to do foster care,” Badell added. “The government never does a good job at raising kids or families. That always bothered me.”

The Delaware native said he can’t believe it took him so long to find YAP.

“For a lot of these kids their families are hardworking blue collar families and the youth either made a mistake or got involved in gangs or hustling both to support their families and to buy stuff,” Badell said. “I really enjoy what I’m doing, and I get to help several communities in Utah.”

Now that he’s got a year under his belt, Badell credits Rosati and Regional Director David Glenn, for being supportive and helping to coach him through his first 12 months matriculation at YAP.

Glenn said when youth leave secured facilities they often go back to homes and communities where they previously failed, adding, “Utah and YAP understand that relationships and planning need to start before release and continue through the community reintegration process. That’s what makes this partnership so amazing. We can help youth rejoin the community and thrive.”

Badell agrees.

“Helping families ultimately helps communities,” he said. “I am thrilled to be a part of this organization. I am fully committed to being a Yapper for life.”

Learn more about YAP at www.YAPInc.org and follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.

Charlotte, N.C. –  To help curb the violence on the Beatties Ford Road corridor, Charlotte’s Alternatives to Violence (ATV) team recently hosted “Let’s Talk,” one of many steps towards building community bonds and trust with and among residents of the Beatties Ford Road corridor.

“Alternatives to Violence is putting on events like these to at least give the community a platform to speak up about what’s important to them,” said ATV Site Supervisor Earl Owens. “As time moves on, we hope more people in the neighborhood will feel more comfortable in speaking up and trusting us.”

The City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County, in collaboration with Cure Violence Global (CVG) and Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., launched the program a year ago in response to reducing violence along Beatties Ford Road. The ATV team is made up of deeply rooted people who have served as volunteers, activists, and advocates in and around Beatties Ford Road – where most of them also grew up or went to high school.

YAP, a national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia, has a 47-year history of providing community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home child welfare, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities placements.

A former gang member, Owens, knows first-hand the challenges faced by individuals and families he meets in his day-to-day work. Six years ago, he was paroled after spending 13 years of a 20-year sentence. He wasn’t scheduled to be set free until December 23, 2023. When Owens, a southern California native, reentered society in North Carolina, he knew the challenges and barriers associated with having a criminal history.

“I had to reinvent myself. It wasn’t until I came to this town (Charlotte), a Black town [compared to the city where he grew up], that I was afforded the opportunity to meet some people who introduced me to people to be able to do what I am doing now,” Owens shared. “You got to have support, you got to have people that care about what happens to you. That’s why programs like Alternatives to Violence are needed. We’re trying to make a difference, helping to raise awareness about the alternatives that there are to violence, selling drugs, getting into trouble, and other things.”

At the “Let’s Talk” event, the ATV team, in conjunction with Atrium Health’s Violence Intervention Program and Fifth Third Bank, provided information and resources on financial literacy, affordable housing and real estate, and how ATV can connect young people to educational, economic and emotional support. The event was held at Cosmopolitan Community Church, off of Beatties Ford Road.

Wesley Head, a branch manager of a Fifth Third Bank in Charlotte, discussed the significance of good credit and financial wellness, while a realtor spoke about home ownership and affordable housing.

“We work with a lot of students and even small children about the importance of finances,” Head said. “The earlier they get that knowledge, the better off they’ll be. I know what it’s like to not have the same resources as someone else or the same resources.”

ATV hosts monthly community programming to engage and educate people within the community. Before the event ended, Owens offered a participation challenge to attendees, explaining that community members should care about what happens to their neighbors.

“The next time we have an event, I want you to invite 10 people,” he said. “Now is the time for all of us to get involved in this.”

To learn more about YAP visit www.yapinc.org or follow us on Twitter at @YAPInc.

Fort Worth, Texas – Pulling the fire alarm as a prank got Chloe sent to an alternative school and put on probation. Once on probation, she was referred from Johnson County, Texas’ Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. to the organization’s Tarrant County office in 2019.

“My probation officer told me about a program called YAP that could potentially help to steer me in the right direction,” Chloe wrote in her scholarship application. “I decided to join. After becoming involved in the program, I soon realized the benefits were overflowing with deliciousness. Deliciousness to my soul and overall well-being.”

Chloe is among former YAP program participants and family members or guardians receiving a scholarship from the 2022 Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education.

With the help of YAP and the Endowment Fund, Chloe will use the $1,000 scholarship to purchase textbooks, uniforms, mannequin heads and other supplies she will need for cosmetology school.

“I’ve always had a passion for cosmetology from a young age,” Chloe said. “I love to go out and style my family’s hair (if they let me), and practice make-up designs for them as well.”

YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other systems to provide trauma-informed community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration, congregate placements, residential treatment, and neighborhood violence.

Through YAP Tarrant County’s youth justice program, which partners with Tarrant County Juvenile Services, participants are assigned a neighborhood-based Advocate who helps them see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their families to economic, emotional and educational tools to help them thrive.

“My Advocate and was amazing,” Chloe said. “She helped me learn how to make better decisions, be respectful to adults and control my temper.”

YAP Program Coordinator Rebeca Sandoval said since Chloe has been with YAP, her attitude has improved, she strengthened her relationship with her father, has learned how to communicate more effectively, and has developed positive coping skills.

“Chloe is excited about attending college to continue her journey of self-improvement and to make her father proud,” Sandoval said. “Without a doubt Chloe is well-deserving of assistance from the Tom Jeffers Endowment fund.”

Chloe says she is excited about her future.

“My family and friends are very supportive of my goals and would love to see me thriving in the beauty industry,” she added. “I want to make them proud of me by following my dreams and working hard for something I’ve always wanted.”

To learn more about YAP, visit yapinc.org. You can follow YAP on Twitter @YAPInc.

New Jersey — Three years ago, Dorothy T’s house became her grandson’s home.

“He was removed [from his residence] at six and he asked if he could come to his grandma,” she said.

Ms. T said being “kin” or “family” is only part of why she is the refuge her grandson needs. She said what really matters is that she’s getting the parenting resources necessary to care for him.

“The bottom line should be that the best place for the child’s development and safety is not always the birthplace, but the safest place and where he or she is most loved,” Ms. T said.

Ms. T’s support has come from from Essex County, New Jersey Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. in weekly sessions with Foster Parent and Behavioral Support Specialist April Robinson, EdD.

“Dr. Robinson guided me to find out what to expect from where my grandson was coming from. It took me six months to get him to sleep and not jump when you walked into a room,” she said. “I think the best thing about YAP and Dr. Robinson is that they prepare you for what’s coming to you.”

YAP is a 47-year-old national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, education, and other systems to provide community-based wraparound and mobile therapy services as an alternative to out-of-home congregate residential placement. The organization meets program participants where they are, delivering individualized services guided by the strengths of each person they serve.

“All of our children deserve to grow up in families, not group homes, jails, prisons, psych hospitals, detention centers, hotels, motels, offices or any other place that we would not like for our own children or relatives,” said YAP President Gary Ivory.  “If we place the same level of resources on strengthening birth families and relative placements as we do with finding placements outside the home, we could transform our national outcomes for children and youth.”

Ms. T said prior to becoming her grandson’s legal guardian, he visited with her a couple of times a month. She was unprepared for the voicemail from her local police department three years ago saying her grandson was with them.

“When I finally got the police; they said he was removed from school because he wouldn’t sit down.”

Police told her an abuse investigation was underway, that her grandson was being interviewed and examined by medical professionals. She said New Jersey Division of Child Protection and Permanency (DCPP) workers arrived with the little boy at 2 a.m.

“The next morning, I asked what he wanted for breakfast. He said, ‘I want pancakes.’ I asked him, ‘Why didn’t you ever tell me you were being treated like this?’ He said, ‘I was scared because I had to go back.’ I said OK, we’re going to move on from here,” Ms. T recalled. “All of a sudden, I have a six-year-old in my home. Now I have to find a way to be a full-time parent and to guide him to healing.”

Ms. T said working through her own trauma has been key to helping her grandson manage his. She said that by the time she adopted his father nearly 40 years ago, she had lost three babies — a daughter, and a set of twins — shortly after giving birth to them.

“Dr. Robinson listens.  She heard my own personal story. That’s why I think people like her are so important because they support the one giving out the care. She’s the only person who asks how did what happen this week affect you? And what Dr. Robinson’s invaluable help did was help me heal parts of myself that I needed—to strengthen me with coping skills to strengthen him,” Ms. T said.

“Organizations like DCPP will work with kin, doing things like paying rent, providing counseling, even supporting them with expunging criminal records, whatever they can,” Robinson said. Robinson, who has a background in strengthening organizations as well as families, uses tools like the Myers-Briggs personality indicator to ensure that individuals she serves are receiving resources that meet their unique needs.

“We are helping kids to become productive in society and the way to do that is to have them start out in a healthy environment,” she said. “I’m all for all young people being in the right environment.”

Ms. T said working with Robinson has empowered her to hone skills that help her accept that she cannot parent her grandson alone and discern who else should be in his circle to contribute to his healthy development. She said he has a close relationship with a longtime mentor from his school. She added that at times he visits with his biological sister and baby brother.

While Ms. T said her grandson continues to receive the professional support he needs, she understands that her wellbeing is key to ensuring that he has a firm family foundation and every opportunity he deserves to grow into a healthy adult.

“I live for 11 am Thursday morning because that time is for me– to help me be the best me I can be. Dr. Robinson’s guidance is so important because each child is different, and each child will require a different understanding based on the situation that they are coming from. Because of that support each one of us resource parents will be better.  I’m able to be a better grandmother,” she said.

Robinson said there was a time when non-kinship guardians received more child welfare resources than kinship families, but that things are changing to encourage families to foster children with whom they are related.

To learn more about YAP visit www.yapinc.org or follow us on Twitter at @YAPInc.

Harris County, Texas – Through equine therapy offered from Harris County’s Youth Advocate Program (YAP), Inc., Mackenzie has learned self-control, empathy, and patience.

“Being enrolled in equine therapy has helped with several of the issues from which I suffer,” Mackenzie said. “Patience has always been a struggle for me. Working with horses has helped me learn to harness some self-control and use patience as a way of handling situations with others.”

Mackenzie is one of the numerous former YAP program participants and family members or guardians receiving a scholarship from the 2022 Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education. Through the Endowment Fund scholarship, Mackenzie recently received a laptop to help during her first year at Galveston College where she is enrolled in the Culinary Arts program. Her classes include culinary math, regional and international cuisines, baking fundamentals, and restaurant Spanish. Her goal is to become a pastry chef.

“This Endowment Scholarship helped me to receive a laptop to use while I am at college,” Mackenzie said. “It will aid in furthering my education because several of my culinary textbooks are located online.”

Mackenzie connected with YAP through the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) Waiver Program, which helps young people who face mental, emotional, and behavioral challenges. The program is part of YAP’s mental health services offered to young people at home, school, or in community settings. Mackenzie said the program helped him with his anxiety and social skills issues including struggles with connecting with others and easily panicking in otherwise ordinary situations.

YAP is a national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other systems to provide trauma-informed community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration, congregate placements, residential treatment, and neighborhood violence.

Equine therapy provides psychotherapy with a behavioral health specialist alongside horses by doing activities such as feeding, grooming and other things with the animals.

“Working with horses through equine therapy has helped me tremendously with this,” Mackenzie added. “To gain a horse’s trust, they need to be shown respect. You must be kind and show them that you are there to nurture and help them. Also, horses will not give respect to you unless it is first given to them. They will not work with you in riding, walking, or any other simple command or activity.”

YAP started the scholarship fund in 2004 and it is made possible by weekly contributions from generous YAP employees. The fund was renamed the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education in honor of YAP’s founder Tom Jeffers after his death. The scholarship is awarded in the amount of $1,000 toward school and job training costs or can come in the form of a laptop computer. Recipients can reapply annually.

Mackenzie is thankful to YAP for helping him continue his education. After a year at Galveston College, she plans to transfer to Houston Community College to begin working toward her pastry arts and baking diplomas.

“One day, I hope to have my own business and compete in different baking competitions,” Mackenzie said. “Being awarded this scholarship is a blessing, to me and my family in helping me achieve my dream of becoming a pastry chef.”

To learn more about YAP visit www.yapinc.org or follow us on Twitter at @YAPInc.

Las Vegas, Nevada – A group of Clark County, Nevada young people working to turn their lives around got an unexpected reward. They’re participants in Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc.’s community-based youth justice program. YAP staff hosted a prom for the young people — a traditional high school milestone they would have otherwise missed.

YAP is a 47-year-old national nonprofit in 33 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other systems to provide trauma-informed community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration, congregate care, and neighborhood violence.

YAP provides young people frontline staff Advocates who empower them with tools to meet their educational, economic, or emotional needs and achieve positive goals. Some of the youths referred to YAP have experienced poverty, gang violence, human trafficking, or early parenting.

“The thought around our prom was how justice-impacted youth miss out on many of the special moments implicitly promised to them during their school-age years because of how the justice system is designed,” said YAP Regional Director Nyeri Richards. “Alternative education and schools inside detention facilities do not offer the same opportunities to justice-impacted youth that traditional school does.”

Richards said the Las Vegas YAP staff worked hard to offer program participants a nice event where they could dress up and enjoy themselves in an elegant setting.

“What we did at YAP was bring the broken promises to our office and mend them by celebrating each young person who is dedicated to improving their lives,” she added.

Learn more about YAP at www.yapinc.org and follow the organization @YAPInc.

Wichita, Kansas – Eighteen-year-old Angel completed high school almost a month earlier than she was supposed to and was accepted into the college. She has dreams of becoming a pediatrician.

Angel is one of the numerous former Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. participants and their family members or guardians receiving a 2022 scholarship through the organization’s Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education. She received a laptop to continue her studies. The scholarship is awarded in the amount of $1,000 toward school and job training costs or can come in the form of a laptop computer. Recipients can reapply annually.

Though on the right path now, Angel admits that she struggled with school attendance and faced several challenges after her community mom died two years ago.

“I met my community mom when I was in the seventh grade, and she took me in as her own when my home life was abusive, toxic and unstable,” Angel said. “She saved my life. After she passed away in 2020, I was heavily suicidal. I also quit going to school and chose not to get out of bed for days at a time.”

Angel was referred to YAP in early 2022 through the nonprofit’s youth justice program, which provided her with an Advocate, Kameelah Alexander. YAP is a national nonprofit in more than 100 communities in 33 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration, congregate out-of-home placement and treatment, and neighborhood violence.

Angel recalls her state of mind when she met Alexander, saying she was “extremely emotional,” and “angry at the world.”

“(Alexander) showed me love and compassion,” Angel said. “She pushed me to go to school and reminded me how smart I was, who I was as a person, and who I wanted to be. She helped me remember why school and life was so important to me all along. She gave me structure and guidance when I needed it because I didn’t have it at home.”

Alexander helped Angel enroll at Butler Community College, even drove her to the school so she could take her placement test, get her school ID and schedule.

“Angel has blossomed under YAP and followed through on her goal of attending college,” Alexander said. “Her passion to excel past her current state is admirable.”

Angel said Alexander taught her how to remain humble because someone always has it worse.

“Words can’t explain how much I benefited from this program, but more importantly how I benefited from an extremely honest and compassionate person that you chose to hire,” Angel said.

Angel is thankful for the laptop and says she will now be able to do her schoolwork at home without having to stress over finding a ride to the library or campus.

“This is one last thing I have to worry about before starting this new chapter of my life,” Angel added.

To learn more about YAP visit www.yapinc.org or follow us on Twitter at @YAPInc.