The Neighborhood Advocate

On a cold February Baltimore morning , Dee is excited to bring Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Program Coordinator Chasity Dorsey up to speed on what’s happening in her life. A 24-year-old who spent...

Almost every day, 19-year-old Nia runs – fast.  She’s a second semester freshman on the track team at Rowan College of South Jersey. A sprinter, she competes in 100, 200 and 400-meter dash and relay events. For Nia, running is more than training or about reaching the finish line first.  “I use it as my outlet...

Until now, 34-year-old Santos Robles kept what happened to him two decades ago in the past. But to help celebrate the 45th anniversary of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., a community-based alternative to youth...

By Baltimore City Safe Streets Penn North/Youth Advocate Programs Crime Prevention Coordinator Wayne Brewton While planning a shoe giveaway, I had no idea how our Penn North community would react. Will they be appreciative? Will they be...

(Feb. 25, 2020) This February, as the nation honors African American heroes, the city of Philadelphia is paying special tribute to Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Board of Directors Chair Lynette M. Brown-Sow. YAP...

Abriana is sticking to her plan of learning from the mistakes of her past and taking steps towards a positive future. When the 15-year-old met with TheNeighborhoodAdvocate.org in November, she said since participating in Los...

Four years free after returning home from Federal prison, 30-year-old Nokomis Hunter is on a path that has never looked brighter. He has a career with District of Columbia Government, a young family and...

No reject; no eject. That’s a mantra at Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., a national nonprofit that provides community-based alternatives for young people who might otherwise be placed in youth detention or behavioral health/drug...

Family matters for individuals working to turn their lives around. Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc.’s trained advocate mentors help young people identify their strengths while connecting them and their families with tools to achieve...

A little more than a year ago, Chris made a mistake that could have taken him away from his family and out of his community. Now 19, he thanks Will Conyers, his Baltimore Youth...

MIDDLESEX COUNTY, NJ -- Brian, 13, and Esteban, 14, stood proudly before community leaders and family members as they unveiled a mural decorating a wall at the New Brunswick, NJ Youth Advocate Programs (YAP),...

A community-based alternative to youth incarceration and institutionalization in 28 states and the District of Columbia, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. recently began serving young people in Los Angeles. Adhering to its “no reject;...

Dec. 18, 2019 —TheNeighborhoodAdvocate.org launches today, chronicling the lives of families, advocates and program practitioners on the front lines of the youth justice, child welfare and social services systems reform movement. TheNeighborhoodAdvocate.org was developed by...

Los Angeles, Ca. (December 3, 2019) -- Standing a block away from her Jordan Downs apartment in Watts, Abriana, 15, reflects on her life and its dramatic turn for the better. “Before I thought I...

Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. program leaders deliver impassioned messages about their work as part of the launch of YAPTalks. YAP delivers services that are an alternative to youth incarceration and out-of-home placement. The...