YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Washington, D.C. – To help educate policymakers about the mission of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., its Board of Directors and leaders from across the nonprofit traveled to the nation’s Capital to participate in its largest Hill Day on Sept. 25.  

Hill Day provides an opportunity for organizations like YAP® to inform and educate lawmakers about their needs and challenges. YAP® continues to seek federal investments in youth justice prevention, community-based services, greater funding flexibility, and reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. 

YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities across the U.S. to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities. Twenty-four YAP® employees and 10 members of the Board of Directors attended the agency’s third Hill Day.  

“What YAP does to support youth, families and communities matter and it is important that decision makers hear about the important work that we do,” said YAP® CEO and President Gary Ivory. “As a nonpartisan organization, YAP will continue working across the aisle with our national and local lawmakers to garner support for our evidence-based work that helps to reduce the need for young people in institutional placements.” 

Former YAP® youth justice program participants Curtis Moore and Lashawn Jenkins shared their stories with legislators during Hill Day. Moore is now a YAP® Lead Director in New Jersey, and Jenkins is a YAP® Advocate in Cook County, Ill.  

Moore, Jenkins, and other YAP® Advocates and staff work with young people and their families to support them with the tools they need to succeed economically, emotionally, and educationally.  

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.  

Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. has been awarded two Amplifying Community Transformation (ACT) Grants as part of the Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program to support international projects that mirror the nonprofit’s mission in Jamaica and Hungary.   

The CEE Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and implemented by IREX, a global provider that partners with businesses, nonprofits, government and other agencies to help cultivate leaders. The ACT Grant provides funding for ongoing collaboration and project implementation between international CEE fellows and their U.S. host. In 2026, YAP® hosted seven CEE fellows in programs in Philadelphia/Delaware, Chicago, Phoenix and Milwaukee, Wis.    

YAP® Regional Director Renise Harris, who was also recognized as a CEE mentor by IREX – and oversees programs in Philadelphia, Delaware County, Pa., and Delaware – hosted CEE fellow Letesha Whyte from Jamaica this past spring/summer, when she assisted with videography, social media, graphics, and other marketing materials for local YAP® Philadelphia and Delaware programs.   

“Letesha and I are honored to receive the grant,” Harris said. “I am especially honored because it’s an opportunity to assist someone else who will impact the lives of children in a country that is not my own, and that experience is one to cherish and appreciate. It also gives me a deeper appreciation for the work that we do here at YAP.”  

Harris traveled to Trinidad and Tobago in 2024 through CEE’s Reciprocal Exchange funded through the U.S. Department of State to work with former YAP® Philadelphia fellow Nekisha Sorias on a project that empowered young women by providing them with basic self-defense skills to protect themselves when faced with adversity. Harris will travel to Jamaica Oct. 28 through Nov. 12 to assist Whyte in her project aimed at providing advocacy for high school students through soccer. Additional support for students will be provided through teamwork, collaboration, and family engagement.  

“It ties in with YAP in that [Whyte] is looking to work with, connect or engage kids in Jamaica who are most likely to be involved in some level of the youth justice system,” Harris said. “While there, I will be connecting with people in the community and helping [Whyte] implement her project.”  

YAP® Maricopa County, Ariz. Behavioral Health Assistant Director Haley Farley is currently in Hungary until Oct. 12 working alongside Unige Katay who the program hosted earlier this year in Phoenix. Katay helped create a video manual for onboarding Behavioral Health staff while in Arizona.   

“I am learning a lot from the people I’ve met, while also getting to share some of the strategies and experiences we use at YAP,” Farley said. “I’m excited to continue the exchange over the remainder of my time here and think about what I can bring back to our team.”  

Katay serves as a project coordinator for the non-profit organization, Pressley Ridge Hungary Foundation where Farley will assist her with strengthening community-based behavioral health, child welfare, and family engagement practices. Activities include site visits, professional networking, university engagement, and delivery of a workshop focused on supporting youth and families. Following the exchange, lessons learned will be incorporated into staff training and program development within YAP®. 

Farley will also take an additional self-funded professional development visit to the Czech Republic to assist former YAP® Maricopa County fellow Nela Cervenkova with nonprofit leadership and community services. Cervenkova is studying social work and has worked and volunteered with children, families, and people with Alzheimer’s.  

“It was such a meaningful experience having the fellows join our Arizona program,” Farley said. “I’m really looking forward to representing YAP and our Arizona Behavioral Health program, learning from our partners in Hungary, and finding meaningful ways to bring what I learn back to our work here.”  

Reflecting on the ACT Grants and YAP®’s continued partnership with the CEE Program, IREX President and CEO Aleksander Dardeli said, ‘We are proud to congratulate YAP, Renise Harris, Haley Farley and their CEE partners on these well-deserved ACT Grants. Their projects in Jamaica and Hungary reflect the best of the Community Engagement Exchange Program: fellows, alumni, and U.S. hosts turning exchange experiences into practical collaboration that strengthens youth, families, and communities. Their work demonstrates the enduring value of international exchange and the power of local leaders from one another to create lasting impact.”  

YAP® is a 51-year-old national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities. The agency’s unique service model offers wraparound support to young people and their families, including rehabilitative and behavioral health services.  

“This exchange is another example of the innovative ways that the YAP global community is dedicated to creating safe communities, peacebuilding with peers, family, and neighbors as we cultivate resilience, develop youth leaders, and strengthen communities, one biography at a time,” said Diana Matteson, YAP® Vice President of Partnerships and International Development. “The Phoenix and Philadelphia teams were excellent hosts, and I am excited for Haley and Renise to represent YAP in Hungary, Czechia, and Jamaica. And for the learning they will bring home to their local programs and the YAP community in the U.S.”  

The first cohort of CEE fellows YAP® hosted was in 2022. Learn more about the CEE Program on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or the CEE website.   

YAP® has an international footprint in Ireland, Guatemala, Sierra Leone and Queensland, Australia. 

About YAP®  

Founded by Tom Jeffers in 1975, YAP® collaborates with community and public systems backed by philanthropic funders to deliver four signature programs: Youth and Family Empowerment, Bringing Systems Change, Global Capacity Building, and Investing in Economic Mobility. YAP®’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements. John Jay College of Criminal Justice research found 86% of YAP®’s youth justice participants remain arrest free, and six – 12 months after completing the program, nearly 90% of the youth still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement. For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.   

About IREX  

IREX is a global development and education organization that partners with communities and institutions in the United States and around the world to cultivate leaders, expand access to education, and create economic opportunity. With a focus on practical, lasting solutions, IREX helps people, institutions, and communities thrive in a rapidly changing world. Learn more at irex.org.  

Lebanon County, Pa. – High school bullying left Daniella unmotivated to finish school, so she dropped out.  

“I ultimately stopped going to school because my mental health took a very big toll, and I wasn’t getting the education I needed to become successful,” Daniella wrote in her Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education Scholarship Fund scholarship essay. “Besides being bullied, my teachers weren’t as hands on as I would prefer them to be as I strongly believe that I learn sufficiently well when individuals are hands on, physically present, and explain each lesson.”  

Then Daniella became involved in the YAP® Lebanon County, PA’s Truancy Plus Program, where young people like her receive wraparound support through partnerships with elementary, middle, and high schools that deliver absenteeism reduction services, in addition to economic and emotional assistance that is also provided in homes with students’ families. 

“While working with Youth Advocate Programs, I gained a lot of benefits and confidence in myself,” Daniella wrote. “The people who worked with me to complete each study lesson were not only hands on, but very respectful and understanding of my level of education and how much I understood things. They helped me to the best of their abilities, which I cannot thank them enough for even until this day.”  

Daniella earned her GED diploma thanks to the help of YAP® and will use the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship toward her training in becoming a licensed Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA).  

Current and former YAP® program participants and their families are encouraged to apply for the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship. Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. The unique Endowment Fund also received generous donations from the YAP® Board of Directors and other contributors. 

YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities across the U.S. to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities.  

“I graduated from the [YAP Program] in under a year with the help of amazing people guiding me along the way,” Daniella added.  

YAP® Lebanon County Truancy Plus Assistant Director Hanna Scipioni worked with Daniella and has known her since 2024. 

“I can attest that she is a very smart and motivated woman that will do great things in her future,” Scipioni wrote in her recommendation letter of Daniella. “Her dedication and commitment to earning her GED also had a positive impact on those around her. Through her own consistent effort and determination, she became an example to her peers and motivated other students in the program to push themselves and perform at a higher level.”  

Daniella is also a YAP® Alumni Ambassador and shared her experience during the organization’s Annual Planning Meeting in Harrisburg in June.  

“I believe that my hard work and passion to be more successful than I was prior to really helped me to become a better person for myself and others around me,” Daniella said. “I am truly grateful for this opportunity to receive a scholarship and will use my time and dedication toward a bright future.”  

Her final goal is to be a pediatric nurse. 

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org or visit the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund, to donate.  

Washington, D.C. – Before Khalil became involved in Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., he said he was around, “bad friends” and found himself in “bad situations.”

“I decided to hustle because I felt like I needed certain things,” Khalil said. “I wanted certain things, but they were only temporary.” I didn’t have the type of guidance that I have now. I needed time to be a better person because things could have been a lot worse.” 

Eventually Khalil’s actions led to his incarceration, and his probation officer referred him to YAP® where he was paired with neighborhood-based Advocate Ray Askins for six months. YAP® is a 51-year-old national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities. 

“My probation officer told me about YAP, and I was connected to people like Mr. Ray,” Khalil said. “I wanted to learn something new, and I wanted to be a different person.”  

Khalil shared his story as a “Reimagining the Next Chapter of the American Youth Justice Story,” panelist during the 2026 one-day Georgetown University McCourt School of Public Policy Center for Youth Justice Janet Reno Summit. Sponsored by YAP, “America’s Youth Justice Story: Unearthing the Past and Reimagining the Next Chapter,” explored the U.S. youth justice system’s past, present and future.  

The Summit began with a discussion led by Center for Youth Justice Research Professor and Senior Fellow Marc Schindler, who leads the Forgotten Children Initiative, which recognizes and honors incarcerated youth buried in abandoned burial grounds at youth justice facilities throughout the United States. Panelists included author Erin Kimmerle, poet Dorothy Givens, Commission on the House of Reformation and Instruction for Colored Children member Phyllis Hammond, and Director of Reentry Services at the Prisons and Justice Initiative at Georgetown University Tyrone Walker. 

In addition to Khalil and Askins, the Reimagining the Next Chapter panel included Sonnja Brown, Family Support Partner with Child and Family Behavioral Health Services for the City of Alexandria, Va., and President and CEO of the Credible Messenger Mentoring Movement (CM3), Clinton Lacey. YAP® Chief of Marketing and Communications Officer Kelly D. Williams served as moderator.  

Khalil said YAP® helped him create a 5 year-plan for his future. The YAP® Baltimore Youth Justice program matches program participants with Advocates who help them see their strengths and connect with economic, emotional and educational tools to achieve their goals. 

“There was a time when YAP provided me with things that I couldn’t get, and they worked with my family,” the 19-year-old said. “My Ray did a lot of things he didn’t have to do. I was able to get a job, get paid, and get off probation.”  

Through YAP® Supported Work, which is backed by donors and business partners, YAP® links youth to paid vocational training and employment, which is critical to long-term positive outcomes. 

“YAP Supported Work teaches [program participants] about job readiness, technology, dress attire, work interviews, public speaking and more,” Askins said. “When I feel that [program participants] are ready, I leverage the community to help them find employment. We try to match them with their interests. In Khalil’s case, he was paired with a rec center…and he also worked with the Ravens in the concession stands.” 

Williams emphasized that YAP®’s model is centered on teamwork, adding “it makes the community stronger when we work together.”  

Askins, who has been a YAP® Advocate for seven years and a former youth coach, said wanting to be grounded in the community is what brought him to YAP®.  

“Being present, transparent, letting them know all my mistakes and not judging, are all ways I connect with youth,” he said. “I never ask them what their charge is. I never do. I always lead with empathy and understanding.”    

Askins said he cares for the youth he works for and tries to lead by example.  

“I am hopeful that we have the right people still wanting to do the right things,” Askins added. “Khalil is not in the YAP® program anymore, but I cannot leave him because we still have work to do.”  

Today Khalil is probation free and working. His ultimate passion is in some capacity to work with cars.  

“Before I got locked up, I didn’t have a future and I wasn’t going to school,” Khalil said. “Now I want to go to trade school and start a car business. I just like working.”  

During the Summit’s opening remarks, YAP® CEO and President Gary Ivory said the organization adheres to guiding principles, including a “no-eject, no-reject,” policy, meaning no young person is turned away no matter their offenses.  

“What makes YAP unique is that we work with the youth and the families,” Ivory said. “We’re proud of Khalil and his accomplishments. Additionally, we’re thankful to the Center for Youth Justice for partnering with us to offer this insightful and educational Summit.”  

The Summit also included the panel “American Youth Justice Narratives: Perspectives of the Media, Policy-Makers, and Communities,” moderated by Georgetown University Center for Youth Justice Director Michael Umpierre with panelists Michel Martin, Emmy-winning journalist and host of NPR’s Morning Edition; Ramon Ramos, founder and president of The Exception; Liz Ryan, Stanley S. Nelson Distinguished Practitioner for Justice Reporting & Communications at Louisiana State University and former Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Administrator; and Vincent Schiraldi, The Doris Duke Distinguished Visiting Fellow at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy and former Maryland Secretary of Juvenile Services. 

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.  

Fort Worth, TX — At age 20, after five rocky years, Rome has finally made the pivot that will put his life on a positive path. 

Fresh out of culinary school, he’s a line cook at a Fort Worth restaurant. It’s a dream job that comes after five years of court appearances, lock ups, misguided youthful decisions, heartbreaks, and bad luck. 

Rome said as a kid, he was quiet and stuck to himself. At school, without much effort, he got Bs and Cs and never got into trouble. 

But as he grew from childhood to adolescence, he began worrying about his family’s wellbeing. 

“My mom had health problems. She had mini strokes and couldn’t work,” he said. “She talked a lot about bills and things being cut off.” 

By tenth grade, to ease the strain, he started selling weed. It went well until it didn’t, and he got caught. 

“I got kicked out of school,” he said. 

In the house with his mom, younger sister and older brother, things were tense and the pressure intensified. 

Rome, 15, at the time, designed a bold plan for how he could provide for his family. 

“I got a gun and robbed the corner store,” he said.  

Rome said he went on to rob more stores. During that time, he took a trip to visit a friend and along the way became an armed robbery victim himself. The incident also made him a gunshot victim. 

Back in Fort Worth, police caught up with him. Facing multiple armed robbery-related charges, he was arrested and placed in a youth detention facility. For the nine months he was there, he stayed to himself, avoided trouble, and had no infractions, something he said was extremely difficult to accomplish.

When the time came for his disposition hearing, Rome said he was placed on determinant probation — reserved for the county’s highest risk youth — for five years. He was assigned to receive services from a local office of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. A national nonprofit supported by philanthropy and local government systems in 31 states and Washington, D.C., YAP® provides community-based services as an alternative to youth incarceration and other residential placements. Family-centered, accountability-focused services are delivered by staff Advocates, mental health professionals and/or other employee teams.

YAP® Regional Director Alex Alvear, who served as a supervisor at the nonprofit’s Tarrant County office at the time, recalls learning that Rome’s mother moved out of state during his time in detention. He and YAP® Advocate Vincent Hayes’ first order of business was to find temporary housing for him. Alvear says given Rome’s background, it wasn’t easy. 

“We finally found a family that takes in homeless kids, but there was no available bed for Rome,” Alvear said. “He had to sleep on the floor.”  

With support from YAP®, Hayes and Alvear purchased a bed and clothing for Rome. Adhering to the YAP® wraparound services model, they met with him regularly, focused on empowering him with skills to see and nurture his strengths. They also assisted him with practical matters, like obtaining his state ID and other personal documents, and saw to it that he participated in his assigned community service. Within weeks, Rome had a job at a local taco shop and enrolled in GED classes. 

“It didn’t take him long to pass the first section,” Alvear said. “He also assisted with tutoring other students.” 

Alvear said Rome stayed out of trouble and looked forward to gaining independence and having a place of his own.  

“He was clearly a leader among his peers,” Alvear said. “He was very wise in the words he chose. He knocked out his community service and had talked regularly with his probation officer.” 

Alvear said in addition to working at the taco shop, Rome found ways to earn extra money, determined to not only put himself in a good position, but to also help the couple who took him and so many other young people into their home. 

“There were four or five other kids at the house, and Rome really wanted to contribute,” Alvear said. “He ended up getting a job with a landscaper and eventually bought his own lawnmower.” 

Things were going well until an evening when Rome was walking with his lawnmower in a suburban community. Police officers stopped him and asked what he was doing in the neighborhood. 

“He told them he was out cutting grass,” Alvear said. “But he had a gun on him.” 

On probation Rome said he was adjudicated to spending the next year at a Texas Juvenile Justice Department facility in Waco. Alvear made a commitment to stay in his corner.  When he made the hour and a half drive to visit him at the facility, he learned that Rome had no other visitors.

“Still, he stayed positive and took accountability for his actions,” Alvear said. “I remember Rome said something to me that was profound. He said he found out who shot him and was going to write him a letter forgiving him.” 

Alvear spoke to Rome whenever he could and was impressed by his strength and character. 

“During that time, I stayed to myself; I almost never left my room except when I had to clean the halls,” Rome said. “I read a lot, Tony Robbins books, [Napolean Hill’s] Think and Grow Rich, all self-help books.” 

He recalls taking full advantage of opportunities to watch TV.

“I would tell them to put it on Food Network,” he said. 

On his 19th birthday, Rome was free to return to Fort Worth. He had no infractions and completed a violence awareness program as well as the final GED classes he started a year earlier, finally earning the certificate. With no family to return to and support from his caseworker, he qualified for independent living where the foster care system supplemented his rent while he attended culinary school. 

When he graduated, Alvear and Rome’s former youth probation officer were at the ceremony. He said it was one of the happiest days of his life.  

Today, in addition to holding down his restaurant job, Rome prepares dishes for his friends and creates menus for private parties.  

His specialties are Jamaican jerk lamb chops and ox tails, smoked braised turkey wings, and barbequed beef ribs. 

Rome has put his life on a positive path, grateful that his probation officer, Alvear, and Hayes were there for him when he needed it most, making him a believer that with support, there is such a thing as a second chance and sometimes a third one, too. 

Learn more about YAP® and how you can support the nonprofit at www.yapinc.org. 

Follow Rome on Instagram, @chefromelove.

*All photos by Level Up Photoz and can be reached at levelupphotoz@gmail.com.

Mecklenburg County, NC – Youth Advocate Programs’ Inc., (YAP®) Alternatives to Violence (ATV) teams hosted its 2nd Annual Sneaker Ball to raise awareness of gun violence prevention and connect with program participants, their families, and neighbors on Sunday, Aug. 9 at Venue at 8470. 

Sponsored by Healthy Blue Care Together, the Sneaker Ball provided YAP® ATV members an opportunity to invite the community they serve to enjoy music, food, mingling and dancing -  all while sharing how they detect and interrupt unhealthy behaviors and support individuals  who are at the greatest risk of engaging in violence with educational, emotional and economic tools that provide practical life choice alternatives.  

 YAP® became the city’s first ATV partner with the Beatties Ford Road site in 2021 as part of a partnership with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County. YAP® was chosen as part of ATV’s expansion in 2023 to manage one of two additional sites — the one at West Boulevard/Remount Road. 

A UNC Charlotte’s Urban Institute released a year three study in December 2025 on the YAP ATV Beatties Ford Road program which found a significant decrease in violence. Among the Key Findings, more community members rejected violence; violent crime rates began to stabilize; YAP ATV areas experienced a reduction in robbery and nonfatal homicides; and fewer community members reported witnessing or experiencing violence. 

Additionally, the YAP® ATV teams hosted the Sneaker Ball in conjunction with YAP®’s Mecklenburg County Juvenile Justice Program that has partnered with the court system since 2019 – where through referrals – program participants are matched with a neighborhood-based YAP Advocate who champions for them and their families. 

Follow YAP Charlotte’s – Mecklenburg County Facebook page for more information, or visit yapinc.org.

  

Gloucester County, NJ – Former Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. participant Atira used her turbulent past as motivation to pursue her collegiate dreams.  

“Ever since I was little, I bounced around from house to house,” Atira wrote in her Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education essay. “Drugs were always in the picture [at home], so things were really tough growing up. A month before my senior year…my baby brother and I ended up in child protection services.”  

Atira and her brother were separated when they were removed from the home. She went to live with her godmother, which provided her with some stability.  

“It turned out to be a good thing,” Atira said. “I’d spent a lot of summers with her whenever things got rough at home or when we didn’t have anywhere else to go.”  

When Atira chose to live independently, she became involved in YAP® Gloucester County’s Youth Justice program, where she was paired with an Advocate who helped her navigate young adulthood. She empowered Atira to see her strengths and connected her to economic, educational, and emotional tools to help set her up for success. The program served youth by providing wraparound support services to youth who were self-referred, or referred by the family courts, law enforcement or other entities.  

“My [Advocate] was a huge help,” Atira wrote. “She taught me how to live on my own and stay focused on what really matters, like school and my health.”  

YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities across the U.S. to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities. 

Current and former YAP® program participants and their families are encouraged to apply for the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship. Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. The unique Endowment Fund also received generous donations from the YAP® Board of Directors and other contributors. 

Atira has received the award six times during her college matriculation at Rutgers University-Camden where she earned her bachelor’s degree in health sciences and criminal justice. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in criminal justice with hopes to continue to earn her doctorate degree and join the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Evidence Response Team.  

“I am so proud of her,” said Endowment President and YAP® Chief of Staff Patty Rosati. “It is stories like Atira’s that make giving to the Endowment Fund so important. YAP is all about supporting our youth, young adults, and families as they find their way in pursuing their dreams.”  

Atira is thankful to YAP® and the Tom Jeffers Fund for helping assist her as she navigates her education journey.  

“I used to dream of being a health professional ever since kindergarten, but my goals have shifted,” Atira added. I still want to help people in a different way. Now, I want to help victims get the justice they deserve.” 

For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org. To make a contribution to the Endowment Fund, click here. 

Dublin, Ireland – Music, poetry, dance, artwork, and more – all created by program participants – were on display during Youth Advocate Programmes Ireland’s “My Voice, My Choice,” National Event held August 12.  

Highlighting youth and families is the purpose of YAP Ireland’s annual National Event held every year in August at Dublin’s Croke Park. Among the lineup was The Yappuchinos, a group of young people who learned to play instruments and sing together.  

“There’s such negative publicity about young people and children, particularly young people and children who are involved in the child welfare and youth justice programs,” said YAP Ireland CEO Siobhán O’Dwyer. “We want to highlight the amazing abilities, creatives of young people, and from children and parents; that when they’re provided with the right type of support that is non-judgmental and meets them where they’re at, that it encourages them to try new things and believe in themselves.” 

YAP Ireland operates in 25 counties, some in rural areas, and was the first community-based organization in Ireland to bring youth out of residential placement and back into their home communities. Approximately 250 youth, parents, agency partners, and staff participated in the National Event. The theme was chosen by youth. It changes every year and is incorporated as a theme in each program and project.  

“We started the National Event in 2009, the year after I came to YAP,” Siobhán said. “It was based on the idea of celebrating young people, and parents, and wanting to give them an opportunity to have a nice day out, but also to have their voices heard.”  

YAP Advocate Aisleen Harte, a mom of two who has been working with children for over 20 years, shared her book, “My Voice, My Choice,” and the reason behind her decision to write it.  

“It’s about empowerment and [youth] using their voices to speak up in difficult situations,” Aisleen said. “I am 40 and I am only getting my voice now. It took me to get strong-willed children to use my own voice. By giving youth everyday scenarios, we can encourage them to use their voice.”  

Aisleen has been working with program participant Seana since March and encouraged her to express how she feels. Seana moved to Ireland from the United Kingdom with her dad after her mom died of cancer when she was 12.  

“When I came to Ireland, I was struggling because most of my time was spent at home alone and it was getting to me. My dad looked into mental health services and that is when I got into the YAP program,” Seana said. “My YAP Advocate is open to doing a lot of things, like even going to the gym and it’s a good hobby. I also suggested that we do a culture week with different foods since I am Muslim and there’s not much I can usually eat. The program has been good.”  

Next year YAP Ireland will celebrate 25 years of providing unique services that are strength-based in helping youth and families who are affected by youth justice, child welfare or behavioral health systems. In addition to YAP Ireland, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. has partner organizations in Guatemala, Sierra Leone and Australia.  

“A large part of the YAP model is building resilience,” Siobhán said. “We’re a short-term program but [youth] learn something about themselves, ‘like I love to the play the guitar,’ or ‘I like to draw,’ or ‘I got back into running;’ it could be fishing…Their inner strength is worth celebrating.”  

Parent Group moms shared how YAP Ireland provided support for them and their children during the event.  

“My daughter was at YAP for six months,” the mom of a program participant said. “As parents we still needed help to support our kids. They created a group for us to meet up, and it’s been good for us.”  

According to the parent, her daughter was unwell, bullied, and faced racial discrimination.  

“She developed an eating disorder at the age of 9, and she only got help because nobody was actually listening to us until she came to YAP,” she added. “My YAP Advocate is the only one who helped my daughter and myself. Now my daughter is in a very good college.”  

Another parent said the group meets once a month on Tuesdays, adding that her daughter was a participant of YAP twice, and she is now 28 years-old with 5 kids of her own. Her son was also in YAP.  

“I needed someone to talk to,” she said regarding the group. “YAP helped us and our kids.” 

Siobhán said it’s powerful for youth and families to share their stories. 

“It’s really important to celebrate the good work of YAP and to say to our young people and families ‘look how well you’ve done and there’s a whole world out there for you.’”  

YAP® Vice President of International Development Diana Matteson echoed Siobhán’s sentiments during the program.  

“I want you to know that you’re never alone in what you’re going through and that your voice matters,” Diana said. “There are young people in America, Sierra Leone, Australia, and Guatemala who are in similar situations, learning and receiving support from their Advocates just like you. I am truly inspired by all of you, and congratulations to YAP Ireland on a successful, phenomenal National Event.”  

Additionally, Siobhán emphasized that the National Event would not happen without the staff who work tirelessly to put it together to make it happen.  

“It’s important for our partners who fund us to see the outcomes, action, and the real change happening,” she added. “These young people wouldn’t come to YAP if they weren’t referred to us.”  

For more information on YAP Ireland, visit: https://yapireland.ie/

Photo and Video below by Keystone Productions; Venue: Avenue Kitchen & Bar

Baltimore, MD — Sharday was among Baltimoreans honored at a special brunch this summer for turning their lives around after previously being identified as being at the greatest risk of being engaged in violence.

Today, Sharday has a full-time job and is establishing a positive future for her six children. After serving time and accepting accountability for gun-related convictions, she is working to get her record expunged.

The recognition event was hosted by Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., one of Baltimore’s Group Violence Reduction (GVRS) nonprofit service providers. The keynote speaker was Baltimore Mayor Brandon M. Scott, who credited GVRS for being a major contributor to the city’s 60% reduction in violence since his administration launched the initiative four years ago.

In this video, Sharday accepts an award from her YAP® Life Coach Jimmy Little. “No more wrong place, wrong time for her,” he said.

Photos by Ken Lewis

Memphis, Tenn. — About 100 guests gathered at the National Civil Rights Museum for a brunch to celebrate positive outcomes for justice-involved youth in Memphis and Shelby County.

The event recognized the first-year outcomes of Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County’s partnership with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. A philanthropy-supported publicly funded national nonprofit, YAP® partners with youth justice and other systems to provide community-based, accountability-focused individual and family wraparound services as an alternative to incarceration and residential placements.

Since partnering with Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County in June 2025, 24 Memphis area youths ages 12 – 18 facing or convicted of gun, assault, carjacking, theft, and other serious offenses successfully completed services with YAP®.

The event recognized four former program participants who are putting their lives on a positive path. Johnny is spending the summer training for his final high school football season. Nick is in the final stages of completing his GED program and has rebuilt his relationship with his mother, which was a top goal for him. Kenyata is looking for full-time employment. Pierre, who served as guest speaker, completed his senior year with a B average, is delivering packages at night and working for a landscaper in the daytime, and plans to attend college on a band scholarship.

The event was hosted by YAP® Shelby County Program Director Darius Ford and his team along with the Juvenile Court’s Community Stakeholder Manager Kimbrell Owens.  

Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County Judge Tarik Sugarmon served as the keynote speaker, emphasizing that accountability and rehabilitation go hand in hand.

“YAP® doesn’t simply supervise young people, they walk alongside them, they invest in them, they invest in their families,” Sugarmon said. “They help them find jobs, reconnect with school, strengthen relationships and build confidence and give them tools to make different choices.”

Sugarmon congratulated the successful program participants and acknowledged supporters of the pilot including Youth Development Specialists and other Shelby County Court personnel. He also recognized District 8 Shelby County Commissioner Mickell Lowery, who attended the event, and others whose belief in the program contributed to its initial success.

Celebrating with Ford and his team were YAP® President & CEO Gary Ivory, VP Jamaal Crawford, and Regional Director Marlon Rucker.

“The annual cost for 30 YAP® wraparound services slots for Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County youth last year was $600,000. Half was covered by the county, and the other $300,000 by YAP® philanthropic donations,” Ivory said. “That $110 per-day investment is less than a sixth of the more than $120,000 cost to incarcerate a child for six months. And that doesn’t account for the costs for visitation — transportation, lost time at work, childcare, and other expenses when a parent visits one of their children in a facility.”

Ivory added that that youth incarceration and residential placements compound risks leading to homicide, suicide, school failure, poverty, unemployment, substance use, homelessness, adult incarceration, and other negative cycles, straining public resources and threatening community safety and wellbeing.

“In 2023, YAP® issued a Notice of Available Funds application, also known as a NOFA, to youth justice, child welfare, and educational systems across the country,” Crawford said. “Thanks to a generous philanthropic donor, we were able to offer matching funds to jurisdictions wanting to launch our YAP Pursuing Excellence program. We were impressed by Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County’s desire to improve outcomes by trying something innovative.”

YAP® Chief of Marketing and Communications Officer Kelly Williams hosted a brief panel discussion with former program participants, including 18-year-old Tiffany and 14-year-old Jaylen. Jaylen’s mother, India, and Jaylen’s Juvenile Court of Memphis and Shelby County Community Youth Development (CYD) Specialist Tracy Steele were also a part of the discussion.

“Jaylen was stealing cars; now he wants to grow up to own car dealerships,” India said, expressing her gratitude for supporting her son.

The YAP® Pursuing Excellence program model implemented in Memphis and Shelby County includes weekly group Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress (SPARCS) cognitive behavioral therapy sessions to address behaviors linked to exposure to violence and abuse.

Rucker, who provided training and guidance to support the program’s launch, recognized YAP®’s team of Memphis and Shelby County Advocates LaVonda Burks, Lance Lester, Charles Griggs, Georgio Washington and Thiery Vester. The Advocates introduced and recognized milestones of current program participants, Cody, Antanya, Tiffany, Christopher M., Jerrel, Ad’dye, William, Martavis, Jaylen, Christopher B., Jamarcoe, Darious, John, Torrian, Lee, Lequinton, and Jabaree. Other regional YAP® staff who helped launch the Memphis pilot were on hand for the celebration, including Vice President of Program Operations Dina Harris, Program Director Monique Crisp, and Program Coordinator of Operations Kanisha Fields.

In addition to recognizing milestones and achievements of former participants, the event recognized parents, court personnel, educators, employers, community and faith leaders, donors, and others for their collaboration and support. Through community partnerships, many participants received education support, acquired workforce development skills through paid YAP® Supported Work, and/or landed their first job.

Memphis and Shelby County Juvenile Court supporters recognized at the event include:

• Judge Tarik Sugarmon
• Chief Judicial Officer Erica Evans
• Magistrate Sheldon McCall
• Attorney Sean Muizers
• Attorney Shante Oliver
• Attorney Brandi Heiden
• Stacy Smith
• Kimbrell Owens
• Dr. Bernard Williams
• Chief Qur’an Folsom
• Kris Billington

Juvenile Court Staff members

• William Adkins
• Christeanna Talley
• Shantay Jackson
• Dayna Johnson
• Yatasha Holliday
• Aletreuna Hawkins
• Skylah Pruitt
• Judith Hampton
• Patriece Minner
• Boswell Martrell
• Tracy Steele
• Cheryl Oliver
• Cheryl Rhea

 Memphis and Shelby County Community/Supported Work Partners

• Ronald Frazier
• Charles Watts
• HopeWorks
• Anna Barber
• Ephie Johnson

Ford also acknowledged the National Civil Rights Museum and the event’s brunch caterer, Hungry AF.

YAP®’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements. John Jay College of Criminal Justice research found 86% of YAP®’s youth justice participants remain arrest free, and six – 12 months after completing the program, nearly 90% of the youth still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement. Partnering with cities like Baltimore and Charlotte, the nonprofit also applies principles of its 50-year-old evidence-based individual and family “wraparound services” model to help reduce community violence. Learn more about YAP® and how you can support the national nonprofit’s work yapinc.org.