Sarah Morris-Compton will join Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc.’s 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit as a panel moderator. She will lead a discussion on “Innovations in Child and Family Wellbeing: Practices and Policies.
YAP® is a national nonprofit founded in 1975 that delivers evidence-based individual and family services in communities as an alternative to placing young people in trouble, in crisis, or otherwise facing complex challenges in residential care or corrections facilities. The nonprofit’s neighborhood-based Advocates are trained to help program participants see and nurture their strengths while connecting them and their parents, guardians and other loved ones with individualized educational, economic and emotional needs tools to firm their family foundation.
Morris-Compton is a senior associate with The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Family Well-being Strategy Group. With a background in human services and public health with an emphasis on advancing outcomes for children, youth and families, she specializes in forming large multi-sector reform coalitions, executive coaching, leading organizational development and implementation, developing performance management capacity, creating practice models and using qualitative evaluation in child welfare practice improvement.
Morris-Compton has led and supported system transformation efforts across the country, including in the Federal Office of Refugee Resettlement, Maryland, Oklahoma, Michigan, Rhode Island, Delaware, Virginia and Indiana.
Before joining Casey, Morris-Compton consulted with the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene on implementation and sustainability of the health policy and population health initiatives. She is a former director of health policy and planning for the City of Baltimore.
Morris-Compton began her career as a social worker in a range of health, community mental health and human services settings in the United States and abroad, including Turkmenistan and Kenya as part of the Peace Corps. She holds a master’s degree in public policy from the University of Maryland Baltimore County and a bachelor’s degree in social work from Ball State.
Learn more about YAP® and the national nonprofit’s 50th anniversary at YAPInc.org.
Cook County, Ill. – As a program participant with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., in Cook County, Ill., Jesse stayed out of trouble, found a part-time job and completed truck driving school. He made a complete turnaround from where he was a year earlier.
“Jesse has made significant strides in making responsible decisions and following through on opportunities,” Jesse’s YAP® Advocate said. “Over the past three months, he has been working part-time, demonstrating responsibility and commitment.”
In its 50th year, YAP® is a national nonprofit in 32 states and Washington, D.C. that works with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other public systems to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble, in crisis, or facing other complex challenges outside of their homes in residential care or corrections facilities. YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver the nonprofit’s YAPWrap® services model, which is designed to help program participants see and nurture their strengths and connect them and their parents/ guardians, and other family members with tools, including basic needs resources, to help them put their lives on a positive course.
YAP® provided services to Jesse as part of an Illinois youth justice aftercare program. Now 19, he had spent six months in a youth justice facility after being convicted of armed robbery. Jesse said the time could have been triple that had he not completed a substance use program and earned his GED while in a state facility. As part of his services, the nonprofit connected Jesse to a YAP® Supported Work job, where he received a paycheck as he sharpening his skills and work ethic.
“I benefited from the program by being able to participate in the supportive work program which helped me get back on my feet,” Jesse said, adding that his YAP® Advocate helped him with “all aspects, helping me get my life together, apply for jobs, going out for food and having good talks while updating him about my progress.”
Jesse said guidance from his Advocate guided him to make better choices.
“He was always there when I needed him,” he added. “He has been a positive influence in my life and engages with me in positive activities and talks about things with me if I feel I have no one else. He has helped me change a lot and help me understand a lot of things in life.”
The YAP® Supported Work job led to Jesse applying for and landing employment with a national package delivery company. Meantime, Jesse’s Advocate said he worked to meet other goals, like rebuilding his relationship with his family.
As a YAP® program participant, Jesse enrolled in commercial driver’s license school and received a laptop computer as a recipient of the nonprofit’s Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education. Named after YAP®’s founder, the Tom Jeffers Fund scholarship is funded nearly 100% by employee donations. Recipients can receive the scholarship as $1,200 award for tuition, job training/supplies fees, or in the form of a laptop computer.
“This scholarship will help me pursue my career which is truck driving,” Jesse wrote in his scholarship application essay. “I see this as my way to keep doing positive and never look back. It will help me finally have stability and financial freedom, as well a working many hours to stay away from distractions and focus on building my future.”
Jesse wants to a role model to his peers.
“I am constantly impressed by his perseverance and dedication, and I am incredibly proud of him for overcoming obstacles to stay on track,” his Advocate wrote in recommending Jesse for the scholarship. “[Jesse’s] future is bright, and I strongly believe that this scholarship will provide him with the opportunity he needs to continue his path to success.”
Watch Jesse’s interview with YAP®’s Chief Marketing and Communications Kelly Williams here. To learn more about YAP®, visit yapinc.org.
Now 19, Jesse recently completed an Illinois youth justice after care program with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. The national nonprofit is in its 50th year of partnering with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other public systems to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble, in crisis, or facing other complex challenges in residential care or corrections facilities. YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver the nonprofit’s evidence-based YAPWrap® services model, which empowers program participants to see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their parents/ guardians, and other family members with tools to help them put their lives on a positive course. YAP® also works with cities to apply principles of its evidence based alternative-to-youth placement model to help reduce community violence.
While in the program, Jesse received a YAP® Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education and completed commercial driving school. He now has a job with a national delivery company, and is working to stay on a positive path. He will be a panelist at the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit on Nov. 6, 2025 in Philadelphia. Learn more about the nonprofit and its 50th anniversary events at YAPInc.org.
Michael B. Marks, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University at Albany (NY) and Research Associate, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. will share his professional insights as a panelist at the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit. The half-day Summit and YAP® Making Change Happen Awards Gala take place Nov. 6, 2025 in Philadelphia, PA.M
Founded in 1975, YAP® partners with youth justice, child welfare and other systems to deliver community-based services as a safer, more effective, and less costly alternative to putting young people in trouble or crisis in corrections or residential care facilities. The national nonprofit applies principles of its evidence-based model to also help cities reduce neighborhood violence.
Dr. Marks has served over 40 years as an executive, manager and practitioner working in the juvenile justice and child welfare field. He works with organizations to develop and evaluate innovative community strategies designed to enhance permanency, family connections and social capital for youth transitioning from foster care or re-entering community from child welfare and youth justice placements.
He specializes in multi-site case study research and implementation and model fidelity studies, using mixed method data collection approaches including surveys, interviews, focus groups, and direct observation of program activities. Since earning a Ph.D. in 2009, Dr. Marks has expanded his activities to assist social entrepreneurs, social investors, NGO leaders, and statutory officials supporting the development and understanding of community-level responses that reach upstream to address health, educational and social challenges.
He has helped develop and evaluate community currency systems in the US and internationally; social innovations that offer new organizational models that utilize unused individual and community assets and social enterprises that fill supply chain gaps, combining profit with alternative social and planet sustainability principles and metrics. Dr. Marks is a member and conference presenter at the Social Work Innovation Network (SWIN), the International Research Conference on Social Enterprises (EMES), the International Social Innovation Research Consortium (ISIRC) and the Research Association on Monetary Innovation, Community and Complementary Currency Systems (RAMICS).
Learn more about YAP® and its 50th Anniversary events at YAPInc.org.
At age 16, everything in Saran’s life changed and it wasn’t easy.
She and her father returned to New Jersey from Ghana where they had been living with his family since she was a toddler. She struggled to adjust to cultural differences at school and had a tough time at home getting to know her biological mother.
“She spoke very little English,” Saran said. “It was hard to adjust. The only way to communicate was through my dad and that meant making my mother feel left out.”
Referred by a friend, Saran became a participant in Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc.’s New Jersey Community-based Violence Prevention Program. She will share her story as a panelist at the Nov. 6, 2025, 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit in Philadelphia. YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, education, and public safety systems to deliver community-based alternatives to placing young people in trouble, in crisis, or who face other complex challenges in residential care or corrections facilities. The state-funded anti-violence program uses principles of YAP®’s evidence-based alternatives-to-placement model to serve young people in five counties identified as being at the greatest risk of being engaged as a perpetrator or victim in violence.
The violence prevention approach, also known as YAP Pursuing Excellence®, offers cognitive behavioral therapy and elements of the nonprofit’s YAPWrap® youth and family wraparound services model. Especially meaningful to Saran was YAP® Supported Work. Focusing on program participants’ strengths, YAP® Advocates place participants in jobs in their communities where they receive paid work experience. Saran was beyond excited to learn she would be able to work at Newark’s Source of Knowledge bookstore.
Masani Barnwell, co-owner Source of Knowledge Bookstore
“Eight to ten minutes into my interview, I already felt a sense of belonging,” Saran said. “Ms. Masani [the bookstore’s co-owner] is from Ghana. I left with a smile.”
Saran continued to smile when she went to work at the bookstore. Meantime, things calmed down at home and at school. She said she was sad when her time with YAP® and Source of Knowledge ended, but that Ms. Masani told her she can always come back if she needs something.
Today, Saran is a college student with plans to become a nurse. In her free time, she goes back to visit with her friends at the bookstore, volunteering at in-store events and community fairs, feeding homeless neighbors, and sharing her love of reading.
Learn more about YAP® and the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary events at yapinc.org/50th.
YAP Houston, Texas Youth Give Back Through Community Service
Harris County, Texas –Students from the Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Harris County, Texas Evening Reporting Center (ERC) recently participated in a community service project at Bread of Life, Inc. where they organized and distributed food to families, prepared care packages, assisted with inventory, and helped staff with daily operations.
“These students showed incredible compassion and a willingness to step up and give back,” said YAP® Harris County Assistant Director Nateyah McLeod. “They learned firsthand that serving others not only benefits the community, but also strengthens personal growth, empathy, and leadership skills.”
Now in its 50th year, YAP® is a national nonprofit is in 32 states and Washington, D.C. that works with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other local and regional governments to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people outside of their homes in residential care or corrections facilities.
YAP® Harris County works closely with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, which refers youth and young adults to the program where they are offered vocational rehabilitation classes. The YAP® Evening Reporting Center is located inside of Houston’s Opportunity Center where behavioral health, vocational training/work readiness, community support and the nonprofit’s YAPWrap® or wraparound support, is offered to youth and their families connecting them to tools and resources setting them up for success. YAP® neighborhood-based Advocates and staff provide individualized, strength-based approaches that give students the opportunity to develop academic progress, personal growth, leadership, and career readiness.
Program participants committed two hours per week to volunteering at Bread of Life, Inc. that provides service to vulnerable individuals, in addition to helping address health access, housing support and hunger relief.
“At Bread of Life, Inc, we value every act of volunteerism, however, we hold a special place for young people who stand as the next generation of leaders and influencers,” said Dr. Monique Williams, Chief Operating Officer at Bread of Life, Inc. “Our deepest hope is that through their experiences with us, they learn to lead with empathy, center the needs of the community and envision a life and career devoted to serving the most vulnerable families and individuals in our global community.”
McLeod echoed Williams’ statements, adding that through participation, YAP® program participates gained insight into the value of helping others along with the satisfaction that comes from making a difference.
“The YAP Evening Reporting Center remains committed to providing and exposing students to activities that teach youth the importance of civic engagement, community service, and personal development,” McLeod said.
Baltimore, MD — Like most of the young people he works with, Teshombae Harvell has experienced gun violence firsthand — as a perpetrator and a victim.
As a Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Baltimore Group Violence Reduction Strategy (GVRS) Life Coach, Harvell aims to demonstrate to individuals identified as being at the greatest risk of engaging in gun violence that there’s a way out.
“I grew up in East Baltimore’s Latrobe Projects,” Harvell said. “Two things impacted me in such a way that I facilitate services with great passion — serving prison time where I took accountability for my actions, and losing my second oldest son to gun violence.”
Harvell will share his experiences as a panelist at the Nov. 6, 2025, 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change HappenSummit in Philadelphia. YAP® is a national nonprofit that delivers individual and family wraparound services that give communities an alternative to placing young people in trouble, crisis, or facing other complex challenges in corrections or residential care facilities. Guided by principles of its evidence-based YAPWrap® model, the nonprofit’s services also help cities reduce neighborhood violence.
“Because of Mr. Teshombae and his GVRS team at YAP®, my life has made a 360-degree turnaround,” said Jaylen, a 19-year-old program participant. “A year ago, I was in the hospital recovering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. Without getting into detail, I was not living right at the time,” he added. “Mr. Teshombae helped me see myself in a different way.”
Former YAP® Baltimore GVRS participant Jaylen at a Nov. 2024 recognition event
Harvell had worked in human services for nearly two decades when he joined the YAP® GVRS team. His background includes experience with Baltimore Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program, Job Corps, and other prevention and behavioral change programs. He has a bachelor’s degree in counseling and a master’s in human services.
“I always knew I was smart,” Jaylen said, “but he [Harvell] taught me how to put my intelligence to work for good. I just graduated from high school and had I not gotten sick, I would have had perfect attendance.”
Harvell and his GVRS team help program participants see and nurture their strengths and talents and connect them and their loved ones to individualized tools and resources to firm their family foundation.
Jaylen said with support from Harvell, he is working towards a positive future. He now has a job and will soon begin career training to become a plumber. “And I have coping skills. I know how to deal with conflict, and I have a better relationship with my family.”
Harvell has been married for 21 years. He has 14 children and 15 grandchildren.
“My priority is family first, then saving the world,” he said.
Learn more about YAP® and the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary events at YAPInc.org.
St. Louis, MO — At age 17, Jeremiah is turning his life around in a positive direction. That means leaving mistakes he made as a youth behind while taking accountability and sticking to the plan he has designed for his future.
Jeremiah gives a lot of credit to Anthony Taylor for empowering him with tools to create the individualized service plan he helped develop to guide his choices. Taylor is an Advocate with St. Louis Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc.
“He came in guarded and already feeling like the world had given up on him,” Taylor said. “But I did not approach him with judgement. I led with the YAPWrap® model, starting with relationship building and trust. I showed up, stayed consistent, and made it clear that I saw something in him, even if he couldn’t see it yet.”
New to St. Louis but celebrating its 50th anniversary nationally, YAP® partners with local youth justice, child welfare, education, behavioral health, and public safety systems to deliver community-based services as an alternative to incarceration and other residential placements. YAP® applies principles of its evidence-based youth justice model to also help cities reduce neighborhood violence. The nonprofit hires staff from the neighborhoods it serves and trains them to help participants see and nurture their strengths while connecting them and their families with tools to help firm their foundation.
Jeremiah and Taylor are panelists for the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit in Philadelphia. Jeremiah looks forward to the event as an opportunity to help policy makers understand how with support from neighborhood-based Advocates, young people can overcome complex challenges, see their strengths and talents, and give back to communities.
Former YAP® Participant Jeremiah with his Advocate Anthony Taylor at a recent St. Louis NASCAR event
During his six months with YAP®, Jeremiah worked with Anthony to prepare for job interviews and study for his general education development (GED) certificate. Through group trips to the St. Louis Museum of Illusions, St. Louis Art Museum, and special events like the NASCAR playoffs, Taylor connected Jeremiah with other program participants, encouraging them to be positive influences on one another.
“We’re working on setting up a peer-to-peer program where Jeremiah can help mentor other participants as the come through the program.”
Jeremiah is now off probation, working full time at a neighborhood cafe, and will soon take the GED exam.
“It’s not just about services it’s about transformation,” Taylor said. “And I’m proud to say I witnessed that transformation firsthand.”
Learn more about YAP® and register for the nonprofit’s 50th anniversary events at YAPInc.org.
Four international fellows are working with Youth Advocate Programs™, Inc. (YAP®) this fall to gain real world experience in ways the national nonprofit sets youth and families facing society’s most complex challenges up for success.
The fellows working with YAP® Cook County, Ill. are Abdul Rahman Bangura from Sierra Leone and Thomas Tamba Bundoo from Liberia. YAP® Harris County, Texas fellows include Ganda Bassie from Sierra Leone and Lillian Selmartin from Papua New Guinea. The 2025 fellows will work with the local YAP® youth justice programs for three months.
YAP® is a national nonprofit in 32 states and Washington, D.C., providing services that reduce the nation’s overreliance on youth incarceration, residential care, group homes and other out-of-home placements. Celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2025, YAP® partners with public systems to provide community-based wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to residential care and incarceration. Principles of the nonprofit’s evidence-based model are also helping cities reduce violence. YAP has an international footprint with affiliates in Australia, Ireland, Sierra Leone and Guatemala.
YAP Major Gifts Officer Alexis Stone welcoming four fellows who are doing apprenticeships with the organization.
“By the fellows being able to see YAP in action and the positive impact the organization has on communities and individuals for half a century, we hope to both inspire and fortify the fellows to return to their home countries with fresh perspectives, skills, and knowledge,” said Diana Matteson YAP® Vice President for International Development. “I am confident that Bassie, Lillian, Thomas, and Abdul will have that experience and I am so excited for what they will teach us as part of the reciprocal learning that hosting global fellows creates.”
This is the fifth cohort of fellows that YAP® is hosting; the second cohort from the Community Solutions Program (CSP) fellows and the third cohort of Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) fellows. Previously, YAP® had hosted 13 fellows as a sponsor organization and has partnered with IREX, to host both CSP and CEE fellows from 11 countries at YAP® at sites in Florida, Texas, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Illinois, and California.
Fellows Thomas Tamba Bundoo, Abdul Rahman Bangura and YAP Regional Director E’Ron Leveston in Chicago.
The Community Solutions Program (CSP) strengthens American communities by placing skilled international professionals with U.S. organizations for four months to tackle local challenges in key areas like energy, security, and human rights. The Community Engagement Exchange (CEE) Program is a transformational leadership development experience that equips emerging civil society leaders, ages 21-27, to harness the power of networks and technology to develop multi-sector approaches and build thriving communities in the U.S. and their home countries. CSP and the CEE Program are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State with funding provided by the U.S. Government and supported in its implementation by IREX.
“YAP is fully committed to ensuring a supportive and engaging practicum experience,” said Patrick Young, YAP® Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development who was in Houston to welcome fellows at the beginning of their tenure. “We will make sure fellows feel welcomed, supported and set up for success from day one.”
At the end of their tenure, fellows will also complete a capstone project to present the collective impact the program has had on each of them as well as YAP®.
YAP Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development Patrick Young with fellow Ganda Bassie in Houston.
Below is more information about each fellow:
Ganda Bassie
Bassie focuses on improving educational access for vulnerable children in Bo, Sierra Leone. In 2015, Bassie founded the Child Welfare and Development Project (CWADeP) to address the significant barriers to education faced by local children, including financial constraints related to school fees, books, and basic necessities. Under his leadership, CWADeP has successfully supported 40 children annually with comprehensive educational resources and reached over 100 more through outreach initiatives.
Lillian Selmartin
Fellow Lillian Selmartin.
Selmartin is a community development officer who helps oversee child protection and welfare services, sports for development, women empowerment, youth non-governmental organizations, churches, community governance and more. She has been instrumental in completing outreach programs in rural communities.
Thomas Tamba Bundoo
YAP fellow Thomas Tamba Bundoo.
Bundoo is a youth mentor, developer and activist. He is the founder and executive director of Hope for Young People Inc., in Monrovia, Liberia, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping youth unlock opportunities and resources in education, healthcare, civil liberties, and advocacy. His passion is to help communities thrive so that all individuals, especially youth, can have access to opportunities that empower them and contribute to societal progress.
Abdul Rahman Bangura
Rahman is a lawyer and community leader who has worked in legal practice, youth empowerment and grassroots development. He specializes in educational access, drug abuse prevention and mentorship initiatives for youths. Additionally, he has managed projects that tackle critical issues in his community and beyond.
YAP fellow Abdul Rahman Bangura.
“YAP’s history of working in partnership with the community from a strength-based perspective and the commitment of local YAP teams have made a lasting impression on all the fellows we have hosted,” Matteson added.
Research for this (book, article, video, etc.) was supported in part by the Community Engagement Exchange Program, a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the United States Department of State, implemented by IREX. The views expressed are the author’s own and do not represent the Community Engagement Exchange Program, the U.S. Department of State, or IREX.
Harris County, Texas – This past June, Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Harris County, Texas Evening Reporting Center (ERC) program participants Denzel and Jose earned their General Education Development (GED) certificates with their Advocate Nateyah McLeod, cheering them on.
“These two students exemplified outstanding leadership and showed a remarkable willingness to stay optimistic and engaged with everything our team brought to them,” said McLeod, who also serves as the YAP® Harris County Assistant Director. “Throughout their time in YAP, they faced significant personal and academic challenges yet never wavered in their determination.”
Now in its 50th year, YAP® is a national nonprofit is in 32 states and Washington, D.C. that works with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other local and regional governments to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people outside of their homes in residential care or corrections facilities.
YAP® Harris County works closely with the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department, which refers youth and young adults to the program where they are offered vocational rehabilitation classes. The YAP® Evening Reporting Center is located inside of Houston’s Opportunity Center where behavioral health, vocational training/work readiness, community support and YAPWrap® or wraparound support, is offered to youth and their families connecting them to tools and resources setting them up for success. YAP® neighborhood-based Advocates and staff provide individualized, strength-based approaches that give students the opportunity to develop academic progress, personal growth, leadership, and career readiness.
“They maintained a strong level of attendance, participated fully in program activities, and consistently demonstrated commitment to their future goals,” McLeod said about Denzel and Jose. “Their perseverance and growth are a testament to the power of advocacy, mentorship, and hard work. We are excited to see them continue to excel in their education, careers, and in making a positive difference in their communities.”
YAP® Harris County engages in a variety of transformative experiences, including the Peaceful Alternatives to Tough Situations (PATTS) curriculum, which helps youth learn conflict resolution, communication, and problem-solving skills. Additionally, participants learned about essential tools for independence, responsibility, and preparation for adulthood.
In addition to an academic and vocational rehab curriculum, McLeod said students in the program had the opportunity to take part in hands-on activities that included attending college tours, learning how to open a bank account, painting in the park, and art therapy sessions.
“They also enjoyed fun, team-building outings at (miniature golf), bowling, and Topgolf, where they were able to bond with peers, build social skills, and celebrate their progress in a positive and engaging environment,” McLeod. “These experiences encouraged self-expression, financial literacy, exposure to higher education, and community connection; further supporting their journey toward independence and success.”
