YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Lancaster County, PA — A couple of weekends ago, Amber learned the true meaning of being an Advocate for Harlow, a program participant in Lancaster County (PA) Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. YAP is a 46-year-old national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based alternatives to out-of-home congregate care and child welfare and youth justice placements.   

As Harlow’s Advocate, Amber uses her YAP training to help the eight-year-old see her strengths and connect her to tools to achieve positive goals. After learning about Lancaster’s Girls on the Run 5K event, Amber worked with Harlow’s mother to encourage her to participate.  

“Girls on the Run is focused on building girls’ confidence and helping them see their unique ‘star power’ strengths,” Amber said.  

Preparation for the race required about three months of group training. A few weeks in, Amber learned Harlow had been breaking some rules. 

 “She was consistently eloping and causing the staff to have to disrupt the lesson,” Amber said.

YAP Advocates are trained to relentlessly help young people see their strengths and connect them with tools to achieve their goals. At the same time, they work with program participants’ families to provide resources needed to firm their foundation. Amber saw Girls on the Run as a powerful tool in Harlow’s toolkit. 

 “I’m in no way, in shape or form [for a 5K] but didn’t want her to miss out on this wonderful program,” Amber said. “I then agreed to spend the next eight weeks training for this run with Harlow.” 

 It meant spending every Monday and Thursday with her, physically getting ready for the run while encouraging Harlow along the way.

 “This program is full of girls empowerment and lessons on how to address conflict and different behaviors all while doing the running to train for the event,” Amber said.  “The coaches are tremendously amazing people and full of encouragement, positivity and patience.”

Amber said the experience gave Harlow the attention she needed. While she has been with YAP for three years, she said the training also helped her, strengthening her understanding of what it takes to provide individualized services needed to yield positive outcomes. 

 “I had a blast as well as learned many new great tools to put in my toolbox for my work.”   

 The lessons did not come easily. Race day posed some of the biggest challenges.

 “The run was quite a struggle, as Harlow started off very excited and at full speed when we first began. She made it through the first mile and then wanted to give up.  By the time we got to the second mile, she literally stated, ‘I don’t care anymore, and I don’t want to finish,’” Amber said. “I reminded Harlow that she is a part of a team and that Miss Amber and her parents and sister all came out to support her and that she can show them all her gratitude by completing the race and that if she completes, she is going to feel proud of herself.” 

Amber was worried when her pep talk didn’t turn up Harlow’s energy.  Then she noticed something. The harder she worked to move forward the more Harlow tried to keep up. 

“We finished and she was very excited then and did admit that this was worth it. This is all about Harlow and her success and how hard she worked to get through this,” Amber said. “It was quite a lot of exercise and she truly had to push herself to get through this. Seeing the growth and empowerment that all of these girls are taught was truly a gift that will keep on giving and for that I couldn’t be more grateful to experience this.” 

Like other Advocates and frontline workers at the national nonprofit, Amber is driven by the YAP’s “no reject; no eject” guiding principle. 

If Harlow didn’t understand this before the race, she no doubt gets it now. She stayed the course, and her Advocate was with her every step of the way.

“She knew that Miss Amber was under no circumstances going to let her give up,” Amber said. 

Learn more about YAP at YAPInc.org and follow us on Twitter @YAPInc. 

Nonprofit Employer Lets these Siblings Share their Family Values with Others

Harrisburg, Pa. – Born and raised in Pennsylvania’s capital, Dominque Morgan, and Don Urrutia are siblings who share a passion for making a difference in the community they grew up in. Today, as adults, they still live not far from one another in Harrisburg, the headquarters of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., where they both also work.

YAP is a high-impact social justice nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare and other social services systems in 31 states and the District of Columbia to provide community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home placement, and neighborhood violence. Mostly neighborhood-based frontline YAP Advocates and behavioral health professionals are trained to help program participants see their strengths while working with their families to firm their foundation.

“I got into some trouble when I was younger so I can relate to having to dig yourself out of a hole. Damage is done to these kids before we even have the opportunity to meet them, Urrutia, 47, said. “YAP gave me an opportunity when my resume didn’t strongly reflect that I deserved one. With my sister working at YAP, I would see (the organization) active in the community and my gut told me this is a good opportunity to align myself with. I was very appreciative of the chance.”

Urrutia is the Assistant Director of the Dauphin County Community Treatment Center, a partnership between YAP and Dauphin County Probation Services. Urrutia is fast-approaching four years with YAP. He helps youth, ages 14-18 who have been referred to YAP through the courts, through recreation, social interaction, picking up or dropping them off, facilitating group therapy or more.  Coming up on her 15^th year at the nonprofit, his sister works at Tri-County Behavioral Health, a separate YAP program, as a Behavioral Health Consultant. In her role, she supervises behavioral health staff, and helps to provide wraparound support for teachers, youth participants, and their families.

“It’s hard to find African Americans in our community that can relate with our youth,” said Morgan, who feels that people who have the passion for the work might not know they would be considered, recalling the hesitancy her brother felt before he applied. “He was kind of leery, but he went in for an interview, got the job and accepted the position. He has done well, and he has moved up since he has been on board.”

More than half of Harrisburg’s population is African American, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2019 statistics. Morgan said it’s important for youth and families to see representation with the people they serve.

“I am a first-generation college student, and I don’t mind sharing that with anyone,” said Morgan, who received her undergraduate and graduate degrees at Hampton University, an Historically Black College/University in Virginia. “Seeing your own is important.”

Urrutia agrees that representation matters. He said that some people are afraid of the youth, but he’s never felt that way.

“I just always felt comfortable and it’s a natural fit to service the boys,” Urrutia said. “My goal is to spark young men’s mind, to get them to understand how the world works, and inform and enlighten them on things that they won’t be taught in high school.”

The work, while rewarding, hasn’t always been easy for Morgan and Urrutia who have both been devastated over the years after losing a few program participants to violence. Morgan lost two young men, one age 20 whom she worked with from kindergarten through fifth grade. The other youth, who was 18 at the time of his death, was supposed to graduate from high school this past May. Morgan had worked with him from kindergarten to eighth grade. Both were murdered.

“To watch them go so far, be discharged because they met goals and have their life taken, it was tough,” Morgan, 45, said. “That’s why I think that the program my brother runs is so necessary because the violence is getting worse in this area.”

Urrutia also had a youth in his program who was killed. He had just taught the young man how to tie a tie.

“He was an awesome kid. It was a shock to the center,” Urrutia said of the youth. “It really reaffirmed how important this work is.”

Before joining YAP, Morgan spent six years in education, first as a teacher and then in an administrative role where she noticed a lot of children with behavioral issues. In turn, she sought out to work with children directly through therapeutic services.

“I have a passion working for children; I have a social workers heart,” Morgan said. “I often see how inner-city children are left behind. I service all areas, but throughout my years at YAP, I’d say 90 percent of my caseload has been with inner city clients. It’s rewarding work. Everyone has to work together, and they have to want the services to work.”

Morgan takes her time in getting to know the youth, their families, teachers and even principals, which she says is imperative in developing a relationship with program participants to earn their trust.

“I am only 5 feet tall,” Morgan added. “I don’t stand very tall, but they respect me.  I have no issues with being disrespected or having my personal space being invaded because I’ve had them since they were so young.”

Additionally, Urrutia, who is also a barber, cuts program participant’s hair and was instrumental with helping his team create a call-in number to conduct virtual group sessions during the height of the pandemic.

“I wear working at YAP as a badge of honor…my decision making, who I associate with, I am always thinking about my family name, my career and the company’s name. It feels good and is rewarding to both work professionally and give back within the community that (my sister and I) were both raised in,” said Urrutia, who attended Norfolk State University, another HBCU.

Both Morgan and Urrutia are thankful for YAP. Those who work with them say the feeling is mutual.

“They’re great examples of the power of recruiting staff from the same community as our kids,” said Bob Swanson, the YAP’s Regional Director of Central Pennsylvania. “Both are born and raised in Harrisburg, have deep ties to the community, and strongly value their communities with a special heart for our kids and families.”

For more information about YAP, please visit www.YAPInc.org. Follow YAP on Twitter @YAPInc.

Compton, CA — At age 19, George looks back to the person he was three years ago and is grateful that he had a chance to turn his life around. He thanks Reggie Cooper, his Advocate, for believing in him and more important, making sure he believes in himself.

Cooper works for Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., the national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare and other systems to provide community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, congregate placements, and neighborhood violence. YAP opened an office in Los Angeles in late 2019, partnering with Shields for Families for referrals. 

George feels fortunate that he was offered a community-based alternative to incarceration, where the opportunities he has received through YAP would have been nonexistent. He’s also glad that he gave Cooper a chance, saying he was hesitant when they first met, even suspecting that he might have been an undercover police officer instead of a YAP Advocate.  

 “People will fake a relationship,” he said. 

But true to YAP’s “no reject, no eject,” never-give-up approach, Cooper persisted; and it worked. 

“I actually talked to him. He came to the crib,” George said. “I was like oh, Reggie’s cool.” 

YAP’s cost-effective, evidence-based model is simple. The nonprofit hires culturally competent Advocates, most of whom, like Cooper, live or grew up in or near the neighborhoods they serve. The Advocates receive training that helps them empower program participants to see their strengths while connecting them and their parents and guardians with tools to firm their family’s foundation. Among promising Office of Justice Programs (OJP) youth justice diversion initiatives, YAP’s alternative-to-youth incarceration programs serve 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 percent of program participants remain arrest free, and six – 12 months after completing the program.  

George prefers not to talk about what led him to YAP, seeing it as part of a past he is determined to leave behind. With support and encouragement from Cooper, he’s now dual enrolled in high school and an electrical line technician trade school program. His Advocate also helped him apply for a scholarship for a trucking program. He now has positive options that prior to his arrest, he would have never imagined. 

“I saw George’s strengths right away,” Cooper said. “He’s smart and focused. It was just a matter of connecting him to the right tools to help him use his strengths to set his life in a new direction.”

Like George, Cooper knows firsthand that change is possible. Growing up in Inglewood, he was involved in activities as an adolescent that could have also landed him in prison. Things got so bad that his mom moved the family to St. Louis where her son could have a fresh start. Cooper made changes in his life and earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Missouri St. Louis.  

Cooper told George about his Inglewood childhood, which helped them bond. But George said what really did it was when he learned that the two have the same taste in music, with both of them naming Meek Mill and the late Lil Snupe among their favorite rappers. 

George is on track to receive his diploma early next year. Beyond that, he will take advantage of the many options that his YAP Advocate is connecting him to.

He also plans to follow Cooper’s example of giving back to his community, beginning with sharing his story with the hope that it will help the program expand in Los Angeles and give other young people tools to help others see their strengths and improve life for themselves and their families. 

To learn more about YAP and how you can join the organization or support its work, please visit www.yapinc.org. Follow the organization on Twitter at @YAPInc.

Saginaw, Michigan – At 16, he said he finally understands that it pays to listen to his parents. It’s a lesson that came when months in juvenile detention and group homes failed to change his behavior. The youth, whose name this publication is withholding for confidentiality purposes, said it wasn’t until he met Brian Palmer with Michigan Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. that he began to see his strengths and work with his parents to achieve his goals.

“I was in trouble before YAP,” the youth said. “Now I am working on listening a lot more right now and helping around the house. (Brian) helps me with everything.”

YAP, a national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia, provides community-based alternatives to detention, youth prison and other away-from-home congregate placements.

“He’s a lot more open now. He’s had issues with his anger, but he’s working really hard toward that,” Palmer said. “I love interacting with the kids and knowing that I can actually help them change for the better.”

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS), refers youths at moderate to high-risk of being placed in residential facilities to the community-based alternative. With its “no-reject, no-eject” policy and track record with its evidence-based model, YAP accepts all program partner referrals.

Since launching in Michigan in late 2020, YAP has served youths in Saginaw, Mecosta, Osceola, Ogemaw, Roscommon, Isabella, and Clare counties. MDHHS brought YAP in with start-up funding from the nonprofit’s Safely Home grant, made possible through a generous donation to the nonprofit from Ballmer Group.

YAP’s culturally competent, mostly neighborhood-based Advocates help young people identify their strengths and empower them and their parents with accessible tools to turn the youths’ lives around. In addition to supporting the program participant, Palmer also served as an Advocate to one of his brothers and works with the entire family to ensure that all seven children’s basic needs are met, firming the family’s foundation.

“I taught them how to barbecue, fish and let them cook lunch for us,” Palmer said. “It’s a good coping and life skill to go out and make dinner for yourself.” “Central Michigan lends itself to fishing and outdoor activities that teach patience and other good coping skills, he added.

“Before (the boys) got into the program, they were agitated and they didn’t listen very much because they thought they could do what they wanted to do which is what most teenagers do nowadays,” the youth’s stepdad George Crawley said. “Now YAP seems to be helping. If we need someone to talk to or for advice, they are right there. They work with the whole family.”

Learn more about YAP at YAPInc.org. Follow the organization on Twitter at @YAPInc.

Charlotte, N.C. –  A regular presence in the Beatties Ford Road Corridor is what helps bring trust to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg County Alternatives to Violence team.

On Saturday, Oct. 30, the ATV team spent the afternoon grilling hot dogs and hamburgers, passing out personal protective equipment (PPE), educational materials and greeting anyone who stopped by to say hello at a Community Day event they hosted at the Boom In & Out Carwash on Beatties Ford Road.

“People were pulling up and stopping in their cars,” said Belton Platt, the Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Site Supervisor of ATV. “We were being there for the people. I believe in consistency. My team is so passionate about the work over there.”

ATV is a partnership with YAP, the City of Charlotte, and Mecklenburg County, in seeking to provide alternatives to violence by mediating disputes and connecting individuals who might otherwise be involved in violence to accessible individualized economic, educational, and emotional alternative-to-violence wraparound services and tools.

The work started in the summer, and since then the team actively walks the corridor daily deescalating violence, providing help and speaking to residents. ATV also holds monthly events to establish trust and familiarity within the community. The team hosted a Community Peace and Love Fest in September.

“It benefits the mission of YAP and the ATV program, and that is building relationships in the community and furthering our credibility inside the community,” Platt added. “We were able to connect people with different resources (during the event).”

In addition to serving hot dogs and hamburgers, ATV provided chips, coleslaw, drinks, and distributed food boxes for families in need.

“Around the end of the month people don’t have food,” Platt added. “By the end of the month people are struggling and trying to make it. We wanted to be a blessing to the community. As we continue to do this work, I believe it is making tremendous end roads.”

YAP is a national nonprofit in its 46^th year of operation committed to providing alternatives to youth incarceration and congregate placements. In communities in 31 states and the District of Columbia, YAP provides community-based services as an alternative to youth detention, prison and other out-of-home treatment, therapy, and care. For the past six years, YAP has been applying its unique operating principles to the Cure Violence disruption model to introduce violence interruption programs to cities across the U.S.

In addition to the ATV program, YAP also has a youth justice program, which works with youth and their families to provide alternatives to incarceration, and wraparound services such as employment, housing, and behavioral health.

Learn more about YAP at YAPInc.org. Follow the organization on Twitter at @YAPInc.

North Texas — These days, when 16-year-old Terry faces a challenge, he breathes deeply and forces himself to think of something that makes him happy. The exercise is part of an emotional toolkit he assembled three years ago while receiving behavioral health services from Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc.’s Bryan Humphrey.

“Three years ago, this wouldn’t have been Terry. With some of the things he’s gone through, he would have flipped out on someone,” said Vanessa, Terry’s mother. “When he gets frustrated, he can talk it out now and I’m so proud of him.”

A national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia, YAP partners with youth justice, child welfare, and behavioral health systems to provide community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home placement, and residential treatment. YAP has been in the Dallas Metroplex for two decades, providing alternatives to detention, gang intervention, substance abuse prevention, and mental health services. The organization also recently became a provider of a violence prevention program called Dallas Cred. While YAP’s youth justice and child welfare program participants are referred by systems partners, recipients of the nonprofit’s violence prevention and behavioral health services can access YAP’s services directly. Individuals and families enrolled in Texas Medicaid or who have Children’s Health Insurance Plan (CHIP) can access YAP’s behavioral health services at no charge to them.

“YAP’s services are unique and therefore changing the trajectory of the lives of young people who are too often negatively impacted by incarceration and other congregate placement and treatment,” said YAP President Gary Ivory.

YAP’s evidence-based program model includes matching program participants with culturally competent, mostly neighborhood-based service providers who meet them where they are — in their homes or wherever they feel comfortable. Through its North Texas services, YAP is addressing a growing behavior and mental health crisis.

A 2018 study found that Black children ages five to 12 are about twice as likely to die by suicide as White children of the same age and new data find suicide rates among Black children and adolescents have been worsening.

Terry said that during his darkest moments, he considered taking his life more than once.

“I was not motivated. I felt suicidal,” he said.

Before connecting with Humphrey, Terry saw a couple of mental health counselors but could not make a connection. Then a nurse told Vanessa about YAP. “And along came Bryan,” she said.

“When he first came over, he had on a Brooks Brothers suit. But the next time, he was wearing jeans and I thought, ‘OK, he’s just like us. “He can relate to my son as a young Black man. He even came over for dinner once and ate with us. That’s something I know most therapists would never do.”

Terry remembers that first day, too, saying that it didn’t go well at all.

“At first I thought he was like everybody else. “He had on a suit. I talked to him but didn’t connect; I wasn’t sure where he was coming from.”

Soon, the location of their meetings changed. Humphrey started dressing to impress — in head-to-toe basketball gear. Each session at the neighborhood park started with a game where Terry jokingly said he realized there were a few things he could teach his counselor, too. But he agreed with Humphrey that a lot of serious business was also handled on the court.

“Working with him over time, I was able to get Terry to see that behaviors have consequences and that through coping techniques, he can keep himself from reacting in a way that will only make his challenges worse.”

Terry was struggling with lingering behavioral health challenges triggered by a life-altering traumatic series of events that had begun months earlier.

“I was at my middle school graduation and was looking around for my mother,” he said. Vanessa had been arrested after a computer repair technician saw someone else’s identity information on her secondhand computer. Terry remembers suddenly living with his father with no explanation.

“I kept asking, ‘Where’s mom?’ But no one would tell me. I had to figure it out. I was really sad,” he said. ‘My mom is a big support; I wanted her to see my achievements. I wasn’t able to talk to her. I didn’t know what was going on. I had a big whirlwind of emotions.”

Terry said he stopped applying himself at school. He pretended to be ok and became the class clown.

“Her being locked up; I locked up my emotions,” he said. “I had to hide it.”

When he could no longer hide it, he lashed out at his father.

“I got mad at him a lot. I had a lot of hatred. I blamed my dad.”

When his mom was released 53 days later, Terry learned she had lost her job and their home, which further fueled his anger. Then one day, an altercation with his father got physical.

“When I did what I did to my dad, I wouldn’t forgive myself,” he said. Bryan helped me with that, and he made me see the point of view of my dad and everyone else.”

Terry said each time with Bryan left him with a coping tool.

“He opened my mind. There were new lessons every time,” he said. “One of the first lessons that sticks with me is breathing. Taking in air when you’re angry and thinking of the things that make you happy instead of focusing on that thing that makes you mad.”

Vanessa saw her son making changes, opening up, and becoming the Terry she missed. Meantime, she said Humphrey also equipped her with skills to better guide her son’s journey.

“Bryan taught me to listen and not be so quick to jump the gun,” he said.

YAP discharged Terry from the program after a couple of years. Since then, he says there have been many times where he has had to pull from the toolkit that Humphrey helped him assemble. He recalled how early in 2020 just before the pandemic set in, he sustained an injury during a high school basketball game that left him unable to walk.

“[Before the injury] I’d been thinking that if I worked hard enough, I could go overseas and play after high school. Now I was in rehab for three months. It was hard,” he said. “But I never got down on myself. I stayed moving forward.”

Now a junior in high school Terry is catching up in school, back to practicing basketball and working part-time at a neighborhood grocery store.

“Sometimes he can still be a teenager. But now I have my son back — that sweet demeanor has returned. He’s now helping his sister when she’s going through things. The kid’s phenomenal,” Vanessa said. “The other day at his job, someone gave him a $50 tip, and he’s already getting a promotion to cashier. It’s awesome. I thank the Lord for YAP.”

YAP is hiring qualified mental health professionals, neighborhood-based Advocates, and other frontline workers. To learn more about YAP’s services and how you can join the organization’s staff in North Texas and across the nation, please visit www.YAPInc.org. Follow YAP on Twitter @YAPInc.

Note: Qualified Mental Health Professionals have a Bachelor’s in a human service field (psychology, social work, medicine, nursing, rehabilitation, counseling, sociology, special education, etc.) They have experience working with youth who have had a diagnosable mental, behavioral, or emotional disorder that limits the child’s role or functioning in family, school, or community activities 

David Southall has served in YAP’s behavioral health programming for nearly 2 years 

Roanoke, Va. – Topping the most rewarding experiences of David Southall’s career thus far at Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., were the past eight months when he empowered a program participant battling depression and suicidal thoughts with tools to turn his life around.

“Right now he is not suicidal. We’re stepping down his level of care; so I am seeing him every other week,” Southall said. “He is reaching out to friends, he is dating, and he is able to talk to his mom without feeling anxious. He’s just a complete 180 from where he was.”

Southall is the Assistant Clinical Director of Virginia where he conducts outpatient counseling, in addition to supervising four direct staff members. December 2021 will mark two years of him working with youth and families at YAP.

“I like the people that I work with and most importantly the work that I get to do,” Southall said. “I have a very systemic view. [Outside of YAP] people like to say, ‘this kid is the problem,’ but that’s not the way it works. People aren’t problems for solving. It’s never just a person on an island. You have to work with the entire system that’s around a person to help them.”

YAP is a national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home placements, congregaional treatment and therapy, and neighborhood violence. In Virginia, YAP serves the Twin Counties, New River Valley and Roanoke Valley.

Consistent with YAP’s model of meeting youth and families where they are, Southall works specifically out of Roanoke, but travels to neighboring counties throughout the week to see program participants.

He appreciates being able to be flexible, with every work day being different, which he says is encouraged and supported by management.

“David is always ready for a challenge and goes great lengths to ensure that his clients and supervisees get the support and resources that they need,” said Jayna M. Ratliff, the Clinical Director of Virginia. “David is involved in the community and seeks out new and creative ways to engage local partners in working towards YAP’s mission of keeping kids out of alternative placements.”

Additionally, Southall serves as the co-chair for the Roanoke Valley Violence Prevention Council, a standing committee of the Council of Community Services, working together to increase resources available to deal with family violence, intimate partner violence, sexual violence and human trafficking. Southall participated in the A Walk in Their Shoes, an event that raised awareness and honored the lives of victims of domestic violence.

Southall, who is from Franklin County, Virginia, first did an internship with YAP while pursuing his master’s degree at Radford University. He received his undergraduate degree at Virginia Tech. He was first hired as a licensed therapist at YAP before being promoted to his current position.

Southall enjoys working for YAP and noted another proud moment where YAP was suggested as the best entity for a recent youth who was on his way to a juvenile detention center before being referred to in-home placement by the court.

“I think (YAP) has a really good perception (in the community). We speak with the work that we do,” Southall said. “We do really good work and we encourage people to do really good work and that makes us a lot more valuable.”

Learn more about YAP at www.YAPInc.org, where you can also apply to join the team.  You can follow YAP on Twitter @YAPInc.

October is National Disability Employment Awareness Month 

Lackawanna County, PA — When 17-year-old Nevaeh began seeing the fruits of her labor in a pre-employment program in Scranton, PA, she took the opportunity to the next level. Nevaeh was part of a four-person Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. Pennsylvania Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) My Work Initiative team earning $10.50 an hour to clean up Scranton parks.  

About halfway into her 8-week My Work project, Nevaeh asked her YAP supervisors Jamie Tarnacki and Michael Domarasky if her neighborhood park could be added to the list. Overgrown with weeds and tagged with graffiti, the park was under consideration for a restoration project. City leaders were happy to save money and give the YAP crew a chance to work their magic in one more location. 

YAP is a national nonprofit in 31 states and the District of Columbia that provides community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out-of-home placements, and neighborhood violence. The My Work Initiative is part of Lackawanna YAP’s efforts to provide strength-based tools to prepare young people with developmental disabilities, autism, or other employment challenges for meaningful work.

“These young adults had many park projects on their list and truly transformed these parks and the greater communities by their hard work and positive attitude,” said YAP Regional Director Jennifer Hill.  

The nonprofit’s National Coordinator of Developmental Disabilities Lori Burus explained that in addition to the My Work Initiative, Lackawanna County YAP partners with OVR to offer other pre-employment services aimed at helping young people live, work, and contribute to their communities. A program called YAPWORX provides opportunities for young people to meet employers and get a chance to learn about a variety of jobs. YAP also teams with local employers willing to provide on-the-job work experience in exchange for YAP paying program participants’ wages.  

Lackawanna County Program Director Denise Shandra is working to recruit new business partners as her team expands pre-employment services for young people with developmental disabilities and behavioral health challenges. 

“Typically, in the old way of thinking, many of these young people would be limited to maybe being a store greeter,” she said, adding that through partnerships with local businesses, program participants are getting on-the-job experience that will prepare them to make a livable wage in catering, food service, hospitality, and other fields.  

“The benefit of this program is that in exchange for providing guidance and on-the-job training, employers get help in their business from the employee-trainee and their employment specialist at no additional cost to their bottom line,” Shandra said. “They have no obligation to hire the youth at the end of the program but often do. It’s a win- win agreement!” 

For example, Lackawanna County YAP Supported Work partner, Van Fleet’s Grove wedding and event venue company provides on-the-job training to a program participant who simultaneously works with Domarasky to receive pre-employment services, said, YAP Lackawanna County Clinical Director Andrea Sharpe.

When this summer’s My Work Initiative project ended, Scranton Mayor Paige Cognetti invited media to a celebration at the city’s Jackson Street Park honoring Navaeh and her teammates, Gabriel, Callum, and Bryan, for their park beautification work. The program participants’ family members joined the celebration.  

“As I stood there, I was moved to tears by the power of transformational stories shared by each young adult,” Hill said. “Parents were intentional about sharing their huge thanks and heart of gratitude towards Team Lackawanna as they noticed the changes made in the lives of not only their children but the Greater Scranton Region.”  

Nevaeh, who is now enrolled in a community college nursing program, was particularly pleased that the team was able to make her neighborhood park pretty again. She shared her excitement with a WNEP-TV news reporter covering the event. 

“It does help me a lot because it also helps me know how to work with people, learn how to have patience with them, learning how to understand them more and understand like what people don’t like and do like and what we can do to help to have a better community,” she said.

Hill said in the Jackson Street Park alone the YAP My Work Initiative crew hauled out over 140 bags of garbage and “uncovered park benches that no one even knew existed. In other parks, they were able to plant donated shrubs, and flowers, clean up liter, and paint needed items,” she added. “The work that this team did truly save the City of Scranton thousands of dollars.” 

 Hill emphasized that the project was in every way a Lackawanna County team effort. 

“The entire team went above and beyond to meet the expectations of this program and truly change lives forever,” she said. “To say that they made a difference is a huge understatement.” 

To learn more about YAP and how you can support the nonprofit’s work, please visit www.YAPInc.org and follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc. 

Chicago, IL — Whether he’s in the barbershop or at a Chicago event, Lee Jones is sharing stories about his job. He’s among those on the frontlines of a movement to transform lives and public systems. These days, Jones is also in full-force recruitment mode.

“There are a lot of people who want to do this work and have no idea jobs exist that pay people to do it,” he said. “But I’m on the Southside and Westside spreading the word, and there are lots of people filling out applications.” 

Jones is a program director at YAP. That’s the acronym for Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc., a unique national nonprofit that provides community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, out of home placement and neighborhood violence. In Chicago for 15 years, YAP is in nearly 150 communities in 31 states and the District of Columbia.  

People who work for YAP are in every way Advocates for young people with complex needs — kids with poor school attendance, involvement with the justice system, heavily exposed to violence and trauma; youth challenged with developmental disabilities, mental health needs and/or other struggles. 

YAP’s training gives employees skills to help program participants see their strengths and connect them with tools to set and achieve positive goals. As part of the YAP model, staff work with the program participants’ parents, guardians, and if necessary, the entire family to help firm the young person’s foundation. Their work is the real deal. It’s what systems change looks like.

If you’re like Jones and have the passion and magic that will change lives and public systems, check out jobs at YAP by clicking on www.YAPInc.org. You can follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.