YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Morris/Sussex County, NJ – In high school, former Youth Advocate Programs®’ Morris/Sussex County, NJ program participant Ellie M. suffered from panic attacks and anxiety which affected her coursework and day to day functions.

Then in 2019, she was connected to YAP® Morris/Sussex County, NJ’s Behavioral Health Program where through school based services, was provided with a licensed clinician who supported Ellie M. with her emotional and behavioral challenges.

“YAP enabled me to regain my life back,” Ellie M. said. “They taught me grounding and coping strategies that I still refer back to today and that I have also used to help others in my life dealing with anxiety. They supported me through some of the worst moments of my life.”

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 year in 2025, YAP® partners with public systems to provide community-based wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to residential care and incarceration. 

YAP® connects young people and their parents/guardians and other relatives to individualized rehabilitative and behavioral health services and economic, educational and emotional tools that address complex needs and firm the family foundation. Neighborhood-based YAP® Advocates, Behavioral Health professionals and other staff work to empower program participants to be successful once services end.

By the end of her time with YAP®, Ellie M. says she felt like the biggest achievement was that she no longer was struggling significantly with panic attacks, having only experienced one panic attack throughout her entire senior year of high school.

“That was huge, but what I realized after was the benefits I reaped from my time with YAP® went so much further than that,” Ellie M. said. “They taught me how to understand those around me, to extend forgiveness and grace and protect my own peace, and to have compassion with myself and others. They taught me that my needs were just as important as those around me and how to prioritize my own well-being. But what I have felt was most important is that they taught me to persist in advocating for myself; that I had a voice and my concerns mattered.”

Ellie M. is a senior in college. For the second year, she is the recipient of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education, which provided $1,200 for her school tuition. Eligible current and former YAP® program participants, along with their parents/guardians, can apply for the scholarship annually for tuition and fees assistance or a laptop computer. The Endowment is mostly funded through YAP® payroll deductions.

“If I am able to receive support through the Endowment Fund, I can cover the cost for the last course I am taking this summer so that I can apply for graduation in July,” Ellie M. wrote in her scholarship essay. “This will alleviate the financial pressure from myself and my family who do not have the funds to cover this cost and allow me to fully dedicate myself to the completion of this course and my degree. Being able to have this degree will also open up opportunities for me to start working in the field and dedicate myself to applying for graduate programs to further my education.”

Ellie M. was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in college and hopes to pursue a masters in school counseling or psychology so that she can advocate for others like her herself when she needed support.

“YAP has had a tremendous impact on my life and my current trajectory, and I am so grateful that I had the opportunity to be connected with them when I needed help most,” she added. “I want to continue that by allowing others to be seen, heard, and given a voice.”

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

*Editor’s Note: YAP® is using a pseudonym per the wishes of the former program participant to protect her and her family’s privacy.

1:28 sec video interview below

The Annie E. Casey Foundation Senior Associate Tom Woods will join Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. for its 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit on Nov. 6, in Philadelphia. 

Founded in Harrisburg, Pa., YAP® is a national nonprofit delivering community-based services as an alternative to placing young people with complex challenges in residential care or corrections facilities. YAP® applies principles of its evidence-based YAPWrap® model to also help cities enhance their public safety approaches.

A Senior Associate in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Juvenile Justice Strategy Group, Woods provides expertise in data-driven decision making practices and supports youth justice research across the Foundation. 

To register for the 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit and Gala, visit https://www.yapinc.org/50th.

Gloucester County, NJ – Over the 28 years that Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Life Skills Coordinator Sarah Gross has worked at the nonprofit; she estimates that she has worked with hundreds of program participants and their families.  

“I was barely older than the youth we were serving when I first started working at YAP®,” Gross recalled in a recent interview. “In the beginning, it was a job to pay bills while attending college, however, it became much more meaningful and rewarding as time went on. The youth that I had the opportunity to work with, especially for the last 15 years, has helped me stay young. They taught me all the TikTok dances.”

YAP® is a national nonprofit in 33 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 year in 2025, YAP® partners with public systems to provide community-based wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to residential care and incarceration. YAP® has served New Jersey for nearly 47 years.

Gross spoke and was recognized by YAP®’s Board Chair Teddy Reese and fellow members, YAP CEO/President Gary Ivory, and staff of the nonprofit’s Executive Team during the organization’s Board meeting dinner in Atlantic City, NJ in May. Gross was accompanied by current program participants Eniya and Gregory who shared stories of their time at YAP® and their appreciation of Gross. She said as the three of them made their way through the hotel to find the ballroom where the meeting was taking place, they stopped and asked for directions from a security guard. 

“There was a young man there and he said, ‘Are you Sarah, do you remember me? I went into the military, and I was going through a really bad time, and the program really helped me,’” Gross said. “That is a blessing when you’re able to hear that because not all workers in this field receive that kind of feedback. It can be very challenging to work with the youth we serve, but I see the fruit of YAP®’s work and it is a privilege and honor to be a part of that.”

Gregory and Eniya shared the same sentiments about Gross as the security guard did. Gregory said she helped teach him about life.

Gross started with YAP® Gloucester County’s Youth Justice Program as an Advocate in 1997 while in college working with program participants who were living in shelters and resource homes. She also facilitated a YAP® anger management program. Today, as a life skills coordinator, she provides support to young people by assisting them to learn how to be self-sufficient through career exploration, post-secondary education planning, budgeting, housing, self-advocacy, self-awareness, healthy relationships, communication skills and responding to adverse situations.

The age population YAP® Gloucester County works with is 8-17 year-olds who have been referred to the program through the courts, self-referrals, law enforcement or other entities; and pairs them with a neighborhood-based Advocate who champions for them and their families and connects them to economic, emotional or education services in addition to overall life skills. The Advocates and program participant spend up to three hours a week together.

“For the two and a half years I’ve been with YAP® there’s been a trillion things Sarah has helped me with,” Gregory said, “from the talent show at school that I wanted to schedule or the extracurricular stuff I wanted to do at my school; and all of the regular teenager stuff.”

Gregory said Gross taught him about co-payments and worked hard to make sure other youth in the program had gifts to open for Christmas.

“She has probably been my favorite person ever,” Gregory added. “I think [Gross] is amazing and I love her. I like this program because it gives people what they deserve and teaches them about life.”

Eniya said before YAP she didn’t know how to regulate her emotions, didn’t know what she wanted out of life, or how to speak up for herself.

“[Gross] has given me the ability to have a voice,” Eniya said. “She has given me the ability to be my own advocate even though she is my advocate. She has given me the ability to have my own two feet to be able to walk on.”

Just recently, Eniya graduated from high school and Gross was in attendance.

“She is just absolutely amazing,” Gross said of Eniya. “We helped her apply to college and complete financial aid applications. She plans to begin community college in the fall and Gregory has been accepted to a four-year college.”

Eniya texted Gross, “Happy Mother’s Day,” because she said she is like a mother figure to her.

“Ms. Sarah [Gross] is someone I will remember for the rest of my life even when I have my own kids,” Eniya said. “I really appreciate the person she is. You guys are really lucky to have someone like her.”

Gross has kept the same phone number for years and still receives calls and text messages from former youth she’s worked with all the time.

“I love it when they stay in touch. I’ve had the same phone number when I started YAP®, so I still receive calls and texts from former youth who are now adults with children,” Gross added. “They are all doing really well. We know that YAP® has a very specific purpose, and we have to be intentional with the time we are spending with them by maximizing each moment by meeting their immediate needs, while helping them prepare for the future.”

Gross said she is thankful for YAP® and gave credit to the current and former colleagues she’s worked with over the years who have supported her and worked hard to change the lives of young people.

“YAP® has a deep, meaningful culture, especially in New Jersey where we hire people with the same goals, same mission and the same purpose,” Gross said. “It’s an honor to be able to serve people in this area.”

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 youth served still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement.  

Read more about Gross here. For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.

Submitted by Jorge Retamar

YAP Orange County, NY Project Rise Program Director

Orange County, NY – Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Orange County’s Project RISE  (Reinvest, Inspire, Support and Empower) Program was honored as a Community Partner through the Newburgh Enlarged City School District‘s 2nd Annual Newburgh Free Academy (NFA) West Campus High School Mentor Recognition event in early June.

“It was an honor to accept the Community Partnership Recognition Award on behalf of Project RISE by Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.,” said YAP Project Rise Program Director Jorge Retamar. “As the program director, I’m incredibly proud to represent a team of passionate, dedicated individuals who serve the youth of Newburgh with purpose and heart every single day.”

Celebrating 50 years in 2025, YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with public systems in 33 states and Washington, D.C. to provide community-based and behavioral health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential care facilities. 

YAP® Project RISE is a community-based program funded by the New York State Division of Criminal Justice Services (DCJS) that works to empower youth ages 14-25 who are involved in the justice system—or at risk of becoming involved—by helping them build brighter, more hopeful futures. Through behavioral health sessions, SPARCS (Structured Psychotherapy for Adolescents Responding to Chronic Stress), and YAPWrap®, the organization’s wraparound services neighborhood-based Credible Messengers, meet each young person where they are, and surround them with individualized support designed to address their unique needs—whether it’s education, employment, mental health, housing, or family dynamics.

“At the heart of our program are our credible messengers—individuals with lived experience who serve as Advocates and role models,” Retamar added. “Their presence helps create genuine, trusting relationships that foster accountability and transformation.”

Through YAP®’s core “no eject, no reject” policy, Retamar said credible messengers do not give up on youth, adding, that no matter how many setbacks they face, “we remain by their side. We believe that every young person deserves the opportunity to grow, heal, and thrive—without being pushed out or written off.”

“This recognition from the Newburgh Board of Education means so much to us,” Retamar added. “It represents a shared vision for our community—one where every young person has the opportunity to succeed, and where systems work together to uplift rather than punish. On behalf of the entire team at Project RISE by Youth Advocate Programs and DCJS, I thank you for this honor, for your partnership, and for believing in the potential of our youth, we will keep showing what’s possible when we put community first and never give up on our young people.”

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

Charlotte, NC – All photos from Shot By ChrissyB

Youth Advocate Programs’ (YAP®), Inc. Youth Justice and Alternatives to Violence (ATV) teams – Beatties Ford Road and West Boulevard – hosted a free community Sneaker Ball on June 8 to raise awareness of gun violence prevention and connect with program participants, their families, and neighbors.

Held in June to mark National Gun Violence Awareness Month, the Sneaker Ball gave community members an opportunity to enjoy music, food, mingling and dancing –  all while several community members and organizations were recognized for their support and partnership. YAP ATV and the Youth Justice Programs help detect and interrupt violence and support individuals who are at the greatest risk of engaging in violence by connecting them to 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, using Cure Violence Global (CVG) methods working with individuals who are at the highest risk of engaging in violence. YAP®’s Mecklenburg County Juvenile Justice Program 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.

Celebrating 50 years in 2025, YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with public systems in 33 states and Washington, D.C. to provide community-based and behavioral health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential care facilities. 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 youth served still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement.  

Honorees included:

YAP Mecklenburg County Youth Justice Program Advocates and YAP ATV Violence Interrupters and Outreach Workers

West Charlotte High School

Block Love Charlotte

Inlivian Housing Authority

For the Struggle

Diversified Performance Training

Lincoln Heights Neighborhood Association

Traletta Banks

Kim Alexander of Our Daily Bread

Alternatives to Violence – Nations Ford Road Team

Dr. Raquishela Stewart, Deputy Director, City of Charlotte’s Housing and Neighborhood Services

Chad Martin, Youth Program Manager, City of Charlotte’s Housing and Neighborhood Services.

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

See video interview below with Michael Umpierre, Director of the Center for Youth Justice at the McCourt School of Public Policy at Georgetown University, formerly the Center for Juvenile Justice Reform. The Center for Youth Justice is the preeminent data and training resource for practitioners and policy makers implementing and advocating for innovative tools to help communities provide more effective and lower cost alternatives to placing youth in trouble or crisis in correctional and other residential facilities. Umpierre will moderate the 50th anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit’s “Justice Reform” panel discussion Nov. 6, 2025, in Philadelphia, PA. 

Cook County, Ill. – Sixteen-year-old Charles was one of 36 Chicago Public Schools (CPS) students who graduated in April from Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., Chicago’s YAPWORX® employment readiness program. YAPWORX® is a unique paid workforce development curriculum designed to equip systems-involved and other young people facing employment barriers with job readiness skills.

“We met every Tuesday for 10 weeks to talk about things like mental health, how to do a resume, and all of that,” Charles said. “It was all about the essentials of being an (adult). Just knowing what we need to know in order to be independent.”

Celebrating its 50th year in 2025, YAP® partners with public systems in 33 states and Washington, D.C. to provide community-based wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble or crisis in corrections and residential care facilities. The national nonprofit also uses its unique youth and family wraparound services model to help cities reduce violence among those at the greatest risk. YAP® Advocates are trained to help program participants and their parents, guardians and other family members see and nurture their strengths while connecting them with individualized resources and support.

YAPWORX® engages volunteer business owners, leaders and employees from various fields to educate program participants about their work and provide mentoring and social capital. Through a partnership with Chicago Public Schools’ Office of Student Support & Engagement, YAP® Chicago delivered YAPWORX® services to Charles and his classmates from February through April for two hours once a week. Program participants received a $75 weekly paycheck paid through YAP.

Charles was referred to YAP® last year through the court system when he landed on probation from a gun charge. He was assigned to YAP® Advocates Marie Tribett and Patricia Jackson. Jackson described Charles as “shut off, closed and not talkative,” when they initially met.

“He was a little standoffish at first and I had to break the ice,” Jackson said. “He really doesn’t open up to everyone, but over the course of a year he’s grown a lot with communicating more.”

A high school junior, Charles took a while before letting Jackson gain his trust. She helped Charles with his schoolwork and assisted him in getting his identification card. Jackson said they also take walks together, go to gaming centers, go fishing and that Jackson took him out to eat at Olive Garden for the first time.

“Just to see him have joy and smile while doing something different warms my heart,” she said. “He’s really a respectful young man. He is family-oriented and he loves his [9] siblings.

During his time in YAPWORX, Jackson taught Charles to use his money responsibly. For example, she got him in the habit of purchasing his Pace Pass (bus payment card) first to get to-and-from school before he did anything else.

“While in YAPWORX, I would take him to cash his check. I taught him that when he gets paid to take care of his needs first, then take care of his wants second,” Jackson said. “It was teaching him responsibility. He definitely grew in that area.”

Chicago YAP Advocates took turns providing YAPWORX lessons to the group of program participants. In addition to topics that included emotional wellbeing and resumes; other topics included entrepreneurship and how to dress properly for a job interview.

“Charles loved YAPWORX,” Jackson said. “He wanted to participate because it kept him busy.”

Before YAP and Jackson, Charles said he kept to himself but now he is able to be himself, is more independent and stays away from anything that might put him in the wrong predicament.

“Right now, he is in a good place with the courts, parole office, with school, and his family. He’s doing so good right now,” Jackson said, adding that Charles is getting better with being on time for school and engaging more with his teachers. “His grades are getting better. He still needs work in that area, but they are improving.”

Jackson said if she had to describe Charles in one word it would be “honest.” As for Charles, he now doesn’t feel the need to be out and about as much as he would have been before YAP and he reaches out to his Advocate three or four times a week to update her on how he is doing in school, family life or if he needs anything in general.

“I love that lady,” Charles said of Jackson. “She most definitely ‘be coming through.’ She makes sure I am straight.”

Charles is expected to be discharged from the program in November.

“I really believe in giving kids a second chance. I have seen growth and change in families,” Jackson said. “I am proud to be [Charles’] Advocate, slash [second] momma.”

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