YAP, Inc.The Neighborhood Advocate

Charlotte, NC – Youth Advocate Programs’ (YAP®), Inc. Alternatives to Violence (ATV) West Boulevard team transformed a little used west Charlotte apartment complex community center to meet the practical needs of its residents.

The overhauled Little Rock Apartments’ community resource center provides residents with a community closet, bike rentals and a reading corner where children and parents can gather, study, use a computer, meet with the team, check out books and even take the GED exam.

“This gives us an opportunity to promote pre-intervention,” said YAP ATV West Boulevard Site Supervisor Anthony Davis who grew up in Little Rock Apartments. “If we can get to the kids before violence actually happens, it makes a difference. Our community closet and all of our activities that we encompass are part of the intervention process.”

YAP ATV is a partnership with the City of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County using Cure Violence methods and is supported by the generosity of the GreenLight Fund. Charlotte’s first ATV partner, YAP now serves two of the city’s three sites, the Beatties Ford Road Corridor and West Boulevard. YAP ATV provides intensive services for young people ages 14 to 25 who have been identified by schools, community groups, the youth justice system and other referring partners, as being at the highest risk of being engaged in violence. Risk factors include group violence involvement or affiliation, being recently released from prison, or experiencing the loss of a loved one due to gun violence.

Celebrating its 50th year in 2025, YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with public systems in 33 states and Washington, D.C., to provide community-based individual and family wraparound services as an alternative to placing youth in trouble or crisis in correctional or residential care facilities. In addition to providing alternative-to-youth incarceration services in Mecklenburg County, YAP combines its evidence-based wraparound services with the Cure Violence intervention approach in its ATV work. The YAP ATV teams detect and interrupt violence, identify those at high-risk for engaging in violence, and mobilize community change. YAP ATV employees are hired from the communities they serve and often share similar backgrounds.

When the YAP ATV West Boulevard team is not out canvassing in their catchment area; they can be found at the Little Rock Apartments’ Community Resource Center at 5712 Leake St. The Community Closet opened in March and allows residents to receive men’s, women’s and children’s clothing, toys, household items, and canned foods among other basic needs items at no cost from 3:30 to 6:30 p.m. every other Friday. Donations are provided through churches, other local organizations and from individuals.

“This was a community center when I lived here,” said YAP ATV Program Manager Donnell Gardner. “We started meeting a lot of people and they were telling us about the things they needed, so we wanted to bring this to the community. We’re from here, so we know a lot of their needs.”

YAP ATV West Boulevard Outreach Worker Yulonda Johnson keeps track of who’s receiving items and limits clothing to two items per person. The Community Closet is open to YAP ATV program participants from both the nonprofit’s West Boulevard and Beatties Ford Road sites.

“This helps boost the morale of the residents,” Johnson said. “We built this store up. Initially we only had enough items to fill the tables, but now we have a little corner boutique.”

If a resident has an emergency need, such as diapers for their baby, Johnson said the team will make exceptions to get individuals what they need.

“We’re dealing with high-risk individuals but the Community Closet is an extension of the program,” Gardner said. “This was important for us to turn this into something.”

Additionally, every Wednesday from 3-5 p.m., children can rent out bikes to ride around the neighborhood for two hours. YAP ATV West Boulevard Violence Interrupter Shawn Moore came up with the idea to provide the service.

“We allocate time and bikes for kids who don’t have a bike,” Gardner said. “The kids get the bike for a couple of hours and then bring it back. We work on an honor system. We wanted to add this resource.”

Moore works on the donated bikes, and adjusts the seats for the children or fixes them up if required.

“The bike program is amazing,” Johnson said. “If the kids even think we’re in here, they will come to the door looking for us.”

On Thursdays from 3 to 5 p.m., children and young adults can check out books, get help with reading, or use the computers to complete or study for their high school General Equivalency Diploma (GED) or certificate and apply for jobs.

“Residents can choose a book and take it with them to read,” Johnson said. “Sometimes program participants read books to the kids or a team member will read to a child.”

Johnson said children are rewarded if they read five or more books at the end of the month, which gets them excited about literacy.

“We keep data of what they’re reading in order to access their progress,” she added. “We even have young adults who have trouble reading and we’re here to support them and not embarrass them. We will read with them individually if they let us know they need help.”

Although the target age range for ATV program participants is adolescents to young adults, Johnson said all of initiatives at the Community Resource Center are part of pipeline to prevention.

“The YAP ATV team is here to help identify barriers and remove them,” Johnson added.  “That’s what we’re all about, helping to reduce violence by keeping young people engaged in other activities.”

In addition to Gardner and Davis, Moore, and YAP ATV Beatties Ford Road Site Supervisor Roosevelt Brooks, also grew up in Little Rock Apartments.

“Now we’re able to come back and we understand the wisdom that was given to us before when we used to come to the Community Resource Center,” Gardner added. “We’re able to reach back and it’s a beautiful thing. Inside there’s a happiness that words really can’t put in perspective.”

To donate books, bikes, clothing or other items to the Community Resource Center, email Gardner at dgardner@yapinc.org or Davis at andavis@yapinc.org. For more information on YAP visit yapinc.org.

Essex County, N.J. – Going to school late, acting out in class, and talking back to her mom led Najah to Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. in Essex County, N.J. when she was in the seventh grade.

“I was in middle school when I enrolled in the program because I was following the wrong people, but I wasn’t doing bad things,” Najah said. “I was acting out in school because I wasn’t accepted. I am 4 feet and 4 inches tall, and people would make fun of me and call me a midget. My parents were continually having to come to school for me.”

That was five years ago. Now Najah, 19, is finishing up her freshman year at Saint Elizabeth University College in Morristown, N.J.

“I don’t know where I would be without YAP,” she added. “I am doing amazing. I am in school and working a job.”

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. 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.

Najah was part of YAP® ‘s Essex County Community-Based Diversion Program, which has since ended, but like the nonprofit’s existing youth justice program, provided her with a neighborhood-based Advocate.  YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver wraparound support to program participants and their parents, guardians and other family members. The evidence-based YAPWRAP® services model helps young people see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their families with individualized resources and support. The diversion program worked with low to medium-risk youth ages 13-17 who had begun to engage in antisocial and low-level delinquent pathways or formal involvement in the youth justice system. Program referrals came from parents and schools. 

Najah said her Advocate helped her do everything she could to succeed, helping her with schoolwork. Najah became an honor roll student in high school and is a recent recipient of the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education. She was awarded $1,200, applied to her school tuition. Eligible current and former program participants, along with their parents/guardians, can apply for the scholarship annually for tuition and fees assistance or a laptop computer.

“I let my wall down,” Najah said about working with her YAP Advocate. “I thought my parents were just being mean to me, sending me to work with a stranger, but that became someone that I really care about. I realized that I was taking advantage of my parents.”

In addition to being picked on at school, Najah says she was acting out because her sisters were older and not living at home anymore, leaving her lonely and bored. She is the youngest of her three siblings who are now 38 and 33. Najah’s parents worked long hours, so she sometimes ate dinner alone in the evenings but on Wednesdays she went to her local YAP office where she and other program participants heard from speakers each week who encouraged them. Her mom, a corrections officer, heard about the diversion program through Curtis Moore, who at the time was the program coordinator. Today Moore is the program director of YAP Essex County’s Youth Justice Program.

“Mr. Curtis would bring all of the youth together for focus groups and we would eat dinner and have conversations,” Najah said. “I love Mr. Curtis. He has a great impact on youth. Some days after school I was home by myself since my parents were working so I looked forward to those Wednesdays. At YAP we were all a family. There was tutoring and he would provide clothing if we needed it. We all looked out for one another. It touched my heart.”

Moore said he lives by a quote of the late W.E.B. Dubois when it comes to helping young people.

“’The gift of life is the Creator’s gift to us, but what we choose to do with our life is our gift to our Creator,’” Moore said quoting Dubois. “I choose to be a humble servant of my community and youth.”

Najah thanks her family for connecting her to YAP, along with Moore, her Advocate and all YAP staff for helping her in her pre-teen and teenage years.

“I want to thank the YAP program for their services to help save teens,” Najah said. “I’m glad I did all those bad things then because I know better now. I love YAP.”

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

Radio One/Reach Media Programming SVP speaks with TheNeighborhoodAdvocate.org‘s Kelly Williams, CMO/CCO at Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. about a time early in his radio career when he worked part-time as a neighborhood-based YAP Advocate. A national nonprofit, YAP delivers community-based services that give youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, education, public safety and other systems alternatives to placing young people who are in trouble or crisis in correctional and residential care facilities. 2025 marks YAP’s 50th anniversary.

Ulster County, NY – When Raymond Samuels was referred to Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., he was having difficulty in school with his peers, but once he was paired with his Advocate, he says his life took an entirely different turn that has now come full circle.

“My Advocate helped me navigate through toxic, as well, as healthy relationships,” Samuels said. “He also taught me how to be myself, while still helping me build my confidence to where it felt normal to be outgoing and personable.”

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.

Samuels is a former YAP Ulster County, New York youth justice program participant. He has since graduated high school, enrolled in community college, became a YAP Advocate and has been promoted to administrative manager. YAP Ulster County provides justice and child welfare program to youth ages 11-22 with wraparound support known as YAPWRAP® in which they and their families are provided with resources and support.

“From participant to Advocate has been possibly the largest full circle moment of my life as of yet,” Samuels said. “As a former YAP participant, I have always capitalized on what the program has had to offer me.”

Additionally, eligible current and former program participants, along with their parents/guardians, can apply for the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education, which provides $1,200 for tuition and fees or a laptop computer. Samuels now has a laptop thanks to the scholarship fund that will come in handy while attending Dutchess Community College where he is majoring in social work.

“My career goal has always been to help at-risk youth realize there is always a way to win the game regardless of the cards dealt,” said Samuels who grew up in foster care. “As I am still relatively young, I find myself constantly learning alongside the youth I work with; in addition to providing the advice I benefited from when I was in the program as well.”

YAP Ulster County Program Director Jenilee Pollan who has known Samuels for seven years, described him as “exceptionally gifted at making others feel comfortable and always maintaining a positive attitude.”

“Raymond is an individual who shows up earlier than asked, works hard, and carries himself in a polite, respectable manner,” Pollan added.

Samuels thanks YAP for supporting his educational goals and helping to turn his life around.

“To move from a terrible past, you must make a better one over time,” the 19 year-old added. “I do this by consistently reaching for the moon, because even when I fail, I tend to land somewhere among the stars.”

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

Submitted By Kimberly Brandon

Harris County, Texas —Three students from Youth Advocate Programs’(YAP®), Inc. Harris County, Texas Evening Reporting Center graduated with General Education Development (GED) certificates from the county’s Opportunity Center — a milestone achievement marking a transformative step toward brighter futures.

Now in its 50th year, YAP® is a national nonprofit is in 33 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. Working with cities across the U.S., YAP® also uses its neighborhood-based Advocate and Behavioral Health youth and family services model to support public safety efforts.

The Harris County Opportunity Center, which offers vocational rehabilitation classes and learning labs for justice-involved youth, hosted the special ceremony in December to honor program graduates and to highlight their resilience and determination. 

“We are incredibly proud of these students and all they’ve accomplished,” said YAP® Assistant Director Nateyah McLeod, who attended the celebration. “Their success is a testament to the power of perseverance, education, and community support. I am committed to helping each student achieve anything they set their minds to because these students are our future, and they need the support of their community.”

In addition to earning a GED, John, Elisha, and another program participant worked with McLeod and her YAP® team to complete a 10-week, evidence-based Peaceful Alternatives to Tough Situations (PATTS) curriculum, developed to help youth deal with conflict resolution in a nonviolent way. The graduates also plan to apply for scholarships through YAP®’s Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education, which provides $1,200 for college or trade school tuition and fees or a laptop computer to eligible program participants and their parents or guardians.

John and Elisha have committed to furthering their education by enrolling in welding school, where they will gain specialized skills for a promising career in the high-demand field. McLeod said John was honored with the prestigious High Achievement Award for his outstanding commitment and exceptional progress, setting a remarkable example for his peers. Meanwhile, Elisha successfully completed his internship with the Opportunity Center.

“YAP® remains dedicated to providing youth and their families with the tools and opportunities they need to build sustainable futures,” said YAP® Regional Vice President Kimberly Brandon. “Through education, career training, and neighborhood-based program participant and family Advocate support, YAP® is making a lasting impact on young people across the region.”

Under the innovative leadership of Executive Director and Chief Juvenile Probation Officer, Henry Gonzales, the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department continues to invest in programs like the Opportunity Center and its over two-decade partnership with YAP.

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

Hillsborough County, Fla. – Sir credits his Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Advocate with helping him understand the importance of leveling sports and schoolwork.

“He’s taught me about staying focused, never giving up, and balancing school with football,” Sir wrote in an essay he wrote as part of an application for the Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education. “The scholarship will help me reach that dream and keep inspiring others just like my Advocate has inspired me.”

YAP® is a national nonprofit in 33 states and Washington, D.C., providing trauma-informed services reducing the nation’s overreliance on youth incarceration, residential care, and group home foster 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 out-of-home placement.

A former Hillsborough County, Fla. program participant, Sir was paired with neighborhood-based YAP®Advocate Jalem Robinson when he was in high school. Now a student at Webber International University, Sir is one of dozens of YAP’s 2024 scholarship recipients.

“I’ve managed to keep my grades up while still playing my best on the field,” Sir wrote. “[Jalem] showed me that hard works pays off in every part of life, not just sports.”

Named after YAP®’s founder, the Tom Jeffers Fund scholarship is funded nearly 100% by employee donations. Recipients can receive the $1,200 award as tuition, job training/supplies fees, or in the form of a laptop computer. YAP® encourages current and former YAP participants and their parents or guardians, to reapply every year while pursuing their education or career training.

Scholarship in tow, Sir is pursuing sports management and wants to become a football coach someday, inspiring others just like his Advocate Jalem and his younger brother inspired him.

“[Jalem] has been a major influence on me since I have been in the program,” Sir wrote. “He helped shape who I am, not just as a player but as a person.”

Robinson said Sir is dedicated to his family, in addition to being a “compassionate individual” and “true leader,” whose selflessness and compassion contributed to his success on and off the field.

“His passion for football is matched only by his work ethic and team spirit,” Robinson wrote in Sir’s recommendation letter. “On the field, he is not only a skilled athlete but a natural leader who consistently encourages and motivates his teammates. His coaches and peers alike respect him for his discipline, perseverance, and sportsmanship.”

Sir said being awarded the scholarship is a step closer to him achieving his and his mother’s dreams.

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

Tarrant County, TX — When Alfred Anderson retired from the NFL in 1992 after an impressive eight-year career as a Minnesota Vikings running back, he purchased a GNC franchise. He also became a substitute teacher and a Big Brothers Big Sisters volunteer mentor. A few years later, Anderson saw an ad for a job that looked like an opportunity for him to fulfill his calling to work with young people facing some of society’s toughest challenges — an Advocate with Tarrant County, Tx. Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc.

Now in its 50^th year, YAP® is a national nonprofit is in 33 states and Washington, D.C. that works with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other local governments to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people outside of their homes in residential care or corrections facilities.

Anderson learned during his job interview the difference between a YAP® Advocate and a mentor.

“That’s when I realized the YAP® Advocate job meant I would be working with justice-involved kids,” he said. “But I knew I could handle it.”

YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver the YAPWRAP® model, helping program participants see and nurture their strengths, and connecting 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.

“I told all the kids assigned to me that I had simple rules. No drinking, smoking, or cursing; and they all complied,” he said.

Anderson stayed at YAP for 7 years, almost as long as he played for the NFL.

Anderson grew up in Waco, Tx, the youngest child of five, in a Christian home. Playing quarterback, strong safety, and running back for Richfield High School, he learned the importance of discipline. He said that while he did not grow up with a father in the home, throughout high school, college, and the NFL, he had many mentors, including coaches, who helped guide him to avoid making negative life-changing decisions.

“As a kid, I dreamed of playing for the University of Houston,” he recalled. “But when I went for my recruiting trip, a couple of the players who picked me up at 8 am were drinking and smoking. I knew then that the University of Houston was not for me.”

Anderson decided instead to accept a scholarship to Baylor University, where he would play running back. He was later drafted by the Minnesota Vikings where he quickly became a fullback. He stayed with the Vikings his entire NFL career, which included two playoff stints, one of which included a National NFL Division championship game. When his time in the NFL ended, Anderson returned to Texas, settling down in Arlington where he had purchased a new home for his family. Today, Anderson is a father of three sons, two adults and one teenager at home, and a grandfather of four.

He said while some people expected him to go into coaching, he knew football was all consuming and no life for a family man.

YAP Regional Vice President, Kimberly Brandon remembers hiring Anderson for the YAP Advocate position more than two decades ago.

“Nothing ruffled his feathers; he had a very even-keeled personality,” Brandon said. “We had a high percentage of gang-involved and aspiring gang-involved youth in our program, and he had a great success rate with them.”

Brandon said Anderson used his church connections to connect families to basic needs and resources. She said contacts he met through his wife, a retired principal, helped him provide necessary support to help program participants reconnect with school.

“We did whatever it took, even made sure they had food in the house and other basic needs,” he said.

Anderson will be a part of YAP’s 2025 50^th anniversary celebration, which will include a Nov. 6 day-long 50^th Anniversary YAP Making Change Happen Summit and Awards Gala in Philadelphia. The following Saturday at the YAP national headquarters in Harrisburg, PA, the national nonprofit is hosting its 50^th Anniversary YAP Making Change Happen 5k Run/Walk and Food Truck Brunch.

Learn more about YAP® and how you can be a part of the nonprofit’s 50^th anniversary events at www.yapinc.org/50th.

Isabella County, Mich. – Former Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc., participant Emilie and her mother Katelin are both attending Kirtland Community College in Michigan thanks to the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education.

YAP® is a national nonprofit in 33 states and Washington, D.C., providing trauma-informed 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 or corrections. Named for YAP®’s founder, the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund scholarship provides $1,200 for tuition and fees or a laptop computer to eligible program participants and their parents or guardians.

Emilie was in YAP® Michigan’s Youth Justice Program after being discharged from a residential treatment facility in October 2024. The program serves young people ages 10-21 referred through the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services. The unique YAPWRAP™ individual and parent/family wraparound approach provides program participants with neighborhood-based Advocates who empower them to see and nurture their strengths, guides them to develop positive goals, and connects them and their parents and guardians with individualized support tools that may include housing, employment, economic or behavioral health services.

“I have benefitted from [YAP®] because they have given me opportunities to do things I haven’t done before,” Emilie wrote in her scholarship application essay. “It also feels like I always have someone I can contact when I’m struggling even if I don’t always think so.”

Emilie and Katelin were paired with YAP Michigan Intensive Family Coordinator Emily Munsell who describes Emilie as “passionate, empathetic and determined.”

“My YAP Advocate is always there when I need help,” Emilie said of Munsell. “I have also gotten to do a lot of fun things with the workers at YAP, have gotten to meet new people, and it has helped to improve my social skills.”

Earning her high school diploma at age 15, Emilie’s goals were to get a job and prepare for college. She is currently a college freshman and although she hasn’t chosen a major yet, her interest includes social work and nursing.

“Since joining YAP, Emilie has shown consistent growth and maturity, taken full advantage of resources and support available to her, and demonstrated responsibility and a genuine commitment to making positive changes in her life,” Munsell said. “Emile’s determination to create a better future for herself and those around her is truly inspiring.”

Consistent with the YAP community-based service model, Munsell worked closely with the family, connecting them with basic needs resources. Along the way, she learned that the mother and daughter shared some common goals.

“We have benefited from the program by getting two new tires on our car to help with transportation. YAP has also helped with pointing us in the right direction to get help from different resources,” Katelin said.

Katelin is currently taking online courses in coding. Once she completes her degree, she hopes for a career and home for her family. 

“I know that with this being my third time in school, I have accumulated quite a bit of student loans but this will help to cut the cost of loans that I will need to pay back,” Katelin said. “In doing so, my family and I can start to get ahead.”

Munsell said Katelin’s resilience is remarkable and she is a role model for Emilie and her siblings.

“Katelin has faced many challenges, yet she continues to work tirelessly to overcome them,” Munsell said. “As a mother, she has taken responsibility of supporting her family and is determined to provide them with the stability and opportunities that she herself is working hard to create. She is currently striving to finish her college education, a goal that is essential to her ability to achieve financial independence and offer her children a brighter future. Katelin’s commitment to her academic goals speaks to her incredible work ethics.”

Guided by the nonprofit’s “no reject, no eject” policy, 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.

“I think this scholarship would help me because my family has not always gotten opportunities to further their education,” Emilie added. “These goals are very important to me because I know a lot of people in my life have not always gotten second chances like how I am getting.”

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.

Mecklenburg County, NC – Current and former youth, their families, and staff of Youth Advocate Programs (YAP ®), Inc. Mecklenburg County’s Youth Justice Program celebrated five years of making a difference in Charlotte. 

“It feels good to have people come out and connect,” said Program Director Hope Knuckles-Perks, who was first an Advocate with the program since its inception in 2019. “I love seeing my families. Talking outside of work feels good, as well as having everybody together.”

YAP, a leading nonprofit in 33 states and Washington, D.C., provides trauma-informed services that reduce the nation’s overreliance on youth incarceration, residential care, and group homes and other out-of-home placements. In 2025, YAP celebrates 50 years of partnering with public systems to provide individual and family wraparound and behavioral health services as an alternative to out-of-home placement. The “YAPWrap®” model is also used in cities to help curb neighborhood violence.

The 5-year anniversary celebration was held on Jan. 17 at the YAP Mecklenburg County Youth Justice Program office on Regency Executive Park Drive. Youth created vision boards to show their 5-year plans they have for their lives. The program partners with the court system – where through referrals – program participants are matched with a neighborhood-based YAP Advocate who champions for them and connects them and their families with individualized economic, educational and emotional tools and resources that guide them to achieve their goals.

Advocate Donta’ Fuller has worked with six youth since he was hired four years ago.

“It’s all about helping kids; being there to offer support and be a resource for them,” Fuller said. “I enjoy helping them through whatever conflicts or challenges they have in their lives. I’m most proud of working with youth and getting them to participate in different activities like horse lessons, bakery and photography classes.”

Unfortunately, Fuller said two of his program participants were murdered six months apart in October 2021 and March 2022. They were ages 15 and 17 when they died. 

“I still think about them all the time,” Fuller said. “With the support of YAP, Hope and outside support, I was able to move forward and push through to be able to continue to work.”

Like Fuller, Advocates Gary Alsup and Burrell Artiste say giving back through YAP is fulfilling and important to them. 

“I grew up in a neighborhood that had a community center, that did a lot for kids and I just want to extend myself back in some way,” said Artiste, who is originally from New York. “Being able to come alongside them and give them the right push and the right values, helps them to want to do more for themselves.” 

Alsup has been working with 15 year-old Nehemiah since September 2024. They attended the YAP celebration together. Nehemiah boasted that with Alsup’s help he received an 85% on his Spanish test. 

“[Mr. Gary] has helped me in different ways,” said Nehemiah who is a freshman at Julius L. Chambers High School. “He’s given me advice and sometimes the advice comes in handy in different situations. Mr. Gary is a good dude. He’s chill. He is a nice person to talk to and is good company.” 

Alsup said he is Nehemiah’s “safety net,” and he can call him when he needs. They see each other at least twice a week and workout, play basketball, go to the movies or do other activities.

“Any time there is something going on, he can call me,”  Alsup said. “Just being a constant in a youth’s life is important because in some instances youth don’t have that. They just want to know someone loves and cares about them. Nehemiah is a good kid. I’m definitely glad that we crossed passed paths.” 

Parents like Erica Perry are thankful to YAP. Her 16 year-old son was first referred to YAP in 2022 after getting into some trouble.

“YAP is a good program for youth because it gives them something to do, someone to connect with,” Perry said. “It gets them out of their comfort zones so they can try different things. It’s good for youth who are at-risk of getting in trouble. I am just glad they’re sticking around and willing to help my son. I really appreciate that.” 

Receiving support from families/guardians is imperative, said YAP Mecklenburg County Assistant Director India Harrison.

“It feels good intrinsically,” Harrison said. “We hope that we can continue to do this work. With the staff that we have and how are hearts are set up, every interaction that we have is an opportunity to show that we care. It feels good that every time we come to work, or when we’re calling people, we’re showing them that there are other people outside of their family who are caring for them and they are receptive to it.”

As for Knuckles-Perks, who has been an Advocate, program coordinator and now director, it’s the youth and Advocates who keep her going. 

“I’ve always been on board with YAP’s mission and I’ve kind of imbedded it in my life so I have no plans on leaving,” she added. “I plan to continue to grow in the organization. We are really making a difference and that is what is most important to me.” 

For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org.