Now 19, Jesse recently completed an Illinois youth justice after care program with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®), Inc. The national nonprofit is in its 50th year of partnering with youth justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other public systems to provide community-based services as an alternative to placing young people in trouble, in crisis, or facing other complex challenges in residential care or corrections facilities. YAP® Advocates are trained to deliver the nonprofit’s evidence-based YAPWrap® services model, which empowers program participants to see and nurture their strengths and connects them and their parents/ guardians, and other family members with tools to help them put their lives on a positive course. YAP® also works with cities to apply principles of its evidence based alternative-to-youth placement model to help reduce community violence.
While in the program, Jesse received a YAP® Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund Scholarship for Continuing Education and completed commercial driving school. He now has a job with a national delivery company, and is working to stay on a positive path. He will be a panelist at the 50th Anniversary YAP® Making Change Happen Summit on Nov. 6, 2025 in Philadelphia. Learn more about the nonprofit and its 50th anniversary events at YAPInc.org.