By Patrick Young
YAP®’s Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development
One of the most important ways to reduce violence is to increase access to real, meaningful employment opportunities. When people can see a pathway forward, they move differently. They think differently. They choose differently.
“That was the heart of my message as a selected Peace Fellow with Wisdom Projects (formally, Wisdom Projects, Inc., an over 15-year-old 501(c)(3) community-led nonprofit organization in East Baltimore devoted to violence prevention) during the 2026 Peace Fellow Gathering on April 30 during National Reentry/National Second Chance Month.
“Based in Baltimore, Md., Wisdom Projects has six programs for youth and families aged 5-85 including: 1. A STEM and Healing Arts Peacemaking afterschool program; 2. A Youth Peacemakers Workforce Development Program; 3. A Parent Peacemakers Workforce Development Program; 4. A Summer Peace Day Camp with the McKim Center; 5. Planet Protectors Laboratories for Environment Justice; and 6. Weekly Conflict Resolution Education and Services. These programs integrate community organizing, peace education, STEM, environmental justice, visual arts, and healing.
I had the opportunity to sit with youth and parent peacemakers and walk through what those pathways actually look like today. Not theory, not motivation alone, but real strategies for growth in a changing workforce.
We talked about new approaches to opportunity, how workforce development is evolving, and how preparation now has to include not just skills, but mindset, exposure, and access.
I shared how, through my work with Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®) – a national nonprofit located that partners with child welfare, justice, mental health, and education systems to provide services that are a safer, more effective, and less costly alternative to youth incarceration and other out-of-home placement – we are building those pathways in real time.
Programs like YAPWORX® and YAP® Supported Work are made possible through partnerships with community employers and volunteers.
YAPWORX®
A modern workforce readiness model designed to prepare individuals for today’s economy, blending real-world skills, mindset development, and future-focused learning. The program provides job skills and a positive work habit curriculum designed for individuals who face barriers to employment.
YAP® Supported Work
Creating immediate, paid work experiences that allow participants to build confidence, gain exposure, and develop habits that lead to long-term employment. YAP® Supported Work matches program participants with employers, many of them small businesses in their neighborhoods, who give young people on-the-job work experiences.
These are not just programs. They are bridges.
Bridges from uncertainty to stability.
From survival to growth.
From potential to purpose.
What made the discussion so powerful was the timing. During National Second Chance Month, the conversation carried even more weight. We were not just talking about opportunity; we were talking about access to a second chance, and what it truly takes to make that chance count.
The young people leaned in. The parents asked real questions. The room felt honest, engaged, and ready.
That is what I appreciate most about Wisdom Projects. They are intentional. They are creating space for truth, for growth, and for transformation rooted in peace, healing, and justice.
I left encouraged and grateful.
Because if we are serious about reducing violence, we have to be just as serious about increasing opportunity.
And in rooms like this, you can see that the future is being built in real time.
I love Wisdom Projects.
Patrick Young serves as YAP®’s Vice President of Workforce and Economic Development. For more information on YAP®, visit yapinc.org.