Clark County, Nev. – Former Youth Advocate Programs (YAP®) Inc., Clark County, Nev. Youth Justice Program participant Paul is off to Baton Rouge, La., this fall to attend college thanks in part to a scholarship he received through the nonprofit’s Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education.
“My goal is to use my personal experiences to give back and help other at-risk youth,” Paul wrote in his Endowment essay. “I plan to pursue a degree in criminal justice. My aspiration is to work within the justice system as a juvenile probation officer or youth counselor, focusing on rehabilitation and restorative justice to help others find a better path just as I did.”
Thanks to donors – most of whom are YAP® employees – beneficiaries of the Endowment Fund are eligible to apply for and receive the scholarship annually. The award is $1,500 for college or trade school tuition, fees or supplies, or a laptop computer. The unique scholarship fund also receives generous donations from the YAP® Board of Directors and other contributors.
YAP® is a national nonprofit that partners with youth justice, child welfare, and other systems in communities across the U.S. to deliver family-centered, accountability-focused services as an alternative to correctional and residential care facilities. Principles of the nonprofit’s evidence-based alternative-to-placement model are also applied to its work with public safety systems to reduce neighborhood violence.
Through a partnership with the Clark County Department of Juvenile Justice Services, YAP® Clark County Youth Justice program works with program participants ages 8-18 who are justice-involved providing youth with an Advocate who spends a minimum of working three hours a week providing positive support in their academic, career and personal goals.
“I made some poor choices that resulted in me being placed on juvenile probation,” Paul said. “What started as a requirement, soon became a life-changing opportunity that helped me redirect my path in a positive way.”
Paul was paired with YAP® Advocate Trilbia Garrett, who spent time with him weekly and encouraged him to pursue his goals while nurturing his strengths.
“Through YAP, I was paired with an [Advocate] who provided accountability without judgement,” Paul wrote. “This support system helped me develop stronger decision-making skills, resist negative peer pressure and focus on my education. Most importantly, YAP helped me realize that my past does not define my future. The program gave me the confidence and tools I needed to grow and move forward with purpose.”
Garrett said Paul was able to maintain his academic and personal responsibilities through determination, maturity, and maintaining a positive attitude.
“Paul has consistently demonstrated the qualities of leadership, academic dedication, integrity, and perseverance that make him an outstanding candidate for this opportunity,” Garrett wrote in the recommendation letter of Paul. “Throughout the time I have known him, he has shown a strong commitment to personal growth and a genuine desire to make a positive impact on those around him.”
Paul plans to attend Southern University and Agricultural and Mechanical College in the fall and is thankful to YAP® and the Endowment Fund for helping him pursue his goals.
“I have no doubt that [Paul]will continue to achieve great things,” Garrett added.
For more information on YAP, visit yapinc.org. To donate to the Endowment Fund, click here.
