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.