Youth Advocate Programs

Goal: $2,000.00

Mission

To deliver and advocate for safe and effective community-based alternatives to residential care and incarceration that empower individuals, families, and neighborhoods to thrive.

Profile

Youth Advocate Programs— YAP® for short— is a national nonprofit delivering and advocating for evidence-based services in homes and communities as a more effective alternative to youth incarceration and group child welfare, behavioral health, and intellectual disabilities placements. We also partner with public safety systems to help curb neighborhood violence.

YAP® recognizes generational and structural impacts on educational, employment, health, and other systems across the U.S. and globally.

By redirecting justice, child welfare, behavioral health, and other social services dollars and resources from youth prisons and other residential facilities to communities where our program participants live, we are helping our systems partners achieve better service delivery and outcomes, which are strengthened with our evidence-based individual and family wraparound services model.

What We Believe

We believe that individuals and families—including those with complex needs—can achieve the best outcomes when they are supported safely within their homes and communities.

We believe every person possesses unique strengths, talents, interests, and potential that can be nurtured, developed, and shared with others.

We believe that access to safe environments and meaningful community connections is essential for people to grow, thrive, and reach their full potential.

We believe that partnering with individuals and families to identify their needs, goals, and preferences preserves dignity, promotes self-determination, and leads to better outcomes.

We believe that investing in community-based services and supports is a more effective, responsible, and cost-efficient alternative to out-of-home placements.

We believe that strong partnerships with communities, service systems, and civic leaders are necessary to create effective alternatives to incarceration, congregate care, and neighborhood violence.

Our Vision

We envision communities where individuals, families, and neighborhoods have the resources, opportunities, and support they need to thrive.