Welcome to Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
Doing whatever it takes . . .
Who We Are
Since 1975, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP) has offered effective and cost-efficient alternatives to the incarceration or other institutional placement of young people. YAP's programs, which are offered in juveniles' own communities, are family-focused and strength based. More...
YAP Expands Into Denver, Our 25th Major Metro Area
In January 2012, YAP begins a new contract with the Denver Department of Human Services (DDHS) to provide family strengthening and reunification services that aim to prevent out-of-home placement of the child; return children in placement to their own homes; or, unite children with their permanent families while providing services that protect the child. More...
YAP Speakers Bureau Member Appointed to NJ State Advisory Group
Yakua Banks, a member of the YAP Speakers Bureau, has been appointed by Gov. Chris Christie to the New Jersey State Advisory Group (SAG).
The SAG, coordinated through the Coalition for Juvenile Justice, makes policy recommendations at the national level as well as decides how federal juvenile justice money is allocated in the state.
Yakua, born to a drug addicted mother, bounced around in foster care before being placed with her grandmother. Unfortunately, after her grandmother died, Yakua herself turned to drugs and crime. But through YAP's intervention, Yakua graduated high school, is enrolled in college and living successfully on her own. Through the Speakers Bureau, Yakua speaks to other youth across the country and hopes to inspire them to be the best they can be.
"I am so proud of Yakua and her relentless fight to ensure youth of the present and future do not have to suffer the same treatment she did as a young person," said YAP's Peggy Thorpe. "She is truly an inspiration."
YAP Advocate Model to Be Studied as a Mentoring "Best Practice"
The University of Texas/San Antonio, in partnership with YAP, received one of five Mentoring Research Best Practice grant awards from the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP). The two-year study will identify core features of YAP's unique intervention model for high-risk youth and then assess the impact of the intervention on rates of recidivism. A quasi-experimental research design will compare the impact of YAP services with comparable youth being served in other jurisdictional programs. Five advocate programs from around the nation will serve as sites for the study.
For more information, contact Dr. Michael B. Marks, Chief Development Officer and National Director of Research at mmarks@yapinc.org.
