Las Vegas, NV -- Clark County Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. has received a $31,000 Social Justice Club grant from the Raiders Foundation to support unique workforce development, educational, social, and basic needs of justice-involved youth. Through the Social Justice Club Community Grant, the Raiders Foundation partners with social justice nonprofits that work to reduce barriers to opportunity.
YAP is a national nonprofit in 35 states and the District of Columbia that partners with youth justice, child welfare and other systems to provide services in homes, schools, and neighborhoods as an alternative to incarceration and residential care. Locally, many of the youths YAP serves have experienced serious trauma, including sexual exploitation.
“We are extremely grateful that the Raiders Foundation understands how important it is for communities to work together to address the complex challenges of systems-involved youth,” said YAP President and CEO Gary Ivory. “This Raiders Foundation Social Justice Club grant bolsters government dollars that enable us to connect program participants and their families to individualized educational, economic and emotional tools to help firm the youths’ foundation and empower them with resources and connections to put their lives on a positive track.”
YAP will use the Raiders Foundation grant for youths’ participation fees for school sports, local clubs, gyms, and other prosocial activities that foster healthy social outlets through peer engagement, relationship building and physical activity. Collaborating with area resources, the nonprofit will provide comprehensive literacy services for program youth and engage them in tours of local and neighboring colleges and universities. Some funding will also support YAP’s work in assisting program participants and their families with housing and other basic needs.
The nonprofit’s evidence-based YAP Wrap™ community-based service model incorporates using zip code staff recruitment as part of delivering strength-based 24/7 staff availability, holistic and individualized service planning, safety plans and crisis intervention support, unconditional care, cultural and linguistic competence, and comprehensive supportive services. YAP adheres to a “whatever it takes” philosophy and will take whatever methods necessary to assist and guide participants to navigate the high-demand sectors and industries in Southern Nevada. In addition, partnering with local employers to provide YAP Supported Work jobs, the nonprofit compensates participants as they receive on-the-job training and guidance, often from small business owners in their neighborhoods.
YAP’s decades of service include working with many young people whose histories include serious offenses, multiple arrests, and lengthy out-of-home placements. John Jay College of Criminal Justice research found 86% of YAP’s youth justice participants remain arrest free, and six – 12 months after completing the program, nearly 90% of the youth still lived in their communities with less than 5% of participants in secure placement.
Learn more about YAP and how you can support its work at www.YAPInc.org.