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YAP changes systems

Bringing a YAP program into a community provides judges, probation officers, caseworkers and others with an option that safely supports and preserves families and that promotes wellbeing, racial equity and inclusion, particularly for those most harmed by systemic, institutional, community and individual discrimination and bias.

YAP changes biographies

YAP also changes biographies by walking alongside families from where they live, learn, work and play and empowering individuals and families by connecting them with tools to repair harms to others, rebuild from harms caused to them, and engaging with supportive people, places and activities within their community. We position people to see their strengths, realize their potential, and experience individual and family wellbeing while reducing their risks for negative outcomes.

YAP works in more than 100 urban, suburban, and rural communities across the country. Thousands of families annually are strengthened and living better lives in their homes and communities in lieu of costly and damaging out of home placements.

A single-minded dedication to YAP's mission drives our tireless effort to expand our services in existing and new communities that lack a program like YAP in their continuum of care: our programs are designed to work with those individuals and families who are not succeeding with existing programs and share our vision for creating robust and vibrant neighborhoods and disrupting policies and practices that have enabled systemic racism and perpetuated negative outcomes. For more information about YAP, contact info@yapinc.org.

 

DEMOGRAPHICS

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Participant Gender
 
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Participant Race
 
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Participant Age
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84% participants were living safely in the community at discharge

OUTCOMES

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88% participants were regularly attending school or graduated/GED at discharge
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96% justice-involved participants were not convicted/adjudicated of a new offense while in the program
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29% decrease in open protective services cases at discharge for child welfare-involved participants

YAP's Evidence Base

Our growing research base confirms that YAP is making a positive difference in the lives of young people, families and within the systems that support them. YAP is a Gold Medal Program in Positive Youth Justice and recognized by the National Institute of Justice and by the Office of Juvenile Justice Delinquency and Prevention as “Promising.” Studies by the University of Chicago Crime Lab, the Urban Institute, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, and others that have shown that:

Increases Wellbeing

YAP significantly improves life skills, social connections, connections to school, and health family functioning.

Decreases System Involvement

YAP services reduce participant involvement in the criminal justice and child welfare systems and keep them safe at home with their families.

 
Saves Taxpayer Money

YAP offers safe, successful community-based programs at about half the cost of most out-of-home placements.