January 2016 - In This Issue:
Where We Work

 

YAP serves over 13,000 families a year in more than 100 programs across 19 states in rural, suburban and urban areas. 

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Vegas 10th Anniversary

YAP's program in North Las Vegas held an anniversary event celebrating 10 years of serving the youth and families of Clark County, NV.  

 

Outstanding youth and community partners were honored, and youth Aeryn Van Eck was awarded a scholarship from the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education.  

 

Aeryn Van Eck accepting her award

Vegas leaders and Community Partners

Mentoring and More! 
Every young person benefits from having access to mentors in their lives.  In mentoring programs, the complexity of the youth's needs should determine the frequency, intensity and focus of those relationships. Volunteer mentors and drop-in centers are essential resources for young people with minimal to moderate needs. Mentoring and More! is designed for youth at the highest and most complex level of need. 
  

 
YAP Film

Film-Long   

"Safely Home" showcases the power of the YAP model across diverse geographies and demographics by sharing the stories of youth and staff in three different YAP locations:  urban Chicago, Orange County, NY, and rural Louisiana.
  
 
Words of Thanks from a YAP Mom
Melissa, a mother of an individual who works on the Pittverse Magazine wrote a letter of thanks to the staff in Allegheny County, PA who work with her adult son. Also a teacher, she marveled at YAP's professionalism and respect exhibited toward all individuals.    

Most exciting was an observation from her 9-year-old son, who also has autism, after the release party for the recent edition of the magazine.  "I learned that people who have autism are super cool!" he said.    "I am so glad that I get to be cool like that!" 

 

  
 
We begin this New Year with appreciation of work well done and renewed commitment to the children, young people and families we are here to serve.

This month, as we honor Dr. Martin Luther King's monumental achievements and inspiring leadership, it is fitting that we also join in celebrating National Mentoring Month.

Dr. King was a mentor to many young people who later became leaders in their own right. When he was finding his own path as a young man, Dr. King had mentors who helped him along the way. Following Dr. King's tragic assassination, his lifelong mentor Benjamin Mays delivered the eulogy.

As they did in Dr. King's lifetime, mentors continue to take important and varied roles in the lives of children, youth and adults. They inspire, motivate, guide, coach and expand horizons in countless ways.  Studies have shown that mentoring can play a critical role in reducing risk factors for vulnerable young people, but outcomes have a lot to do with the mentor and the approach.   However, as this article points out, mentoring is not enough.  We need to be MENTORS AND MORE.

Read on to learn how YAP strives to be "more" in the lives of young people and their families, like preparing them for the workforce by connecting them to Opportunity Advisors leading to genuine future economic opportunity, awarding scholarships for continuing education, teaching practical gardening skills and sharing the bounty with their community, and working to change policies so that they support and empower young people instead of over-medicating and punishing them.   
JUVENILE JUSTICE
Public Welfare Foundation Photo Series Features Baltimore YAP Advocates
Photo by David Y. Lee for Public Welfare Foundation
Our thanks to the Public Welfare Foundation for dedicating an entire week to share glimpses into the work we do through images and quotes from staff and youth in Baltimore this summer on their website.  Make sure to check out all five days of features and learn more about the work we do on the ground in Baltimore.  

Another big thank you to incredible photographer David Y. Lee for sharing his talents in this effort as well.  
Marshall County, AL Honored for Community Garden Work
garden Youth and staff from Marshall County, AL received the "Keep Albertville Beautiful" award for their community garden.  

Juvenile Justice and Family Court-involved youth work in the garden along with staff, and share the yield with their families and the greater Albertville community.  
CHILD WELFARE
Confronting Sexual Exploitation of Children in the United States:  A Best Practice Model
Many jurisdictions struggle with effectively meeting the varied and complex needs of children and youth who cross their system as victims of commercial sexual exploitation (CSEC).  Pimps and traffickers target already vulnerable youth, many of whom have physical and sexual abuse in their histories, have experienced incidences of homelessness, and use emotional manipulation, drugs and violence to entrap them.  Disentangling children and youth from the psychological trauma bonds that have developed while also effectively addressing their educational, safety, health and home needs is complex, requiring sensitivity, commitment and trust.  Read more about our CSEC Intervention Model in this paper, authored by YAP's Advancement and Development Team.  
Expanding to New Counties in Alabama 
A new program is opening in Madison, AL that will serve both Madison and Morgan Counties through a contract with the Department of Human Resources.

YAP also provides services in 15 other counties throughout Alabama, including Autauga, Baldwin, Blount, Cherokee, Colbert, Cullman, Escambia, Etowah, Jackson, Jefferson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Marshall, St. Claire and Walker. 
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT & EMPLOYMENT
Hidden Jobs and What Workforce Programs Can Do to Help Black Youth Find Them
"One of the greatest predictors of youth labor market attachment and success are social connections," Ed DeJesus, YAP's National Director of Workforce Development Programs and Policy wrote in his recently posted blog.  "Unfortunately, young people from low-income communities don't have an abundance of gainfully employed friends or family members to help connect them to labor market success."
YAPWORX Opportunity Advisors:  Essential Connections for Youth
OAYAPWORX, an innovative new YAP initiative developed by DeJesus and his team, is helping young people make essential connections in the labor market. YAP links youth with volunteer Opportunity Advisors--people who can help them access insider information about job openings, position requirements, and particular nuances of the workplace, as well as the behavioral characteristics of those who manage it. Learn more about YAPWORX and Opportunity Advisors.   
endowment
EDUCATION
Over $27,000 in Scholarships Awarded in 2015 
Congratulations to Jada, Paul, and Peter our most recent scholarship award winners. They are three of 29 young people who benefited from the Tom Jeffers Endowment Fund for Continuing Education during 2015.  

Jada is a youth from Texas attending her first year of college as a business major.

The scholarship money awarded to brothers Paul and Peter was used to purchase computers and classes to CAD Institute, an online university for Computer-Aided Drafting.  
AUTISM & DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES
ADHD Symptoms Can Mask Autism Diagnosis
This Autism Speaks article discusses new findings that the symptoms of attention deficient hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) could interfere with diagnosis of autism in children.  Researchers found that on average, children initially diagnosed with ADHD received their autism diagnosis 3 years later than children who had autism but no prior ADHD diagnosis.  Because of the importance of early intervention, they recommend careful evaluation for autism in children with ADHD.    
Treating Disabled Children as Criminals 
punish"When Teachers Abuse Disabled Children," an article published by Pacific Standard, highlights three new reports that detail the abuse of developmentally disabled children in school settings disguised as acceptable punishment.   
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
What's In?  What's Out?
The National Council for Behavioral Health issued the 2016 List of What's In and What's Out for Behavioral Health.  
Kids in PA Correctional Facilities Prescribed Psychiatric Medications at "Strikingly High Rates"
medicateYAP's National Director of Behavioral Health Services, Jennifer Drake, is quoted in this article that investigates the high rate of psychotropic medication being prescribed for juveniles in Pennsylvania correctional facilities.  

"I think all of us believe medication should only be one part of a child's treatment," Drake said. "They are certainly lifesaving and life-changing and many kids need them, but they shouldn't be the first line of treatment or the only treatment."
POLICY AND ADVOCACY
Washington Post/Freddie Gray article
policyThis Washington Post article is about so much more than Baltimore and Freddie Gray.  It addresses how we support and invest in the people and communities who need help the most, and how we, as a country, fail them. Few of these issues make it to the national debate, unfortunately. It is so important that we continue our advocacy and efforts for policy change for our young people, adults, and their families.  
INTERNATIONAL
Tina Trygg, Program Manager for the YAP Pilot in Botkyrka, Sweden
Botkyrka Advocates
Tina Trygg became the leader of Botkyrka YAP following extensive discussion about whether to implement YAP in Sweden. YAP had been discovered in 2011 at a workshop given by the YAP international team at a European Social Services Network Conference. In September 2014 Tina was given the challenge to adapt YAP's model to fit Swedish conditions while retaining YAP's strength-based approach and core values. YAP Ireland has provided Tina and her team with much appreciated help to launch the pilot which has so far served approximately 30 young people. "To see that we now have young people working with their advocates, that we now can offer them a service that potentially can change their lives . . . Well it makes me very happy and very proud," Tina said. 
YAP Ireland Highlighted in Report on Inclusion of Disadvantaged Groups
YAP Ireland is included in a select group of practice models highlighted in a new report: Active Inclusion Learning Network: What approaches contribute to improving employability and employment outcomes amongst social excluded groups? Written by Ioan Durnescu, the report is in essence a culmination of systematic reviews and examination of outcomes carried out with independent evaluators and experts from many parts of Europe during a multi-year project. The project included a highly structured and critical examination of over 290 practices. YAP Ireland is one of 31 practice models from all across Europe featured in the detailed report which ends with a YAP Ireland case study. 

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YAP is a nationally recognized, nonprofit organization exclusively committed to the provision of community-based alternatives to out-of-home care through direct service, advocacy and policy change since 1975.