Washington, DC. (June 19, 2018) – If you have 15 minutes and a job or a business, Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP), invites you to a unique career day to talk about your job with area youth who have made a commitment to stay out of trouble and give back to their communities. YAP, a data-proven alternative for youth and vulnerable adults who would otherwise be in prison or other out-of-home placements, will host its first YAPWorx career day, 10 am – 6 pm, Tue., July 10, at the...

We Can Do Better than Separating Children at our Borders (as posted on Medium.com)by Jeff Fleischer, MSW, CEO of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP)As a volcano threatens lives in Guatemala, our government is separating families seeking asylum in the U.S. from ongoing and unspeakable unnatural disasters in Latin America. The U.S. is taking children from their parents and placing them in shelters, including a building that used to be a Brownsville, Texas Walmart. To say this is an inhumane w...

To promote Mental Health Awareness, YAP's YES Waiver Program in Harris County, TX held a "Cure Stigma" Carnival for youth and their parents.  Program staff and other individuals volunteered their assistance and time and funding for the event was provided by a local golf tournament - HEB Tournament of Champions.  The event included: Carnival food:  popcorn, Frito pies, chili cheese dogs, cotton candy, cracker jacks, cookies and drinks Activities:  Basketball...

Anyone who believes in jailing troubled kids and teens should have been at City Hall in Philadelphia last week. One young woman, Qilah, testified, “People should have asked me why I was late to school or not showing up, but no one asked me, they just took me away.”YAP National Policy Director Shaena Fazal and Regional Leader Randall Sims participated in the hearing and spoke about YAP's history of successfully keeping high-risk kids at home and away from juvenile detention a...

Congratulations to Randolph Stone, YAP board member and University of Chicago Clinical Professor of Law, on his most recent recognition - an award from the National Bar Association.  He is a lifelong advocate for the underrepresented and we are proud to have him on our board of directors.  Read more in this University of Chicago Law School article.