Youth Enrichment Project
The Youth Enrichment Project (YEP) has been at the forefront of addressing youth and gang-violence in underserved schools by promoting positive social change through school-based after-school programs.
History
YEP is a continuation of the PBI's former Gang Violence Bridging Project's heralded after-school programs designed to work with at-risk and high-risk youth and their parents. Today, YEP implements an innovative triad approach among feeder schools to reinforce and maintain its responsibility with youth, parents, and the community. YEP is a unique multidimensional, university-to-community collaborative that recognizes the natural strength of a community and therefore is dedicated to compliment and enhance these strengths.
Mission
The Youth Enrichment Project is committed to mitigating youth and gang violence by empowering and providing young people with academic, social, and life skills to achieve a self-determinant future. YEP works to ensure that all youth have a safe and healthy community with equal access to a college-ready education.
Goals and Objectives
YEP seeks to decrease youth and gang violence by establishing a "triad" of feeder schools in underrepresented communities and provide tutoring, mentoring, enrichment workshops, and modified case management for high-risk (current and potential gang members) and other at-risk students. Through YEP's unique "triad" approach of working with feeder schools from the three school levels (elementary, middle, and high school), YEP is able to establish that seamless stream of support for both students and parents as early as elementary.
YEP focuses on fostering safe and healthy communities by providing students with structured educational and enrichment activities that will help them develop self-esteem and conflict resolution skills. YEP is also committed to increase parent involvement and have parents engaged in the process of their son/daughter's academic and personal successes.