The Youth Initiative Project (YIP) received its initial sanction and support from the Board of Directors of New Futures for Little Rock Youth with the YIP model being adopted as a programmatic component of Operations Safe Summer (OSS) in 1992. By the summer of 1994, through a newly enacted tax, the City of Little Rock began funding ten year-round programs. During 2005 there were ten sites serving 326 Little Rock youth providing more than 112,000 contact hours (1 contact hour=60 minutes of program related activity). New Futures continues to provide training, technical assistance, evaluation and monitoring of the Youth Initiative Project for the City of Little Rock

The mission of the YIP is not to do away with gangs and violence, but to do away with the need for gangs and violence in the lives of young people. Eight sites serve males (one Hispanic males) and two sites serve females. The YIP sites were established in areas with the highest level of violent incidents in which juveniles were either victims or perpetrators based on Little Rock Police Department crime statistics. The YIP is not designed as a quick fix to adverse conditions, but rather a long-term solution process that is based in the neighborhoods. While incorporating the core components of the basic YIP model, each site takes on its own identity and adapts the components to impact most effectively the youth in that area.

Program Components

Recruitment--purposely mirrors the methods used by youth gangs to fill the need for acceptance, fellowship and protection. This method works just as well to engage young people in constructive activities. Initially youth were recruited by going out into the community and talking to young people. Today, youth are recruited into the program through a number of avenues including the site coordinator's one-on-one connection with the youth in the community, and youth in the program recruit new members. In addition, juvenile court, school officials and community residents refer youth.

Enrichment--focuses on promoting social skills development, violence prevention, and drug abuse education to enable the young people to function in, be successful in, and contribute to mainstream society. Throughout the Enrichment phase, the site coordinators challenge the youth to identify inappropriate behavior. Positive activities are offered as alternatives to negative activities associated with gangs, and are used to teach and practice acceptable behavior. Seminars, workshops and retreats are used to instill in participants a healthy response to conflict and to teach techniques for resolving violence and conflict in their lives. The drug education component uses informational sessions to steer the young person away from drug use and drug selling. The importance of a good education is stressed and reflected at the sites in the inclusion of regular study periods.

Empowerment--focuses on personal accountability and a new awareness of self in relationship to a career path. It solidifies a youth's connection with mainstream society by linking him or her to educational and economic institutions and opportunities. Entrepreneurship is presented as a viable option for those who demonstrate the energy and desire to be self-employed.

Why do we need the Youth Initiative Project?

1. Young people are intelligent, valuable human beings worthy of respect and nurturing.

2. Young people will become actively engaged when offered positive alternatives.

3. While solutions should be based in neighborhoods in which the youth live, young people also should have the opportunity to be exposed to the wider community and other environments.