"The Youth Advocacy Center is a wonderful program that creates
positive outcomes in young people's lives."
John Mattingly,
Former Commissioner
NYC Administration of Children's Services
"Getting Beyond the System has been a great experience
for me. I feel that all the youth in the system should attend this
workshop. I learned a lot of useful information that I can apply
to my everyday life."
Ashley,
GBS Graduate
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  Mission
Mission Statement
Youth Advocacy Center’s mission is to help young adults in and at
risk of involvement with the foster care, juvenile justice and other
government systems learn to advocate for themselves and take control
of planning to achieve their educational and professional goals. Youth
Advocacy Center was founded on the belief that all young people, regardless
of their backgrounds or the challenges they face, have the desire,
talents and potential to be participating citizens - to pursue education
and careers, to be active in their communities, to live in safe neighborhoods
and to raise their children to be educated and healthy.
Youth Advocacy Center's BACKGROUND
Foster care youth and other at risk adolescents are a large community
of disenfranchised citizens who often have dreams and ambitions but
lack the skills and resources to plan for their futures. Each year,
over 25,000 young people age out of foster care systems to be on their
own. Other youths transition from juvenile justice systems back to
their communities. These young people are at a high risk of failure.
They leave these systems unprepared to reach their potential. Instead
they join the dismal statistics of those who are without high school
degrees, in prison, homeless, unemployed, on welfare.
Youth Advocacy Center was founded in 1992 by Betsy Krebs and Paul
Pitcoff. It grew initially out of their work as lawyers for children
in family court and their deep belief in the aspirations and potential
of the young people they encountered. Recognized as a leading U.S.
social entrepreneur, YAC developed a philosophy and program of self-advocacy
education to motivate and empower all young people, regardless of
their backgrounds or the challenges they face, to actively plan and
prepare for their futures as successful, independent adults.
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