TAP’s Young Adult Life Enhancement (Y.A.L.E) Program recently celebrated graduation of its second class. A host of family, friends and community members joined the graduates on Saturday, July 9, at the Roanoke Higher Education Center.
The Y.A.L.E program works with court-involved youth ages 14–24 to help them successfully reintegrate into their communities as self-sufficient and engaged citizens. Court Service Units 23 (Roanoke County and Salem City) and 23A (City of Roanoke) use Y.A.L.E. as an alternative sentencing option. Students are normally enrolled in the program for a year, which includes six months of hands-on service and six moths of follow up.
Saturday’s graduates completed their first six-month phase of the program, and all received several certifications including a National Retail Federation Customer Service Certification and a job readiness certification. During their time with Y.A.L.E, students also completed Thinking For Change cognitive behavior curriculum as well as life skill training while participating in mentoring and community service learning projects.
The nine graduates included both in- and out-of-school youth, many of whom received their high school diploma or GED. Students who graduated high school in May or received their GED are preparing to attend either Virginia Western Community College or trades training in September. All lower classmen were successfully promoted to the next grade level in school.
Among the graduates were Deja Dance, Chandler Atkinson; and Daniel Gray, both age 16; Trevor Justice; and Jasmine Martin, both age 17; Assiah Robinson and Cole Schmitt, and Tamiya Williams, all age 18; Shavon Stephens, 19, all of Roanoke.
Roanoke City Sherriff Tim Allen as keynote speaker, encouraged the graduates to persevere as he recited Langston Hughes’s poem Mother to Son during his address. “You’ve been given a great opportunity—make the best of it,” Allen told the captivated group of graduates.
“It’s amazing the impact programs such as Y.A.L.E. can have on youth when the public schools, courts, law enforcement, community organizations, and families work together Jo Nelson, director of TAP’s This Valley Works component, stated. We couldn’t do what we do without the ongoing support of Roanoke City Schools’ staff and administration. Our program serves as an add-on, not a replacement, for the excellent education RCPS offers our youth.
Students in the Y.A.L.E. program receive a small educational stipend each week they actively participate in the program. To ensure students understand that both the Y.A.L.E. program and traditional education are critical pieces to their success, their stipends are reduced for any day they skip school or are tardy.
Since October 2015, all of the 20 students have graduated from TAP’s Y.A.L.E. program, have been taken off the court’s truancy docket! Most have also been released from probation and/or court service supervision and no new charges have been filed against any of the students who have participated.
“As a young adult, Y.A.L.E has made me a better person and has opened multiple doors for me said Deja Dance of her time in the program. “On this journey I’ve learned patience is key, from mental toughness to learning life skills and receiving my GED—I’ve had a lot of support through it all and this has truly been a wonderful experience,”
The next intake informational session for the program will be held on Monday, Sept. 12, at 6 p.m. in room 212 of the Roanoke Higher Education Center located at 108 East Jefferson Street.
For more information on TAP’s Y.A.L.E program, please call (540) 767-6152.