About Us
Our History
The Youth Art & Self-Empowerment Project was created created in 2004 as a project of the American Friends Service Committee (AFSC). When AFSC discontinued the project in 2006, YASP became an independent project under the fiscal sponsorship of Reconstruction , Inc.
Over the past four years , YASP has provided ongoing , year-round workshops for youth under 18 in the Philadelphia Prison System's adult jails and continued support and leadership development for youth who have come home from those jails. During that time, YASP has hired many young people who were previously incarcerated in the adult jails to assume leadership roles as primary decision-makers in the organization. In doing so, YASP has transformed into a truly youth-led organization. Our other major accomplishment have included:
> Working with Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley to organize a major public gathering on the issue of youth being tried and
incarcerated as adults in Pennsylvania. The gathering, held on June 27th ,2009, drew approximately 75 people, including youth who have been
tried in adult court ,social workers and teachers who work with youth in adult jails, and a diverse crowd of other community members.
At the event, about thirty people signed up to join YASP 's campaign to repeal Act 33.
> Launching a public campaign and petition drive to repeal Act 33 and end the practices of automatically transferring youth to adult courts in
Pennsylvania. Following the June event, YASP began hosting youth-led training in which volunteers learn to talk about Act 33 and are trained
to go door-to-door to circulate a petition to end the practices of automatically trying youth in adult court in Pennsylvania. Following the June
event, Thus far, we have gathered over one thousand signatures in just a couple of outings. The petition has recently been posted online,
which we expect to spur a significant increase in the number of signatures.
> Developing more concrete support networks to connect young people coming out of the adult prison system with educational and employment
resources.
>Reaching out to local officials and state legislators to begin building partnerships that can help us create real alternatives to Act 33 both in the
legislature and in city policy. We have spoken with legislator Kenyatta Johnson about the issue he attended the public gathering we organized
in June, and have met with Judge Benjamin Lerner, who presides over De-certification hearing in Philadelphia, to express our concerns about
youth remaining in adult court. We are in the process of arranging meetings with legislators to discuss the success of our petition drive and to
urge them to introduce legislation to address this issue. We are also seeking a meeting with the new Philadelphia District Attorney, Seth Williams.
Over the past four years , YASP has provided ongoing , year-round workshops for youth under 18 in the Philadelphia Prison System's adult jails and continued support and leadership development for youth who have come home from those jails. During that time, YASP has hired many young people who were previously incarcerated in the adult jails to assume leadership roles as primary decision-makers in the organization. In doing so, YASP has transformed into a truly youth-led organization. Our other major accomplishment have included:
> Working with Education Not Incarceration-Delaware Valley to organize a major public gathering on the issue of youth being tried and
incarcerated as adults in Pennsylvania. The gathering, held on June 27th ,2009, drew approximately 75 people, including youth who have been
tried in adult court ,social workers and teachers who work with youth in adult jails, and a diverse crowd of other community members.
At the event, about thirty people signed up to join YASP 's campaign to repeal Act 33.
> Launching a public campaign and petition drive to repeal Act 33 and end the practices of automatically transferring youth to adult courts in
Pennsylvania. Following the June event, YASP began hosting youth-led training in which volunteers learn to talk about Act 33 and are trained
to go door-to-door to circulate a petition to end the practices of automatically trying youth in adult court in Pennsylvania. Following the June
event, Thus far, we have gathered over one thousand signatures in just a couple of outings. The petition has recently been posted online,
which we expect to spur a significant increase in the number of signatures.
> Developing more concrete support networks to connect young people coming out of the adult prison system with educational and employment
resources.
>Reaching out to local officials and state legislators to begin building partnerships that can help us create real alternatives to Act 33 both in the
legislature and in city policy. We have spoken with legislator Kenyatta Johnson about the issue he attended the public gathering we organized
in June, and have met with Judge Benjamin Lerner, who presides over De-certification hearing in Philadelphia, to express our concerns about
youth remaining in adult court. We are in the process of arranging meetings with legislators to discuss the success of our petition drive and to
urge them to introduce legislation to address this issue. We are also seeking a meeting with the new Philadelphia District Attorney, Seth Williams.