Youth Empowerment Project (YEP)

Founded in 2004, the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) is a New Orleans-based non-profit organization that annually serves over 1,000 underserved children and young adults between the ages 7-24. YEP has grown significantly over the last 13 years. In our first year of operation, YEP had one program; served 25 youth; and had an annual budget of $235,000. We now have seven locations in the Greater New Orleans region and operate ten programs. YEP’s mission is to engage underserved young people through community-based education, mentoring and employment readiness programs to help them develop skills and strengthen ties to family and community. Through YEP’s core programs, we address key barriers that impede young people from succeeding. Specifically, YEP addresses overarching challenges that include illiteracy, poverty and crime. YEP’s continuum of effective services attack the root causes of these social ills and provide young people with the supports and skills they need to succeed in school and in their communities. YEP operates 11 different programs within four main focus areas: Mentoring/Youth Advocacy, Adult Education and Literacy, Enrichment, and Postsecondary Transition Services and Employment Readiness. For more information visit our website: www.youthempowermentproject.org and follow us on social media: @yepnola