Background

Roseland is a historic community in Chicago originally settled by Dutch immigrants in the 1840's. In the mid-1960's gangs began to infiltrate the community coupled with white flight. Today, its residents are primarily African American. Unemployment and crime have reached staggering proportions. In spite of those statistics, neighborhood optimism is high for a renaissance of change and hope.

Founded in 2008, YPC is a trailblazer in addressing the root causes of violence by providing mentoring, pre-employment training, life skills development, personal development and conflict resolution skills. Together, these help to promote peace and opportunity. YPC's relational model has proven to be successful and sets YPC apart as a trusted change agent in the Roseland community for high risk youth and their families.

In 2019 YPC created TECHUP (Technology, Employment and Connection to Help our Underserved Population) an initiative with the MacArthur Foundation. This will improve our operational and organizational infrastructure by upgrading technological systems as a primary platform for growth/expansion and development, sustainability, communication and training. Areas of focus include client safety and security, creating a state-of-the-art technology training center and improving YPC digital presence as a change-agent in the greater Chicagoland area.