Youth Advisory Boards (YAB)

The mission of the Youth Advisory Board (YAB) is to:
•    Create educational opportunities
•    Develop a network for youth
•    Empower youth for a better future by: promoting youth and adult
partnerships, influencing change in youth programs and service, and
effecting policy and administrative planning for youth in care.

YABs are youth-organized and youth-run, with input from adult supporters. Ideally, YABs should be used to an advisory way to inform youth policy and practice within the state. YABs facilitate personal leadership development using a positive youth development approach, and complete various service projects. YAB members are between the ages of 14 and 22, and are from a variety of placements (e.g. foster homes, transitional living programs, supportive housing programs etc). Each YAB should have an Executive Board of core members, consisting of a President, Vice President, and Secretary. Currently, 5 county-based YABs have established Executive Boards.

Statewide Coordinator
The Transitions for Youth is responsible for the coordination of YABs throughout the state. The Statewide Coordinator is responsible for restructuring the YABs by creating and disseminating standard reporting documentation, receiving and compiling data from that documentation, providing technical assistance using a positive youth development/strengths based framework, ensuring that YABs are working within the mission and goals through individualized monthly reports, and the observation of effectiveness of each youth advisory board.

County-Based YABs
In the 2010-2011 contract year to date, 12 Youth Advisory Boards have operated in New Jersey. YABs are county or regionally-based, and are managed through the following youth service providers in the in the following counties:

Gloucester, Cumberland, Salem   
Robins Nest   
Grant Hildebrand   
856-881-8689   
ghildebrand@robinsnestinc.org

Monmouth
Catholic Charities (Beacon House)   
Ted Hoffman   
732-232-6679
ehoffman@cctrenton.org 

Union   
Community Access Unlimited   
Howard Wingard; Julia Leftwich    
908-482-7255   
hwingard@caunj.org; jleftwich@caunj.org

Essex   
Tri City Peoples Corporation    
Alan Ogletree   
973-675-4484   
aogletree@tri-citypeoples.org 

Burlington   
Family Service of Burlington County    
Anne Greenwood; Rich Reiner    
609-518-5470   
anneg@famserv.org; richr@famserv.org 

Mercer   
Capital Corridor Community Development Corporation (Shiloh)    
609-392-0034   


Passaic   
New Jersey Community Development Corporation   
Michael Scott   
973-413-1714   
mscott@njcdc.org 

 

Atlantic/Cape May   
Atlantic County Youth Advocate Program   
Dawn Lavoie
609-345-7333   
dawns80@hotmail.com