About Us
The Youth & Police Initiative (YPI) was created in 2003 by human service agency North American Family Institute (NAFI) to help police academy cadets better understand youth culture. In 2005, YPI was expanded to bring together neighborhood teens and beat officers who patrolled their streets.
Our Mission
Our mission is to build trust and break down stereotypes between youth and police. YPI offers a highly interactive, experiential and structured program to create new levels of communication that engender sustainable relationships and reduce negative interactions.
Areas We Serve
YPI has been successfully implemented in 45 cities, as well as Bermuda and Belize—and continues to expand to new communities.
Learn More
Across the country, youth and police tensions have increased, particularly in urban communities. Over the past two decades, YPI has been at the forefront of providing training and consulting to public and private organizations in the fields of law enforcement, youth development, education and human services.
POSITIVE YOUTH & POLICE RELATIONSHIPS ARE WHAT WE’RE ALL ABOUT!
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NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED
YPI is a nationally recognized intervention and prevention program with a structured, relationship-building format. It is designed to address fractured trust, reduce conflict, and promote safer, more connected communities.
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DATA-DRIVEN
As part of our model, all youth and officer participants complete a pre-survey before beginning the program and a post-survey at the end of the week. The collected data is analyzed by a certified third-party research institute.
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RESTORATIVE
A cornerstone principal of YPI, Restorative Justice prioritizes building, maintaining, and repairing relationships. It aims to generate a space in which all people are valued and respected and all voices are heard.
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VALUE
The Train-the-Trainer model allows your community to hold YPI sessions into the future, once certified.
Bring YPI to Your Community
YPI programs can be adapted to fit your needs. Get in touch to learn more about the program and our process.
Contact Us