YO ACAP supports the brothers and sisters of Wm. Penn and ML King H.S.

"...One thing I've learned is that the world is not as bad as I thought it was..."  - Allen Terry, Wm. Penn H.S.    "...during every session we deal with situations REAL, because that's the only way we know how to do it..."  - Shawn white, Youth Counselor Coordinator

Since January of 1998, Yo ACAP's youth counselors have been working closely with the young people of William Penn and Martin Luther King high schools. Every Monday morning at ML King and every Thursday morning at Wm. Penn we facilitate support group workshops/rap sessions through the Health Education dept., and the Legacy Program. Counselors and teachers select students whom they feel can excel in troubled areas through working close with someone who understands their struggles and will take time to listen to their concerns. support groups are gender specific and many of the students who attend these support group/rap sessions are students who want to make a positive change in their lives. Many have issues they feel no one has a concern with but them. Some come because they are inspired by their peers, while others attend because they saw YO ACAP perform and were interested in becoming members of the YO ACAP family.    Allen Terry, a student at Wm. Penn High School wrote about his experiences at YO ACAPs weekly visit to his school:  "These support groups are something I think people in this school shouldn't go without. During the support group your given the opportunity to be yourself and express yourself freely. We talk about almost everything, drugs and alcohol, the dangers of unprotected sex, peer pressure and things like that. I've got a lot of ideas from attending the support groups. One thing I've learned is that the world is not as bad as I thought it was, all I've got to do is put my feet down and just go for what I want."  Shawn White, Youth Counselor Coordinator:  "As a facilitator, my responsibilities include being prompt and informative and keeping an open mind to things that don't always make sense to me, but may make all the sense in the world to the person who shares it. We also bring in guest speakers to talk to young people around issues we may not have much experience with. The support groups can be a lot of fun, it's all in what you make of it. One of the most important traits of the support group, is the fact that you can't fool young people. They have an incredible sense of when you're not being honest with them, and they feed of of that. If they catch you lying to them, you will almost instantly lose their respect. Fortunately we don't have to worry about that, during every session we deal with situations REAL, because that's the only way we know how to do it."  YO ACAP support groups provide a safe, structured outlet to express thoughts, attitudes, feelings, and beliefs. Informal activities and exercises help the students work through personal causes and effects of violence, drug abuse, low self esteem, and risks to STDs, including HIV.