For 30 years YIPA has been a consistent voice for youth and youth service agencies by advocating for increased funding and resources for community-based early intervention youth programs.
What are the benefits to society?
In April 2007, YIPA released a benchmark Social Return on Investment (SROI) study conducted by Wilder Research and the University of Minnesota, which reveals the significant economic returns of youth being involved in early intervention programs.
YIPA is embarking on a model statewide initiative to increase awareness, capacity and support of early Youth Intervention Programs.
Perry Lofquist PRESIDENT Executive Director OPPORTUNITY NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT CORP 2002 - 3rd term
Paul Meunier VICE PRESIDENT Realtor REMAX REAL ESTATE PROPERTIES 2005 - 2nd term
Peter Geier TREASURER Brokerage Manager MIDWEST GENERAL AGENCY 1999 - 4th term
Colleen Fritsch SECRETARY Program Director DARTS 2007 - 1st term
Jim Backstrom DAKOTA COUNTY ATTORNEY 2008 - 1st term
Cathy Bergh Program Director LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE 2001 - 3rd term
Brian Dahl Youth Intervention Officer MOORHEAD POLICE DEPT. 2001 - 3rd term
Christina McCoy Director of Youth Development YWCA of ST. PAUL 2007 - 1st term
Jed Meyer Vice President, Manager WELLS FARGO BANK, NA 2009 -1st term
David Nusbaum Program Director LUTHERAN SOCIAL SERVICE - ST. CLOUD 2003 - 2nd term
Becky Pilarzyk Program Director BOLDER OPTIONS 2008 - 1st term
Paul Ramsour Program Director YOUTHLINK 2008 - 1st term
Anshuman Sharma Senior Systems Electrical Engineer TRANSOMA MEDICAL 2009 - 1st Term
Barb Wessel Retired Vice President/Manager 2009 - 1st Term
Gwen Wilson Program Director YWCA of MINNEAPOLIS 2004 - 2nd term
Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association KidsChange Initiative
Objectives:
Create the KidsChange agency umbrella to unify and promote youth intervention organizations.
Launch a public relations and awareness-building program to raise the visibility of youth intervention programs.
Expand the outreach of youth intervention programs by increasing State and local funding for youth intervention programs and through the creation and organization of new programs where none currently exist, yet are needed.
Identify and recruit regional leadership throughout the state as a solid infrastructure to support existing and newly developed programs - Board, volunteer, executive, and financial leadership.
Increase the stability and capacity of early intervention youth service providers to better support their programs and services.
Create opportunities for your local businesses, organizations and citizens to become more aware of your organization and supportive of early youth intervention issues.
J. Scott Beaty Executive Director MN Youth Intervention Programs Association
Steve Cramer President Stephen E. Cramer & Associates, LLC
John Labosky President and CEO Capital City Partnership
Perry Lofquist Executive Director Opportunity Neighborhood Development Corporation
Dan Pfarr Associate Director Bolder Options
Pam Rusten President Rusten Marketing Group
Lt. Bryan Schafer Commander, Juvenile Unit Minneapolis Police Department
Sarah Walker Chief Operating Officer 180 Degrees, Inc.
Support our work
What will it take to make KidsChange a reality?
- Issue Awareness in our communities
The statistics are not on our side. violent crime is now the leading cause of death for teens. Low graduation rates, shoplifting, binge drinking, suicide, homelessness and teen pregnancy is a reality we must address today or face the long term affects on our entire community.
- Leadership
KidsChange is about reaching kids; Reaching kids who are on the verge of choosing the wrong path in life, and redirecting them.
This capacity building/public awareness initiative to raise the visibility of the need for Youth Intervention Programs is a win-win-win for our kids and families, for our communities, and for our state. However, the rollout of the KidsChange Initiative cannot happen without financial support from the corporate leadership, setting the pace and thereby encouraging community sponsors, foundations, and individuals to participate.
- Financial Support
What we need for our youth is a continuum that provides the path for success.
We need to:
Mobilize financial resources at a goal of $3,000,000 through sponsorships and major gifts to support the KidsChange Initiative roll-out over three years
Put in place a public relations and marketing campaign to raise the visibility of Youth Intervention Programs
Expand the outreach of Youth Intervention Programs through the creation and organization of new programs where none currently exist, yet are needed
Increase the capacity of the Minnesota Youth Intervention Programs Association so it can adequately manage the KidsChange Initiative and address its operating needs
We are asking for your leadership, endorsement and financial support by way of corporate social giving or sponsorship.
"Investing in our kids through programs such as youth mentoring, truancy intervention, chemical dependency treatment, juvenile delinquency diversion and restorative justice collaboration keeps our communities safer and promotes future success of our children."
James C. Backstrom Dakota County Attorney and Co-Chair of the Juvenile Justice and Family Law Committee of the National District Attorneys Association
When you support early Youth Intervention Programs in your community, we all change for the better.
membership includes over 85 community-based early youth intervention service organizations in Minnesota that:
Report on average an 89% success rate in keeping youth from further trouble with the law
Serve over 50,000 youth annually
Deliver 47,000 hours of restitution/community hours by youth in these programs.
Every youth in Minnesota has easy access to high quality early intervention programs when help is needed.
All community-based KidsChange agencies strengthen early intervention youth services through collaboration, professional development, advocacy and training.
