Youth as Resources (YAR) adapted to the juvenile justice community demonstrates that young people in these settings have remarkable potential to become problem-solvers and contribute positively to their communities. The National Crime Prevention Council launched Youth as Resources at the Indianapolis Juvenile Correction Facility (for girls) in 1991; then eighteen months later at the Plainfield Juvenile Correctional Facility (for boys). Both secure facilities work with young people ages 12 to 18.

In residence facilities, group homes, aftercare settings, and large institutions youth develop critical life skills, newfound pride in their abilities to make positive contributions, and a greater capacity to care for and feel connected to others. Relationships between staff and younger people improve. And communities enjoy the products and services young people contribute- from renovated parks, tutoring programs, drug awareness campaigns, and gang prevention activities to companionship and handmade gifts delivered to hospital patients, the elderly and the homeless.

valuations-and testimony from youth, staff, and administrators at these institutions-attest to the program's success. The program reclaims young people and builds new relationships among incarcerated youth, adult, staff, and the community.