Three minutes can change your life. When young people are faced with a challenge, one wrong decision can affect their future. Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc. and Brightpoint started Choose to Change™, a program providing Chicago youth with a neighborhood-based Advocate and trauma informed cognitive behavioral therapy, and it is producing positive results.

avid Williams is the Chief Program Officer of Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP), a high-impact social justice nonprofit that provides community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, congregate placements and neighborhood violence. With extensive experience in youth advocacy and program management, having held numerous positions with YAP, David continues to show great commitment to empowering and supporting young people in many aspects of their lives. One of David’s most noteworthy accomplishments with YAP has been establishing Choose to Change™ (C2C™), a partnership with Chicago-based Brightpoint, formerly Children’s Home & Aid, that has reduced violent crime arrests by almost 50% for its youth participants. David’s outstanding leadership skills and passion for social justice, along with his knowledge of social justice reform, continue to make him a great support to young people and their communities nationwide.