You Matter Diversion Program
Diversion, Violence Prevention and Intervention
Since 2004, the YOU Matter Diversion Program (YMDP) has helped young people stay on track, avoid the juvenile justice system, and given parents tools to better support their families. YMDP takes a student- and parent-centered approach, focusing on mental health, early intervention, prevention, and skill-building activities to help students handle life's challenges.
HPAL partners with the LAPD, local schools, community organizations, and universities to offer YMDP to youth ages 10–17 and their families. The program is run by behavioral case managers, university interns, and LAPD officers (whose involvement is provided as an in-kind contribution from the department). YMDP supports youth at risk of delinquency or involved in minor offenses by steering them away from the justice system toward community-based services, helping them stay in school, and equipping parents to be stronger advocates.
YMDP operates through three 12-week cohort sessions over the span of a year. Each cohort includes up to a year of behavioral case management for youth and parents with individual plans, a 12-week session on conflict resolution, positive alternatives, communication skills (including mental health therapy), and Healing Circles that offer a safe space for youth and families to share and listen. The program also provides a 12-week Mindfulness of Drugs and Their Health Effects curriculum to help students and parents make informed choices, a 10-week parenting skills course, and school-based presentations on safety, delinquency, and substance abuse prevention. YOU Matter is offered in person at HPAL’s Boyle Heights office and the LAPD-Hollenbeck Station, with telehealth options available.
