The Check in for March and April is the Connecticut Youth Excellence Project (YEP) of Outside Perspectives, Inc. YEP is a volunteer-oriented program that provides at-risk, male youth with adult mentorship in outdoor spaces with goals to promote health and build resilience in the face of significant life challenges, including maltreatment, adversity, loss, and trauma. Many of these youth lack supportive adult relationships and struggle with significant mental health problems, including PTSD, depression, anxiety, and suicidality. Many also represent racial/ethnic minority populations that face the additional burden of discrimination and health disparities.
SIN Fitness member, Damion Grasso, founded the program in 2014 and continues to volunteer as program lead. As a licensed clinical psychologist and Associate Professor at UConn, youth mentor and advocate, and former foster parent, Damion has worked extensively with adversity-exposed youth and believes in the program's capacity to help these youth to beat the odds. Throughout the yearlong+ program, Damion and his volunteers connect these youth with supportive adults who can be an ongoing resource that survives the end of the program. Indeed, youth have returned to the program as young adults to volunteer.
