Empowering youth to become LEADERS NOW, while forever changing their futures, as they become PILLARS of SOCIETY.
YEPs are youth leaders, ages 15-20, who are learning together and creating a better community through: Leadership development, Work Experience in Lawn Care, Home Rehab, Summer Camp , Academic Coaches, and Urban Farming. College readiness, job readiness, Volunteerism/service projects, and the arts. Read about the impact YEP's have been making HERE.
Work Experience
Every Student in the YEP program participates in a work experience. Students learn real life job skills and receive hands on training in order to prepare them for the work place. The work experience also gives YEPs a space to practice what they learn in leadership development as well as live out the YEP core values: Character, Initiative, Demonstration, Positive attitude, and Training.
Leadership Development
Students in the Youth Empowerment Project (YEP) become leaders through various trainings, service projects and hands on experiences. As leaders they are a positive presence in our community
Goal Setting
In the Youth Empowerment Project students think about their futures. In order to prepare for the work place or further education, we provide trainings that challenge and educate.
Year Round Program
The Youth Empowerment Project has an eight week summer session and a session that runs through the school year. Both include a work experience and leadership development training.
Mission Statement
“Empowering youth to become LEADERS NOW, while forever changing their futures, as they become PILLARS of SOCIETY.”
Interested in becoming a YEP? Then contact our YEP Coordinator:
Charlotte Johnson
phone: 231-728-3117
email: hnp@communityencompass.org
You can also follow and like us on FACEBOOK
YEP Tech Videos
The videos below are two end of summer products from our YEP members who went through the course YEP Tech, where they learned everything needed to make and create their own videos. Check out their two projects below, both are incredible!

Dozens of neighborhood teenagers spent their summers doing internships through the Youth Empowerment Project. The PAID internships created an opportunity of high school students to gain experience in the fields of youth work, agriculture, construction, and gardening, building interpersonal skills and developing their resumes
Want to give back to core-city Muskegon?
Here at Community enCompass the opportunities to give back to your community are endless, but here are 20 ways you can get involved today.
This summer, hundreds of volunteers have already partnered with our neighbors to invest time, money and effort along 5th and 6th Streets from Houston Avenue south into Muskegon Heights. The project activities have provided effects similar to that of a facelift, rejuvenating the existing physical built environment of our core city neighborhoods. These activities are lifting the spirits of those living in these neighborhoods as well, and allowing neighbors to show-off their amazing gifts of hospitality!
19 sleepy teens are climbing into vans in the parking lot. It’s dark, cold (and probably snowing), but there is an edge of excitement because they’ve worked hard to be here. It’s the start of the 6th annual YEP College Tour, and within minutes 19 high school youth will be on the road to Kentucky, visiting 5 colleges over 3 days. Two YEPs reflect on their experiences.
For many years, a group of our neighbors has sought to provide high quality, new toys, and gifts for hard-working families in the core city Muskegon neighborhoods at an affordable price. Every child sees the same commercial yet Muskegon County’s ALICE population (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, and Employed) struggle to afford basic household necessities.
This was my first time at the “Taste and See” Tour of our core city neighborhoods and Community enCompass. Wow: I am so very impressed with the awesome programs that Community enCompass has their hands in, rebuilding our community. Love IS what Love DOES & Community enCompass is doing much with Love. A great variety of amazing things are growing in our community as Community enCompass ministers through growth.
Phew: What a summer! So much work has been done. One of the highlights this summer has been our “4th Street Facelift” Project. Community enCompass was 1 of 10 organizations across the state to be awarded a $50,000 grant from the Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) for neighborhood enhancement projects. Competition was hot with 36 projects across the state applying, and the grant was a catalyst for neighborhood organizing in a powerful way.
One of the greatest joys in neighborhood development work is seeing young leaders growing up to take positions of influence and responsibility in the community. This summer a large number of our emerging leaders (YEP’s) were thrust into positions of significant responsibility that stretched their abilities and tested their faith. They worked as farmers with McLaughlin Grows Farm, as camp leaders with CATCH Camp, as crew leaders with Royal Edge (our new and improved lawn care social enterprise!), lot beautification under the direction of Sprinkler Works, and with our Home Rehab and Construction program at our current “home redemption project” on 4th street. The internships have ended, they are exhausted. And have significantly matured.