Young People In Recovery
Mission
Young People in Recovery (YPR) is a national, peer-led organization that serves youth and young adults in recovery from substance use disorder. YPR aims to improve access to resources such as housing, education and employment that sustain long-term recovery. YPR envisions a world where all young people have the resources they need to thrive in recovery from addiction to drugs and alcohol. YPR’s mission is to provide the life skills and peer supports to help people recover from substance use disorder and reach their full potential. By creating a national network of individuals in recovery, we empower people to get involved in their communities by providing them with the tools and support to take charge of their futures.
Ruling year
2015
EXE DIR/EX O
Ann M Herbst
Main address
1415 Park Ave W
Denver, CO 80205-2103 USA
EIN
46-4109067
NTEE code
Alliance/Advocacy Organizations (Y01)
IRS filing requirement
This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.
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Communication
Programs and results
What we aim to solve
Drug overdoses are now the number-one cause of accidental death in the U.S. with more than six in 10 deaths of young adults involving an opioid. Without access to aftercare support services like those provided by Young People in Recovery, youth, young adults, and also older adults in recovery from substance use disorder are likely to relapse, risking injury, disease, incarceration, and even death. A lack of funding for recovery support services means that people don’t have adequate opportunities to continue or complete their educations, find gainful employment, or access housing that supports their recovery from drugs and alcohol. Furthermore, continued stigma about substance use disorder and a lack of coordinated aftercare options such as life skills education and alternative peer groups means that youth, and individuals of all ages, continue to face significant obstacles to sustained recovery even after they exit treatment.
Our programs
What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?
My Recovery is E.P.I.C.
My Recovery is E.P.I.C. is a branded, proprietary curriculum offered exclusively by Young People in Recovery to partners’ clients, families and staff. It is grounded in the core mission of YPR that centers on housing, education, employment, and recovery messaging. It is informed by the four dimensions that SAMHSA has identified as being critical to a successful life in recovery: health, home, purpose and community.
Phoenix Program
The Phoenix Program is a life-skills curriculum offered exclusively by Young People in Recovery to criminal justice organizations, diversionary courts, and law enforcement agencies, equipping participants with tools to access housing, education, employment, purpose and community; four areas SAMHSA identifies as critical to a successful life in recovery.
YPR Chapters
There are currently 58 YPR chapters nationwide. Each chapter has weekly all-recovery meetings, quarterly workshops focusing on life skills for individuals in recovery from substance use disorder and monthly pro-social activities. All events are offered free of charge to participants. YPR chapters closely follow SAMHSA best practice guidelines for recovery support services: being age appropriate, reflecting the appropriate developmental stage, acknowledging the nonlinear nature of recovery and multiple pathways to recovery, promoting resilience, being strengths-based, identifying recovery capital services and supports, fostering social connectedness, increasing capacity of YPR chapter members to give back to the community, and increasing self-sufficiency in program participants. Participants become better able to set goals like going back to school/getting a job; are more dedicated to their recovery than when they started the program; and improved their leadership skills; understanding of personal finances; and ability to locate recovery resources in their own communities.
My Future is EPIC
My Future is EPIC is a life-skills curriculum developed by Young People in Recovery for youth aged 14-18 who are misusing substances or who are at risk of developing substance use disorder. The program is informed by SAMHSA's four dimensions to success in recovery: health, home, community, and purpose. By providing youth with these tools, the program helps students create plans for their upward mobility, health, and wellness.
Where we work
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California (United States)
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Colorado (United States)
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Kentucky (United States)
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Ohio (United States)
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Texas (United States)
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United States
Photos
Videos
Our results
How does this organization measure their results? It's a hard question but an important one.
Number of Life Skills Curriculum attendees in 2024
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
My Recovery is E.P.I.C.
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Number of research or policy analysis products developed, e.g., reports, briefs
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
YPR Chapters
Type of Metric
Other - describing something else
Direction of Success
Holding steady
Context Notes
In 2024, YPR's Director of Advocacy trained nationwide chapter members on advocacy initiatives at the state and local levels. YPR works with the Legal Action Center to follow the Congressional budget packages and their impact on public health and substance use disorder.
Number of community events or trainings held and attendance
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
YPR Chapters
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2023, YPR staff facilitated My Recovery is EPIC or Phoenix life skills curriculum at 17 partner sites. This resulted in 420 facilitation events, reaching 3,248 cumulative attendees.
Number of individuals attending community events or trainings
This metric is no longer tracked.Totals By Year
Related Program
YPR Chapters
Type of Metric
Output - describing our activities and reach
Direction of Success
Increasing
Context Notes
In 2020, despite COVID, YPR served 37,125 people through virtual events such as free community workshops on housing, employment and education for young people in recovery from substance use disorder.
Our Sustainable Development Goals
Learn more about Sustainable Development Goals.
Goals & Strategy
Learn about the organization's key goals, strategies, capabilities, and progress.
Charting impact
Four powerful questions that require reflection about what really matters - results.
What is the organization aiming to accomplish?
Once a person leaves treatment, there is no single peer provider of aftercare support, particularly for people who may be going back to the same family, school, social group and environment where their addiction first took root. YPR aims to fill this gap and provide a more integrated and recovery-oriented system of aftercare. YPR allows people to speak out about substance use disorder and reduce stigma; creates opportunities for volunteer advocates; supports all pathways to recovery; reflects the diversity of the recovery community; and advocates for more recovery resources, particularly for young people.
YPR follows SAMHSA best practice guidelines by being age appropriate, reflecting different developmental stages, acknowledging the nonlinear nature of recovery and multiple pathways, promoting resilience, being strengths-based, fostering social connectedness, and increasing self-sufficiency in program participants.
What are the organization's key strategies for making this happen?
YPR embraces a cross-sector, social partnership model. For us, that means working with any like-minded organization, individual, corporation, foundation, government agency and chapter member/leader who shares our goals and desire to help young people in or seeking recovery. On a national level, we work with SAMHSA, Addiction Policy Forum, Transforming Youth Recovery, the National Association of Recovery Residences, insurers, pharmaceutical industry representatives, treatment providers, recovery community organizations, state and local agencies, as well as many other patient advocacy organizations to build a national network of supporters and allies around this cause.
How we listen
Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.
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How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?
To identify and remedy poor client service experiences, To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve, To understand people’s needs and how we can help them achieve their goals, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups,
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Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?
We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to get feedback from marginalized or under-represented people, We aim to collect feedback from as many people we serve as possible, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We look for patterns in feedback based on people’s interactions with us (e.g., site, frequency of service, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive
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What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?
It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection
Financials
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Operations
The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
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- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
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Connect with nonprofit leaders
SubscribeBuild relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro. Try a low commitment monthly plan today.
- Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
- Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
- Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations
Want to see how you can enhance your nonprofit research and unlock more insights? Learn More about GuideStar Pro.
Young People In Recovery
Board of directorsas of 10/30/2025
Alexa Eggleston CHAIR
Alison Stevens
Paychex
Amber Chaney
Chaney Communications
Andrew Kiezulas BOARD MEMBER
Brandon Fernandez
CRI Help
David Puchi
Baceline Investments
Lisa Johnson-Pratt
Akcea
Erik Hansen TREASURER
Harry Cunnane BOARD MEMBER
Jenna Stapleton SECRETARY
Ruben Terrazas
Alvarez & Marsal
Ryan Pearce BOARD MEMBER
Zina Navarro-Rodriguez BOARD MEMBER
Board leadership practices
GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.
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Board orientation and education
Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? yes -
CEO oversight
Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? yes -
Ethics and transparency
Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? yes -
Board composition
Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? yes -
Board performance
Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? no
Organizational demographics
Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities? Candid partnered with CHANGE Philanthropy on this demographic section.
Leadership
The organization's leader identifies as:
