Incarcerated Youth Tutorial Project

     IYTP, a student-run and student-led organization formed by the Muslim Student Association in 1988, offers an invaluable service to incarcerated youth in the surrounding community and to UCLA students. For over two decades, IYTP has been providing ongoing services that address the unmet needs of incarcerated youth. Through mentoring and tutoring, IYTP supports and advocates for higher education, promotes positive youth development, contributes to the reduction of recidivism, and has continuously brought awareness to the juvenile justice system. One of our goals is to become an empowering dynamic for the incarcerated youth and to provide a safe environment for personal growth and development. It is essential to further these students’ educational and social confidence.

Why is IYTP important?

     Volunteers with the Incarcerated Youth Tutoring Project (IYTP) provide high school aged students housed in probation camps with academic services and guidance. Only 10% of teenagers who’ve been incarcerated go on to receive either a high school diploma or an equivalent (Census for Juveniles in Residential Placement Databook), as opposed to the national average of 87% (US Census Bureau). A lack of a high school diploma has drastic, negative consequences on a person’s future, and helps explain the 80% recidivism rate among incarcerated youth (National Adult Literacy Society).  One reason for this disparity is that incarcerated youth fall far behind in school while incarcerated and never catch up. IYTP provides GED specific tutoring that teaches the students the material they need to earn a high school equivalency diploma. Volunteers go further than just academic support, however, by promoting confidence, and helping map out productive life goals. Instructional programs for incarcerated youth have been shown to work: incarcerated youth who involved in reading instruction programs had a recidivism rate of 20% as opposed to 80% (NALS).
Volunteers with IYTP provide not only a valuable service, they benefit themselves as well. Through their work, volunteers will gain a different perspective and a deeper understanding of the juvenile justice system, the effects of race, and the importance of community service.

Contact  

If you have any questions please contact IYTP at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it