Community Link: You Yes You! Project

INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — Each week in Community Link, Carolene Mays and Marco Dominguez take a look at an organization or business that is making a positive impact on the community.

This week, Mays and Dominguez were joined by Ericka Sanders, the founder of the You Yes You! Project.

You Yes You! is a nonprofit organization that encourages men in jail or prison to stay connected to their children.

“It began as a father daughter dance in 2014 and we quickly noticed that the fathers in the program needed so much more in order to really connect with their children,” Sanders said. “And so You Yes You! came about because we wanted to be able to support not only the father and their children, but also their family as a whole.”

Sanders says none of the fathers in the program have returned to prison, and that’s because of the organization’s high level of engagement.

“Not only do we engage with our fathers and their families during incarceration, but we engage with them after incarceration,” Sanders said. “[It’s] not necessarily hand holding, but always making sure that they all know that we’re there to support them, whether it’s through employment, or transportation, or volunteering, or their kids might need other resources within the school system.”

To watch the entire segment, click on the video.