Choose to Change® (C2C®)
Last Revised: October 22, 2025
- Issue Areas
- Justice and public safety
Program overview
Integrating mentoring, behavioral therapy, and wraparound supports: Choose to Change® (C2C®) is designed to support youth who are at high risk of violence involvement, school disengagement, or justice system contact over a six-month intervention period. C2C® combines trauma-informed therapy with intensive mentoring and wraparound services to help youth proactively manage their reactions to high-stakes situations, thereby reducing their likelihood of justice system involvement.
Providing trauma-informed cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT): Participants engage in 12 to 16 sessions of CBT over the course of the program. Clinically trained therapists from Brightpoint, a child and family service organization, facilitate sessions focused on processing trauma and making healthy decisions. Therapists help youth explore and manage impulsive responses through exercises such as role-playing and investigating how past experiences influence their responses to stressful situations. Through this therapy, youth build resilience, self-management, and self-efficacy skills.
Engaging relatable mentors: Youth are paired with trained, paid staff members from Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP)™, a community-based nonprofit focused on providing alternatives to institutionalization. These staff members, referred to as “mentors” or “advocates,” often come from similar backgrounds and communities as the youth participating in the program. Advocates spend approximately eight hours per week providing individualized support, helping them develop healthy coping strategies and set personal goals. Advocates also participate in the CBT group sessions and help reinforce key skills learned in the group session.
Delivering wraparound support services: The program also addresses basic needs such as food, clothing, and safe transportation for youth and their families, aiming to mitigate external barriers to participation in the program. Advocates identify wraparound service activities based on each participant’s unique needs. Services may include obtaining transportation or part-time employment, helping parents secure childcare, enrolling youth in extracurricular activities, getting haircuts or shopping for clothes, and more.
- Location
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Chicago (IL)
A single randomized control trial provides some evidence for the Choose to Change® program model as a strategy for improving youth outcomes and reducing justice system involvement.
The 2025 randomized controlled trial found that youth who participated in the program were 39% less likely to be arrested for a violent crime, and 31% less likely to be arrested for any crime, compared to their peers who did not participate in the program. Offenses are reduced upon program completion and remain significant up to three years after the program. The study also found that youth who participated in the program had significantly fewer incidents of misconduct in school than those who did not participate in the program.
Recruit youth through referrals and partnerships: Youth in the C2C® program are referred from community-based organizations, public agencies, or their school. When replicating or adapting this program, collaborate with local institutions for referrals and to reinforce support networks.
Engage advocates with lived experience to provide around-the-clock support: Recruit advocates (mentors) from similar backgrounds as participants to build trust and relatability. Make advocates accessible to their mentee at all times during the intervention period; in the C2C® program, advocates are often called upon to support youth in the immediate aftermath of traumatic events.
Integrate CBT and mentorship components: Ensure that therapy sessions are led by clinically trained professionals and are tailored to address the specific traumas experienced by participants. Advocates should also attend therapy sessions to learn about CBT techniques, then incorporate those techniques into their interactions with youth to reinforce key skills.
Take an individualized, asset-based approach: Advocates develop individualized service plans to meet youth where they are and address external challenges, facilitating a holistic support system to help participants achieve their goals. Emphasize participants’ strengths, not their past justice system involvement or behavioral challenges, to show youth that they are valued and respected.
Develop a sustainability plan: In the last month of the C2C® program, advocates establish a plan to discharge youth from the program and may refer them to related programs or services. Develop clear plans to set youth up for success after the intervention period is complete.
Obtain permission to replicate Choose to Change® in your community: From the Program Guide: “Choose to Change® is a registered trademark of Brightpoint and Youth Advocate Programs, Inc. (YAP)™. Attendees/Recipients agree that any new programs developed from, or based on, this model will not be branded “Choose to Change” absent written consent of Brightpoint and YAP™ so as to maintain the integrity of the mark and avoid confusion.” Contacts are listed in the program guide.