Youth Community Outreach Program (Y-COP)

The Youth Community Outreach Program (Y-COP) offers activities such as basketball, cheerleading, job skill workshops, peer-to-peer mediation, and college preparation. The program operates primarily as a drop-in center at a local church and provides approximately nine programs and several community-wide initiatives that serve more than 400 youth and their families each year. All of Y-COP’s programs integrate academic enrichment, recreation, social skill development, and cultural awareness with the goal of achieving diversity and inclusion.

• Ages: 5–17 years old

The Youth Community Outreach Program (Y-COP) was first founded in 1990. It is a non-profit organization serving the youth of Mount Vernon, NY. The program’s goal is to foster a positive relationship between youth in the community and the police by offering after school activities in an effort to build trust between the two.

The leadership team includes Henry Wilson, Executive Director; Zinobi Duncombe, Program Administrator; and Allen Ayers, a Detective with the Mount Vernon, NY Police Department. Y-COP recognizes contributions and achievements through awards such as the Above and Beyond Award, the Allen D. Ayers, Jr. Legacy Award, the Connie J. Watson Memorial Volunteer of the Year Award, the Educator of the Year Award, and the Youth of the Year Award, as well as Hall of Fame Honorees and Business Support recognition. A documentary titled “Y-COP: A Legacy of Guiding Youth” is available.

Y-COP notes community involvement with Christmas in America, thanking them for generous support, for welcoming the program to the opening of The Holiday Experience at Christmas in America, and for the partnership and community spirit they inspire. Christmas in America donates to local Mount Vernon charities.

Last updated February 10, 2026.