Over five years ago a group of concerned professionals and parents formed a group to petition the State for a charter school that would address the social and educational needs of high school students in Newark. Unfortunately that charter was denied, but the group remained intact. For the next two years the group met, formed the Urban Youth Development Corporation, incorporated in 1999 and gained a 501(c)(3).

Our first project has been the mobilization of numerous entities in the City of East Orange to begin to address teen problem behaviors. UYDC has entered into a partnership with 21 community representatives to develop and implement a three year plan for the city's high risk children to reduce the high school drop out rate, teen pregnancy, occurrences, substance abuse rate, the spread of HIV/AIDS, juvenile arrests, gang related incidents, truancy and homelessness among youths. This project, Community That Care (CTC), is a replication of a very exciting, proven model adopted nationally and by the State of New Jersey’s Juvenile Justice Commission (JJC).