Serving Orange County Youth for Over 50 Years
Keep at-risk youth in school, healthy and drug-free through education, counseling, mentoring, and family strengthening.
Serving over 1,500 youth each year, Project Youth OC cultivates the strengths of young people and their families through evidence-based, trauma-informed programs. Our work opens pathways to education, stability, and lifelong success—transforming futures and communities across Orange County.
At 13, Andrew faced a tough crossroad—disengaged from school and influenced by negative peer pressure. His school referred him to Project Youth OC’s Shortstop program, where, during a session with his parents, he found the courage to open up about the pain he’d been carrying and how his actions affected those he loved.
Hearing youth speakers from Juvenile Hall shifted his perspective, inspiring him to choose a different path. “I learned that causing problems doesn’t just affect me, it affects my family,” Andrew reflected. Since then, he’s become more engaged at home and school, thinking before reacting and striving to be a positive role model for his younger brother.
Our programs meet youth and families at critical turning points, offering support that builds on their strengths and aspirations. Through a whole-family approach, we focus on healing, accountability, and growth – addressing the conditions that often lead to justice involvement, substance use, and instability.
Project Youth OC was founded in 1981 as the philanthropic arm of the Orange County Bar Association and has since grown into an independent 501(c)(3) nonprofit with deep roots in Orange County’s legal and business communities.
What began as an effort to provide legal education and early intervention for at-promise youth has since grown into a trusted and respected nonprofit serving thousands of youth and families across the region.
In 2016, the organization adopted the name Project Youth OC to better reflect its mission and the communities it serves.
Today, Project Youth OC stands as a vital part of Orange County’s safety net for young people and their families, offering a continuum of services that includes juvenile diversion, substance use prevention, college and career access, and family strengthening. Though much has changed since its founding, the heart of Project Youth OC remains the same: a deep commitment to early intervention, second chances, and the belief that every young person deserves the opportunity to thrive.
Project Youth OC Building
After 50 years, Project Youth OC reached a milestone and turned a vision into reality when we moved to our new home in the spring of 2017. The space fit everything and everyone, with room to grow. Our Higher Education Learning Center is equipped with a laptop station bar for our students, lockers, and educational/inspirational quotes written literally on the walls. From the welcome areas to the open style classrooms, the building is as functional as it is accommodating. This way, we can provide youth and families a comfortable and warm space to learn.