Leadership & Vision Team

Founder’s Story

Sogulu Crystal Damiglaw founded YEPP Group LLC and the Youth Empowerment & Pathway Project (YEPP) from both lived experience and professional insight gained through years of working within systems that serve vulnerable populations.

Throughout her career in behavioral health and direct service roles, Crystal witnessed firsthand the gaps in care, service delivery, and workforce support that too often leave individuals without the consistent, structured help they need. She also experienced systemic barriers and unfair treatment within professional environments that deepened her understanding of how institutions can fail both the people they serve and the professionals doing the work.

These experiences did not deter her—they clarified her purpose.

Crystal saw a recurring pattern: individuals facing mental health challenges, housing instability, and employment barriers were often met with fragmented services, limited follow-through, and a lack of truly coordinated support. She recognized the urgent need for an approach that was not only compassionate, but structured, accountable, and built for long-term impact.

From that vision, YEPP was born.

YEPP Group LLC and the Youth Empowerment & Pathway Project were created to bridge these gaps through intentional programming, advocacy, and empowerment-based services. The organization is rooted in the belief that people deserve more than temporary solutions—they deserve pathways that lead to stability, dignity, and sustainable opportunity.

Today, Crystal leads with a commitment to transforming lived experience into meaningful systems change. Her work is grounded in resilience, advocacy, and a deep understanding that real impact begins with meeting people where they are—and building the structure to help them move forward.