They nicknamed him “Handles” because of his moves on the court. During the offseason, you can find Harlem Globetrotter Chris “Handles” Franklin handling some of his community’s toughest challenges. He works with youth in Dauphin County’s Youth Advocate Programs (YAP), Inc.
Fifteen years ago, Franklin became a member of the staff at YAP, a national nonprofit providing community-based alternatives to youth incarceration, behavioral health, and other out-of-home placements. Almost simultaneously, Franklin also joined the Harlem Globetrotters, an exhibition basketball team that travels worldwide to entertain.
He and the Globetrotters will be performing at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Giant Center in Hershey.
“Right before I started with the Harlem Globetrotters, I just got started with Youth Advocate Programs and I went on a 15-year run with the Harlem Globetrotters that is still going on,” Franklin said, adding that “I never got the chance to really dip into it. Youth Advocate Programs has such as strong name in our community, and they do so many great things that I am just honored to be a part of it.”
YAP is in 31 states and the District of Columbia. In Dauphin County, the organization offers youth wrap-around treatment services in behavioral health. Last year, when the COVID-19 pandemic immobilized travel and large gatherings, Franklin was provided with the opportunity to reconnect with YAP while the Harlem Globetrotters were on hiatus.
“Working with kids and working in communities has always been natural to me. I’ve been in the (social work) field for a long time, but my professional basketball career took off,” Franklin said. “I think what happened is the pandemic created a unique situation. We were off the road and off tour with the Harlem Globetrotters, and it gave me an opportunity to get back into the field.”
For the past year and a half, Franklin has been working with YAP in helping young people see their potential and pushing them to make positive strides in their education by working with them through behavioral health services.
Franklin said the pandemic also increased mental health awareness and is proud that YAP has been doing behavioral health work for a long time, adding “those issues are important, and I think that is what makes our field special, and also this organization special.”
Pamela Merwine, the Clinical Director of Tri-County Youth Advocate Programs, said Franklin is great with program participants and their families.
“Chris is a remarkable role model and mentor to the youth he works with,” she said. “He incorporates therapies with real-life sessions as a behavioral consultant and mobile therapist.”
Franklin’s background is in public service. He has a bachelor’s degree in social work from Lock Haven University and a master’s degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh.
Franklin said YAP is also one of the few entities that address a lot of systemic issues.
“There’s been a new heightened awareness of disproportionate minority confinement, the housing of youth in prisons, and the school-to-prison pipeline,” Franklin said. “I think [YAP] has been doing this work for a long time, addressing systemic issues that affect our communities. I think YAP has been doing those things before it was cool to do them.”
Since being with the Harlem Globetrotters, Franklin has been to every state and visited over 80 countries around the globe. He is also president of his own nonprofit organization, the Handles Foundation, and helps young people in Harrisburg through sports, education, health, social skills, financial competency and more.
“I try to instill in kids, and not only kids but in people, that their dreams are attainable, and they can do anything they put their mind to,” Franklin added. “A lot of times I am able to convey something that other people convey, and they are more suspectable to listen to what I am saying just because of the other things, like seeing me on television or seeing me in another place or other areas, so it definitely proves an advantage.”
Franklin says his work as an athlete, along with his nonprofit and being an Advocate for YAP, are all intertwined. He said Advocates must be passionate about helping others.
“A lot of the people I work with in YAP are passionate about helping people and making the world better,” Franklin said. “I am just looking forward to continuing to spread joy, togetherness and unity.”
To learn more about YAP, please visit www.YAPInc.org. Follow the organization on Twitter @YAPInc.
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