YLA is a volunteer-run nonprofit organization whose mission is to foster leadership skills in high school students. Founded in 2002 with the belief that youth “learn” leadership from other youth, the organization
is comprised of a hands-on 14-week leadership program in Orange County that connects youth with civic, business and community leaders in hopes of cultivating the voice of youth as a powerful force for change. What makes YLA a unique and successful model is
that while adults provide the guidelines and support, the programming for YLA is entirely driven by a 16-person Youth Board comprised of peers and graduates of the YLA program. In the last five years, 340 high school students have graduated from the YLA program.
In 2012, YLA successfully expanded its programming to include a one-week summer camp in the Bay Area. Through the YLA camp, 30 of highly motivated youth were able to develop their leadership skills and
gain exposure to opportunities in high-reward and high-impact areas of technology, social enterprise and environmental sciences. Through the generous support of sponsors and individual donors, all camp costs including housing and food were covered for all
participants.
In 2013, YLA will be replicating its summer camp program in the Los Angeles area. With a total budget of $30,000, the YLA Los Angeles camp will be a weeklong free-of-cost camp with 30-40 youth held at
the University of Southern California on June 25-30th, 2013. Students will be chosen through a non-exclusive application online. Camp goals include:
-Significant improvement in core leadership skills of problem solving, teamwork and future focus
-New or reinforced interest in area of study and career
-Leave an outstanding mark in the community through team projects
-Introduce an active resource for continued leadership development post-camp
