Youth Leadership Initiative

The Youth Leadership Initiative (YLI) cultivates the next generation of diverse, multicultural leaders to advance racial equity and social justice. 

At YLI, we believe that transforming systems starts with transforming individuals. Our approach is deeply rooted in fostering community-based, anti-racist leaders and our work is guided by values of integrity, social justice and equity, radical care, youth leading youth, community and transformative leadership.

By developing young people's leadership abilities, they become the catalyst for justice, healing, and transformation in the systems that impact them, their families, and communities. We do this by: 1) Empowering youth to be leaders and to recognize and break oppressive systems and 2) Providing workshops, training, consulting, and technical assistance for other organizations and youth practitioners across the state.

 With your support, we're able to...

• Invest in the transformative leadership journey of 30+ high school youth in the Twin Cities.
• Tackle barriers such as transportation to ensure young people can attend the program.
• Support our small but mighty team of staff and volunteers to train our youth leaders, design and implement a culturally relevant program curriculum, and partner with other organizations and groups.

Elevate Youth Voice & Leadership

YLI operates an eight-month social justice-centered leadership program that activates the leadership of primarily Black, Indigenous, Asian, Latinx and other high school youth. Key activities and learning areas are: 

1. Leadership Retreats: Youth explore concepts of leadership and inclusion/exclusion, and participate in experiential and team building activities. Youth also discover their strengths and learn more about their values, aspirations, and leadership and communication styles. For each retreat, YLI works with consultants from the Hmong Odyssey, Mexican Border Crossing, and Underground Railroad to facilitate cultural simulations, which are instrumental to strengthen empathy, acknowledge oppressive histories and systems, deepen connection to our common humanity, and foster racial healing. 
2. Cultural Sessions: Youth explore identity, discuss the influence of culture on leadership, and examine social inequities. In culturally specific cohorts, youth delve into their heritage, discuss stereotypes and prejudices, share their experiences, learn about the contributions of their cultural group, and find ways to be a change agent in their cultural community.
3. Action Teams: The teams are organized around social justice issues that the youth have identified and each team develops a service project to address the issue. Youth learn to work together to design and implement their projects, as well as directly impact the community and be agents of change.
4. Youth Mentor Team: Supports staff with program recruitment, curriculum design, activity facilitation, and youth participant mentoring, as well as serve as role models demonstrating positive multicultural leadership.

Check out this video from last year’s Mental Health Action Team.