Join the Youth Led Leadership Alliance

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is excited to announce that we are now accepting student applications for the Youth Led Leadership Alliance (YLLA) for the 2025-26 school year!

YLLA is open to all high school students in Santa Cruz County at no cost. The Alliance uses a project-based model that empowers young people to raise their voices, build leadership and communication skills, and collaborate with peers and community partners to create meaningful change at their schools and throughout the county.

This year, the Alliance has expanded to include eight student-led groups focused on the issues students care about most:

• Youth for Environmental Action (YEA) – Climate action and environmental justice

• Youth Artists Taking Action (YATA) – Using art to inspire social and environmental change

• Youth Empowerment through Technology & Innovation (YETI) – Exploring ethical technology use and innovative solutions

• Jóvenes SANOS (JS) – Promoting wellness, increasing access to mental health resources, and reducing stigma, in partnership with United Way

• Multilingual Youth Taking Action (MYTA) – Supporting and amplifying the voices of multilingual students

• Queer Student Union (QSU) – Building leadership and advocacy for LGBTQ+ students, in partnership with the Diversity Center

• Countywide Black Student Union (CBSU) – Fostering solidarity, equity, cultural pride, and awareness

• Youth Poets of Santa Cruz County (YPSC) – Celebrating self-expression through poetry, in partnership with Santa Cruz County Poet Laureate Nancy Miller Gomez

YLLA members gain valuable opportunities to collaborate across schools, design and implement projects, engage civically, and build resumes for college and career. Time spent in meetings, events, and projects can also count toward community service credit.

All groups meet weekly after school for about an hour, typically between 4:00–6:00 p.m. In addition, monthly Saturday gatherings are held on the third Saturday of each month from 11:00 a.m.–2:00 p.m. Some groups may host additional events or project work sessions.