Youth Led Leadership Alliance Now Accepting Students for 2024-25

The Santa Cruz County Office of Education is happy to announce that we are now accepting student applications for the Youth Led Leadership Alliance (YLLA) of the 2024-25 school year! 

YLLA is open to all Santa Cruz County high school students at no cost. The Alliance follows a project-based design that facilitates expression, builds leadership and communication skills, empowers youth voice, and connects students with community partners and decision makers at the campus, district and county levels.             

Consisting of seven topically focused groups, YLLA aims to make an impact on today’s community while developing tomorrow’s leaders. The groups include:

• Youth for Environmental Action 
• Youth Artists Taking Action
• The Countywide Black Student Union
• The Queer Student Union
• Multilingual Youth Taking Action
• The Youth Mental Health Leadership Council
• Youth Empowerment through Technology & Innovation

Each group engages students with mentors who help them explore pressing social issues, through creative projects, that utilize grassroots advocacy, cultivate community collaboration and foster civic engagement.    

Students who join the Alliance have the opportunity to learn from professionals in various fields, work with students from other campuses, build their resumes, and get hands-on experience navigating public institutions and the democratic process. Participants can also accrue community service hours for their time attending meetings, events, and working on projects. 

All groups meet weekly, after school for about an hour, usually between the hours of 4-6pm.  There are also monthly Saturday meetings that happen on the third Saturday of every month between 11am-2pm. Additional events and work sessions may be required depending on the type of work a group is doing.