our VISION
To identify, develop, and inspire leaders committed to making a meaningful and lasting impact in the lives of youth and young adults.
our Mission
To empower facilitators serving youth ages 13-24 by providing them with the knowledge, resources, and tools needed to promote positive youth development through impactful activities, comprehensive services, and supportive programs.
More Than a Logo – It’s the Message
The YELD logo is a vibrant symbol of hope, care, and transformation. At its heart, the GOLD circle and surrounding stars represent energy, optimism, and the promise of transformation, lighting the path forward.
Rising from within the GREEN represents a clear reflection of youth, growth, and the flourishing of life, symbolizing both potential and progress.
Encircling them are the protective RED hands, a powerful emblem of care, empowerment, and the responsibility to recognize, respect, and respond to youth and young adults through positive messaging, meaningful activities, relevant information, and needed resources for positive youth development.
Finally, the BLUE outline provides a steady frame of trust, stability, and vision, grounding for direction and purpose.
Together, these elements represent a unified commitment to empowering youth and young adults through care, growth, and the guiding light of hop
Every Color Speaks, Every Shape Inspires
There is a need to develop the next generation of leaders and motivate our peers for self-reliance in employment, obtaining licenses, and handling money. There is also a need for generations to work together regardless of environment.
Male Youth,
Baltimore, Maryland
It is important to engage youth because we are only of glimpse of what we can be. If you do not connect with us now we can end up making the same mistakes as in the past and not learn from our experiences.
We have the ability to determine the kind of world we want to live in and change some of the views that we learned early in life.
College Student,
Chicago, Illinois
I feel most millennials have the mindset of life being a competition and having to perform better than the other. We want to be better than each other and with that, my generation lacks the ability to work together to accomplish similar goals.
I have noticed that if one person doesn't have what another person does, or if one's path looks completely different from their own, that is taken as a sign of discouragement... As if their path or life isn't as purposeful.