Youth Leadership Academy (YLA)

 

Youth Leadership Academy Overview

 

Join us in the Autumn for in-person Youth Leadership Academy! We will be back at Glenarden Branch library for the first four Tuesdays in September (1, 8, 15, 22) from 4:30 to 5:30 pm and then, for the four Wednesdays in October, we will be at the Upper Marlboro Branch library from 5:00 to 6:00 pm. 

All interested youth are encouraged to come out and join us for these four fun sessions, which will include an overview of social justice activists, human trafficking awareness, a session on misinformation, and The Social Justice Game. Can you create the best (worst?) misinformation campaign and get the highest number of followers? Why is human trafficking called "the crime that is hidden in plain sight"? Which role will you get in the Social Justice Game and what will it mean?

YLA is operating on a drop-in basis this fall so come on out for any or all of these engaging one-hour sessions.

The Office of Human Rights encourages all youth who are interested in civil and human rights, and social justice issues to come out and participate! Previous sessions of YLA have been held in the virtual space (for several years), in Bladensburg, Glenarden, Hillcrest Heights, and Upper Marlboro. We invite you to keep checking in to see where we will be next! During the summer, the Office of Human Rights' Youth Leadership Academy partners with the Prince George's County Memorial Library System for Social Justice Camp, an intensive experiential week. 

Mission

The mission is to develop programming that is youth-developed and youth-led to engage minds for a changed tomorrow.

Vision

The vision of the YLA is to promote peer-to-peer education on civil and human rights issues while developing civil and human rights social influencers who are passionate and knowledgeable.  The YLA further seeks to develop youth-led ideas, programming, and execution across a wide range of areas.

Program Details, Goals, and Objectives

The Office of Human Rights will work with all students of the YLA through program development ideas, and implementation.  Grade Point Average and other academic standards are not a pre-requisite to entrance into the Academy as the Office of Human Rights recognizes the value of inclusion. In fact, in 2024 we pivoted from application-only admittance to drop-in sessions, ensuring the program is accessible to all interested youth.

The YLA commits to: prioritizing youth and young-adult empowerment; focusing on skill building in various areas; creating opportunities for project development; encouraging peer advocacy; enhancing personal and advocacy growth; promoting diversity and self-awareness; generating opportunities to establish additional support networks; and fostering overall social change influencers.