The AYLF goal is that Youth Leadership Forums will be held in all 50 states! We need your help to reach that goal. To start a YLF in your state, follow the steps below:
- Check to see if your state already has a Youth Leadership Forum program officially recognized by the Association of Youth Leadership Forums: YLF States
If there is not already an existing program, make a plan to create one. Please note that any Youth Leadership Forum affiliated with AYLF must follow these original guiding principles. The following are requisites for any affiliated YLF:
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- Students must be enrolled in an educational program that meets the state standards of secondary education, typically high school sophomores, juniors, and graduating seniors.
- Students with every kind of disability are invited to participate.
- Every student participant (delegate) must have a disability and have demonstrated potential to be a leader.
- To the extent possible, delegates should represent a diverse background and experience of students including but not limited to gender and gender expression, race and ethnicity, socioeconomic status, city and rural counties, and traditional and non-traditional school settings.
- Presenters/Speakers/Trainers that meet with the delegates should have a disability or lived experiences with disability. The overall goal is positive representation of disability through presenting role models to young delegates.
- It should be a goal that more than 75% of the volunteer staff are people with disabilities with efforts to include alumni in all staff positions.
- All volunteer staff must understand and support the concept of disability culture including self-determination, self-advocacy and disability pride.
- All volunteer staff must understand and support the concept of “self-determination” in encouraging the student delegates to establish their own personal and vocational goals.
- The California Model YLF written curriculum must provide the primary training components of any replicated project. However, the curriculum components may be modified or abbreviated to accommodate schedule requirements and/or the unique characteristics of a state, territory or community.
- Any group planning to produce a YLF must notify the California Committee of their intention and must request, in writing, recognition of their affiliation as a YLF.
Look through the “YLF Narrative Manual” (the guidebook created by the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities) to ensure that this is a project that you are ready to take on.- Email a letter of intent to three organizations: AYLF, the California Governor’s Committee (current name is the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities), and Friends of Californians with Disabilities. Here are the email addresses to include:
Gina Semenza (Friends of Californians)- Gina.semenza@gmail.com
Denise Boshers (Friends of Californians)- dboshers@sbcglobal.net
Matt Baker (California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities)- Matt.Baker@dor.ca.gov
Sarah Goldman (AYLF Vice-Chair)- sarah@floridasilc.org
Carrie Greenwood (AYLF Chair)- carrieg@kyea.org
Please state the following in your letter:
“Per the California YLF affiliation guidelines, we are sending notification to each of you, the Association of Youth Leadership Forums (AYLF), the California Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities), and Friends of Californians with Disabilities, of our intent to begin an official Youth Leadership Forum in the state of [insert state]. In the letter, please include your organization, how you are set up, and contact information for key people that will be organizing the YLF. - A response will be given, through email, by the AYLF Chairperson if your request to start a YLF has been approved.
- Start planning, fundraising, recruiting, etc! And don’t forget to attend our monthly AYLF virtual meetings to learn from, and be supported by, other states. Welcome to the AYLF family!
If there is already a YLF in your state, you can still be involved! Coordinating and hosting a YLF is a large feat that takes lots of people. If you have the skills and passion to get involved, your state needs you! Contact the listed coordinator in your state to see how you can help: YLF States