Youth as Solutions
Nationwide, our Youth as Solutions Leadership Teams are generating positive change in their communities by defining and pursuing a project in one of these four main impact areas!
We are now accepting applications for the 2025-26 school year! Applications due by September 4, 2025.
Education is the foundation for every student’s future, and accessing quality learning opportunities is essential for success. Teams working within this impact area will identify and address challenges that prevent students from receiving the support, resources, and opportunities they need to thrive. After investigating the needs of your school and community, your team will choose to advocate for expanded access to educational resources, promote inclusive learning environments, or develop innovative solutions to enhance student success.
Check out these examples!
Community health empowers young people to improve health outcomes and reduce disparities as they address pressing issues in their schools and communities. Teams who work in the community health impact area can focus on any number of different issues like: teen driver safety – promoting better seat belt usage and less distracted driving among peers; improving youth mental health outcomes; reducing gun violence and crime; or addressing the impacts of health issues like COVID-19; and more. Your team will develop a campaign that makes a measurable difference in your school, community, and beyond!
Teen driver safety Leadership Teams are sponsored by GM and Honda.
Check out these examples!
When Minerva Garcia and Izabella Varela noticed the effects of COVID-19 on Latinx communities, they jumped at the opportunity to involve the Ascendencia affinity group at Northside College Prep in Chicago to be part of the solution…learn more!
These young SADD advocates have used their experience with NYLC’s Youth as Solutions program to generate effective campaigns that aim to raise awareness and foster community engagement around driving safety. Listen to the episode here!
A healthy environment is essential for strong communities and a sustainable future. Teams working within this impact area will explore and address challenges related to environmental health, conservation, and sustainability. Through your investigation, you will identify issues such as pollution, food or water access, infrastructure concerns, or climate-related challenges. Your team’s work can create lasting change, helping to build cleaner, healthier, and more resilient communities for generations to come.
Check out these examples!
Partnering with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, the team launched their community garden as a pop-up activation within the Essex-Hudson Greenway. The garden quickly became a hub for the local community…learn more!
Civics and Democracy empowers young people to participate in activities that improve their community and address social issues. Teams engaged in this focus area are empowered to investigate ways to generate positive change within their schools and communities by forging pathways to active citizenship, fostering leadership, and impacting our democratic voting processes. Your investigation may lead you to facilitate voter education and registration, educate others on democracy, build community networks of support, or create structures for communities to serve together. No matter the initiative, each endeavor reflects a commitment to civic engagement and community.
Peacemaking Leadership Teams are sponsored by 9/11 Day.
Voting rights Leadership Teams are sponsored by the Minnesota Democracy Expansion Fund.
Check out these examples!
Maren, a passionate student from Roosevelt High School and a member of the Minnesota Civics Crew, a group funded by NYLC’s Youth as Solutions program, shares her journey into civic engagement, sparked by a simple classroom poster encouraging students to become election judges. Listen to the full episode here!
But this generation of teens isn’t content to sit on the sidelines while history is being made. They are finding ways to serve their communities while they learn more about elections…learn more.
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