YALA Participant Showcase:

YALA (Youth Antiracist Leadership Academy) Participants will showcase their culminating projects and share lessons learned with family, friends and community members on Tuesday, July 30, 2024, from 5:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. The YALA Participant Showcase will be held at:

Walnut Hills Branch Library
2533 Kemper Lane
Cincinnati, OH 45206

YALA YOUTH ANTIRACIST LEADERSHIP ACADEMY

Youth at the Center is committed to truth telling and supporting the leadership and identity development of young people.

Inspired by the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s (SNCC) Freedom Schools and the Black Panther Party’s Liberation Schools, YALA is an opportunity for students in grades 10-12 to better understand who they are and how to navigate our increasingly diverse world.

Through interactive lessons, experiential group activities, and reflection exercises, participants will explore history beyond what is taught in school (e.g. African history, the history of social movements, and unsung freedom fighters) and identify ways to lead now toward a more inclusive and just future.

The 2024 Summer Session will begin on Tuesday, June 11 with the following schedule:

Enrichment & Skill Development Sessions
Tuesdays, 12:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
June 11, 18, & 25; July 2, 9, & 23

Leadership Practice Sessions
Thursdays, 3:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
June 13, 20, & 27; July 11 & 25

All sessions will be hosted at:
Youth at the Center
500 Reading Road
Cincinnati, OH 45202

For questions, contact:
Dr. Tynisha Worthy, tynisha@youthatthecenter.org

“If you do not have knowledge of yourself and your position in the society and in the world, then you have little chance to know anything else.”
- Black Panther Liberation Schools Founding Purpose

YALA Session Themes:

Identity & Leadership Development (Focus on Gifts, Strengths, Leadership Styles, and Self-Awareness)
There is More to the Story (On the Continent of Africa - Life Before and Beyond the United States)
Examining the History of Youth Participation in Liberation Movements (Looking Back)
Understanding How Change Happens (Looking ahead)
Celebrating the Changemakers: Black Women & LGBTQIA+ Folk’s Contributions
Exploring Black Joy - Art, Music, Culture
Intergenerational Wisdom
Youth-Led Project Planning

Students who participate in YALA will experience the following:

Consciousness raising
Peer-to-peer and intergenerational social connectedness
Develop dialogue, facilitation, and presentation skills
Witness Black excellence, resistance, and resilience
Participate in a healing circle
Take action by developing a project that addresses anti-CRT, anti-LGBTQ+, and/or anti-“woke” messaging