Students
Your today is also your tomorrow.
Yes is one powerful word. It’s your gateway to believing in yourself and igniting
your willingness to explore new territories with bravery and determination. You learn about the issues affecting your world, discover your voice and own unique gifts, and start to make an impact. A real impact.
Difference makers, do your thing.
Firsthand Experiences
Changemaker Meetings: Connect with fun people to discover how a leader becomes a great leader.
Service Adventures: Opportunities will change your life, just like the way your commitment to helping others will change so many more.
Individual Volunteer Opportunities: Raise your hand to help. Then raise the bar by giving the greatest care and leadership to those around you.
Solid Guidance
We give you the foundation to succeed, plain and simple. We’re here for you every step of the way. Nothing feels off. Everything feels right.
Fun Opps and Real Impact
We want you to experience the best. We partner with nonprofits that challenge your perceptions and make your efforts more impactful than ever.
Go-Getters
This adventure should be fun too, right? We’re all on the same journey, working to find answers to life’s tough questions. Together, we’ll get there. All of us.
Become Awesome(r)
You start as you. You end up becoming a more confident you. A more compassionate and more capable of handling anything you.
FAQs
HOW DO I GET STARTED?
When you try something new, the first step can be the hardest. At CYL, we make it easy to take that first step. By registering for CYL, you will receive service and leadership opportunities directly in your inbox. Log in or sign up in the CYL portal, and register for your first Service Adventure or Changemaker Meeting! Have some questions first or want some extra guidance? Schedule a conversation with our staff to understand all the options.
IS THERE A REQUIREMENT FOR PARTICIPATION?
We provide different tiers of engagement in CYL. If you want to dip your toe in the world of possibilities of service and leadership, we recommend starting with Service Adventures and Changemaker Meetings. If you have specific ideas or goals you are working towards, consider applying for the Decalibron Summit Program, which has a bit more structure and is a bit more individualized.
WHAT TYPE OF OPPORTUNITIES DO YOU OFFER?
Our service opportunities are typically categorized into 16 different cause areas. We hope this offers something for everyone to find and lead in their passions. Because youth have so much influence in our program, share something you’d love to see, and we will make it happen! We do have popular opportunities that happen every year, but we also add new things all the time based on your ideas!
WHAT IF MY PASSIONS/INTERESTS AREN’T BASED IN A CAUSE AREA?
Let us know! Because the cause areas are so broad, we hope you can find something within the 16 different cause areas. However, if there is something specific, work with us to develop something for you to share with others.
WHAT IF I’M NERVOUS TO GET INVOLVED?
In CYL, we challenge youth to step outside of their comfort zones because that’s where we grow and learn something new. However, you’re not alone! Our Staff, Summit Guides (adult mentors), and other adult volunteers are here for you! You will be supported along the way.
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SERVICE ADVENTURE AND AN INDIVIDUAL OPPORTUNITY?
A Service Adventure is a CYL-led service opportunity that is built for you, with your input. It typically has a service component, and a way for you to get out of your comfort zone (whether that’s in the outdoors or doing something outside of your day to day routine). Because we want to provide you with so many opportunities and there’s more of you amazing Young Leaders than there are of CYL Staff, we can’t possibly be everywhere in a given weekend (though we do try our hardest), we provide Individual Opportunities for you to get involved in. Individual Opportunities mean that there will not be a CYL staff member on-site and you may have an additional registration step, but they are vetted organizations that we trust. Individual Opportunities are a great way to meet organizations close to where you live, and where you may be able to serve on a more consistent basis. By registering on the CYL portal for Individual Opportunities, you can attend the service opportunity, and then log your hours on the portal. The more feedback you share with us, the more likely we are to build a full CYL Service Adventure around it!
WHAT TYPE OF STUDENT MAKES A CYLer?
A typical CYLer is someone who wants to be part of something bigger. They want to make a difference in their school and community. They have some things they care a lot about and want to know what to do about it. They see injustices and want to right a wrong. They are creative or outdoorsy or caring or kind or motivated. Even if one word describes you in this list, there is a place for you here. You may not have a community at school who cares about making a difference; you will find that here.