Happy Birthday YLI!
Today we celebrate the (re)birth of YLI! January 7, 2023 marks the two year anniversary of YLI becoming an independent organization.
After 15 years of being a program at the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation, the YLI program was closed. At the insistence of youth participants and alumni, we formed a volunteer community transition council determined to sustain YLI. During this exploration phase we discovered that joining an existing organization at the height of the coronavirus pandemic was not a viable option. In 2021 we filed our paperwork and started our journey as a nonprofit. In the words of poet June Jordan, “we are the ones we have been waiting for.” This journey has been full of great change, courage, and determination.
In YLI we have always shared quotes that inspire us, that remind us of who we want to be, and give us guidance on our journeys. During these last two years we have lived out many of the quotes we have shared over the years.
“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It’s not.” The Lorax, by Dr. Seuss. We were motivated by the passion of the youth and the impact we knew YLI had on young people. We were willing to fight for things we believed in and things we were passionate about. We learned that it is our collective sense of purpose and accountability to each other that kept us going.
“If you want to go fast, go alone, if you want to go far, go together.” African Proverb. We took this opportunity to activate the leadership of YLI youth and alumni by cultivating their leadership skills as organizational partners and nonprofit leaders. This meant intentionally slowing down to provide training, mentoring and coaching to ensure everyone had the confidence, knowledge, and skills they needed to succeed. This kind of doing together helped foster an environment of co-learning, co-dreaming, co-leading, and co-ownership.
“Whatever the problem, community is the answer.” Margaret Wheatley. The struggle to rebuild and sustain YLI was daunting. There was so much to do. We learned to tap into our community to expand our strengths and assets. We found people who believed in us and cared about the work. We discovered that we were not alone. There was a network of individuals with whom we have had former relationships and who believed in the work we do. These people provided us with emotional support, ideas, and insights; and referred us to others who could help.
“Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the assessment that something else is more important.” Franklin D. Roosevelt. When we doubted ourselves, when we were afraid we couldn’t keep YLI alive, we found courage by remembering that what was most important was YLI’s transformative power with young people.
“A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step.” Lao Tzu. Starting a nonprofit is a lot and thinking about all that needs to get done can be overwhelming. We learned to set realistic expectations about what we could accomplish and just start somewhere. The critical step has been to pause for reflection and ask ourselves, What is working? What is not? Then, make adjustments as needed and identify the next step.
“Hope is being able to see that there is light despite all the darkness.” Desmond Tutu. We took time to get to know everyone on the core team, appreciate each other’s gifts and contributions, ground ourselves in why this work matters, play together and celebrate accomplishments. We encouraged being gentle with ourselves and each other. We supported each other, acknowledged our feelings, and talked about our doubts. We chose to spread our light.
“By leaving your comfort zone behind and taking a leap of faith into something new, you find out who you are truly capable of becoming.” Anonymous. There were many moments and days where we felt totally out of our element or unsure of what to do next or overwhelmed at the tasks before us. Being at the edge of uncertainty has forced us to think outside the box, challenge the way things have always been and allowed us to be more creative about what we could be. As we worked alongside young people to build the infrastructure of YLI, apply for grants, and run programming we were birthing new nonprofit leadership roles for young people, previously unimaginable to us. We realized we were adding more levels of leadership to our existing model and developing a pipeline of BIPOC nonprofit leaders. We used our newfound freedom to create a new justice oriented mission statement, design a board structure to have youth as members, and hire young people as experts. We were growing in new ways.
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.” Nelson Mandela. It sometimes seemed impossible, but we kept at it. Things took longer than we thought they would. We supported each other. When someone’s energy flagged, others would step up. When someone didn’t have the skills needed for a task, we would find someone who did. We kept plugging away and before you know it we were receiving grants, securing program space, training youth leaders, running a full program year, and getting consulting contracts to train others in how to promote youth equity. Each accomplishment encouraged us to keep going. It doesn’t seem so impossible now, and we aren’t done yet.
As we enter this new birthday year, we want to acknowledge YLI’s resilience and how it has grown. This reflection has reminded us that we have a lot to be proud of.
Thank you to everyone who has supported YLI throughout the years. We encourage you to stay connected, get involved, and invest in this work. We welcome you to drop by and see us.
Nou Yang & Sally Brown
“All that you touch you change. All that you change changes you,” by Octavia Butler
