The Youth Leadership Program (“YLP”) is a non-profit educational organization in the greater Los Angeles area.  It is run entirely by volunteer parents, with a mission to help our younger generations between the ages from 13 to 18 develop their communication, social and leadership skills through classroom discussions, exercises and participation in actual community services and humanitarian activities.  YLP students meet once every two weeks on Sundays for communication trainings and participate in various community services throughout the year.

YLP was established over 20 years ago by Ms. Min Lin Cheng, an alumnus of Taipei First Girls High School, a top Taiwanese all-girls high school.  The Alumni Association of Taipei First Girl High School (AATFGH) based in Southern California gives back to its communities in many ways, including its continuous sponsorship for YLP. Beginning 2019, YLP will be sponsored by American Beiyinu Alumnae Foundation ("ABAF").  Since the 2015-2016 year, YLP students founded the Youth Association of Speakers (“YAS”) Gavel Club, a Toastmasters affiliate for members under 18.  The YAS Gavel Club is now a part of the family of Toastmasters International, a world-class, non-profit organization in leadership and communications development since 1924. With its current 345,000 members active in 142 countries around the globe, our partnership with Toastmasters will not only benefit our students by presenting their special training, but also enabling our students to be awarded for communication and leadership achievements that will be recognized worldwide.

During class meetings, YLP/YAS Gavel Club students partake alternately in speaker and evaluator roles, covering a wide variety of topics and current events, acquiring practical group meeting and individual presentation experiences in the process, while developing the skills of chairmanship, impromptu speaking, speech organization, effective listening, using proper gesture, voice and vocabulary, etc.  In addition, YLP/YAS Gavel Club continues to provide training workshops facilitated by communication professionals to enhance our student’s communication and leadership skills.

YLP/YAS Gavel Club students actively participate in community services and charitable activities, including involvement in the annual United Way Homewalk and/or other charitable fundraisers; visiting senior nursing homes to talk and sing to senior citizens, conducting communication and speech workshop for other youth groups; making and donating welcome home kits for Skid Row residents;  These activities expose our students to societal issues and involvement to give them a broader perspective of life, spark humanitarian interests, and offer real-life platforms in which to practice what they learn from class and build confidence by frequent interaction with large audiences.

YLP/YAS Gavel Club students also have plenty of fun learning about interpersonal relationship, teamwork, problem solving, and other life skills throughgroup activities from time to time (e.g., outings, sleepover parties, movies, bowling, cooking competitions, Christmas gift exchange, etc. as determined by students and approved by parents) all within a safe and age-appropriate YLP/YAS Gavel Club environment.

It is the ultimate goal of YLP/YAS Gavel Club that, upon graduation of our program, each student will emerge with greater self-confidence and personal growth.  All would have had a lot of fun and better equipped with the critical communication and leadership skills; developed a life-longfriendship with their YLP/YAS Gavel Club peers, a stronger awareness of societal issues and a greater humanitarian interest, before embarking on their higher education journey or pursuing other personal interests and becoming future leaders of whatever their personal aspirations and potential take them!

Contact us

Janis Yao (626) 590-2187 

Carrie Han (626) 993-7023

ylp.attendance@gmail.com

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