Youth Will Gives a Voice and Venue to a Younger Demographic

Youth Will is a community based organization located in San Diego, CA, that was founded as the Youth Development Office of San Diego in 2012. Our mission is to create a more equitable future for every individual under the age of 25 through community organizing, grassroots advocacy, and political reform. Very community oriented, Youth Will:

• Has created a Youth Bill of Rights
• Is focused on areas important to San Diego’s youth like housing, healthcare, environment, helping youth find gainful employment.
• Develops policy priorities and advocates for youth at the city and county level.
• Offers paid internships (that also includes college credits) to help with the general operation of the organization.
• Offers Action Teams for youth to get involved directly with an area important to them.
• Does not provide direct services – they are not a service provider. Youth Will’s focus is on organizing and advocacy.
• Offers local government and civic engagement workshops, which teaches young people more about the workings of government and how to get involved in the change making process.
• Leads the San Diego Opportunity Youth Collaborative, with the goal of mobilizing and shifting systems in order address gaps in youth services while leveraging opportunities to ensure young people in our region reach self-sufficiency through workforce training, youth leadership engagement, and equitable investment in underserved communities.