A Local Youth Advocacy Organization

We believe that leaving your mark means making a positive impact on the community. Our mission is to give the youth of San Diego county a voice and support their efforts to achieve a better, more equitable society.

We empower young leaders to work with adult allies in San Diego county as the only local advocacy organization operated by our next generation of leaders.

Make a Contribution

Community Organizing

With your support, we organized the Youth Recreation Environment Corps and coordinated the county’s dedication of $1 million toward youth employment opportunities in community food gardens, wildlife protection efforts, urban biodiversity initiatives, and other green efforts.

We worked with the city to put another $250,000 into youth employment at recreational centers, with your support. And we worked with the county too, employing youth to distribute COVID sanitation supplies and economic advocacy to underserved communities.

Our Wins As a Local Advocacy Organization

2024
  • March 2024: Youth Will attended the Alliance for Boys & Men of Color Policy Day in Sacramento to advocate for AB2906, a bill that prevents counties from taking critical social security and survivor benefits from foster youth and ensures that supplemental security income goes directly to foster youth. This bill will ensure that youth are provided the financial support they need to successfully transition out of the system. Youth Will is a co-sponsor of this bill.
2023
  • March 2023: The San Diego Opportunity Youth Collaborative has developed and launched Resources for San Diego Youth, a dedicated website designed to support young people aged 16-25 in navigating and accessing essential resources throughout San Diego County.
    • March 2023: Youth Will, in partnership with the San Diego Foundation, the Global ARC, PANA, and the Majdal Center to inform the County of San Diego’s decarbonization efforts on how to best reach and engage with youth, as well as BIPOC and low-income communities.
  • March – May 2023: YO! Cali brought together eleven organizations in a “Bright Spots” project focused on documenting youth-led models and practices for youth mental health and wellbeing. Young people and organizers defined youth wellness and healing in their own terms, sharing the strategies and best practices of their organization’s wellness efforts. Youth Will’s interns, Keala Minna Choe and Isabella Campa created a video documenting Youth Will’s findings. You can view the video here.
  • May 2023: The City adopted a pilot #Free4ME program modeled after the County’s program as a result of our work with Planned Parenthood.
  • October – December 2023: Youth Will partnered with the Office of Child & Youth Success to provide civic education trainings to Youth Commissioners, youth interns at the City of San Diego, and interested youth in the City of San Diego.
    • Local Government 101, How to Submit Public Comment, Civic Career Pathways, Parliamentary Rules, etc.
2022
  • January 2022: Youth Will and the San Diego Workforce Partnership launched the regional Opportunity Youth Collaborative. The goal of this collaborative is to mobilize and shift 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.
  • 2022: We partnered with the Alliance for Boys and Men of Color last year to advocate for more funding for youth apprenticeship programs in the State’s budget.
2021
  • March 2021: Created youth employment opportunities in community green spaces, through the Youth Environmental/Recreation Corps.
  • May 2021: We created the #Free4Me pilot program in partnership with Planned Parenthood. This provides free menstrual products in public facing facilities, with funds provided by the county.
  • June 2021: Youth Will created opportunities for youth employment from the county’s dedication of funds to the Youth Environmental Recreation Corps. This positive impact in the community provided initiatives for work in wildlife protection efforts, food gardens, biodiversity incentives, and additional green efforts.
  • June 2021: Youth Will, along with community partners such as the YMCA and San Diego for Every Child, created the Office of Child & Youth Success. Businesses, schools, healthcare providers, non-profits, and other outside entities have one place to address all the needs of San Diego’s youth, through this centralized office.
2020

May 2020: Our Emergency Resource Ambassadors shared emergency COVID-19 resources and supplies for low-income youth.

Our Initiatives

Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Ethnic Studies Curriculum

Youth Seats on Boards and Commissions

Youth Seats on Boards and Commissions

Menstrual Equity

Menstrual Equity

Youth Environment & Recreation Corps

Youth Environment & Recreation Corps

Office of Child & Youth Success

Office of Child & Youth Success

TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Unit

TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Unit

Our Impact

Youth Will creates access to youth  programs in accordance with our Youth Bill of Rights. Learn more about our Bill of Rights, priorities, and wins at Community Impact.

Over the last year, San Diego Youth Will has coordinated 5 programs, totaling $1.72 million for San Diego youth programs:

  • June 2021: Created the first and only central office in San Diego for youth advocate programs.
  • March 2021: Created youth employment opportunities in community green spaces, through the Youth Environmental/Recreation Corps.
  • June 2021: Supported youth employment at rec centers with the City Youth Environment Corp.
  • May 2021: Helped young girls feel more free to visit public spaces through the #Free4Me program, funded by San Diego county.
  • May 2020: Our Emergency Resource Ambassadors spread emergency COVID-19 resources and supplies for low-income youth.

Policy Priorities 

Create the TAY (Transitional Age Youth) Unit, within the County probations department, that will recognize the unique developmental needs of 18-25 year olds and address the high rates of recidivism within the justice system for transitional age youth.

We will build a centralized, local office for our youth within the city, called the Office of Child & Youth Success. It will provide an avenue for non-profits, businesses, schools, healthcare providers, and other external entities to ensure our community impact is making a difference.

To prioritize interconnectedness for San Diego’s children, youth, and families through the creation of the Youth Environmental/Recreation Corps. This program will provide funding for organizations within the community that support youth employment and scholarships, prioritizing low-income youth.

Within ALL county public facilities, we shall implement menstrual equity, giving young women long term access to menstrual health products. We, along with the county, understand that allowing access to these products will provide relief to low-income individuals, especially people of color, leaving more for rent, food, and other basic needs.

We believe that youth should have a say in decisions that affect their lives. Together, we will strive to have 2 youth seats required on the local boards and commissions, so that their voices and insights on issues can provide solutions and have a positive impact on the community and future generations. 

Our education team is working to create an inclusive ethnic studies curriculum that is representative and inclusive of our communities. Our aim is to have this become a requirement for students throughout the county. 

Subscribe to our mailing list: