About

About YLC

Shaping the Future, One Project at a Time


Our Mission

At the Young Leadership Council (YLC), we believe in the power of community-driven change. The Young Leadership Council is a non-profit, non-partisan civic organization created to develop leadership through community projects.

Our Legacy of Impact


1988 - Set the foundation for the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation. Today, it has an economic footprint of over $1 billion.

 

1989 - Illuminated the city's heart by fundraising $500,000+ for the Crescent City Connection lighting. Today, it stands tall as the Crescent City Connection.

 

1994 - Coined the popular slogan: "New Orleans: Proud to Call it Home," epitomizing civic pride. Our campaign stickers are now a familiar sight nationwide.

 

2000 - The streets of New Orleans were adorned with 210 fiberglass fish painted by over 150 artists through the Festival of Fins, the largest public art display in the city's history at the time. An auction of these artworks later raised $550,000, benefiting 65 local charities.


2003 - The Leadership Development Series, YLC’s ten-week series, was created by Executive Director Gerald Duhon. In this project, young leaders were connected with industry professionals to learn best practices in non-profit management. 


2004 - YLC partnered with the Literacy Alliance of Greater New Orleans to highlight issues of adult literacy and unite people across cultural lines by reading one book simultaneously. This project was dubbed: One Book One New Orleans.


2006 - YLC took over full production of the Wednesday at the Square concert series from the Downtown Development Distrtict after providing volunteers since its inaugural year in 1999. The free live music festival has become an annual rite of spring, attracting an average of 6,000 attendees each week. 


2008 - YLC launched its second public art display with miniature streetcar replicas designed by local artists and sponsored by area businesses. A Streetcar Named Inspire was a tangible sign of New Orleans’ recovery post-Hurrican Katrina. 


2010 - YLC members founded Youth Run NOLA, a project focused on developing healthy, young leaders through running. In 2013, Youth Run NOLA became its own independent non-profit. 


2013 - YLC partnered with the City of New Orleans to renovate the New Orleans Terminal Railroad Bridge and add decals to welcome Super Boarl XLVII attendees and other tourists to the city. 

YLC members created YLC Kicks, a youth program developed around soccer. 


2017 - YLC members created YLC Kicks, a youth program developed around soccer. In 2017, YLC Kicks became its own nonprofit managed by The Catalyst Group.

YLC partnered with ARC New Orleans for the Mardi Gras Recycling Initiative. 


2020 - YLC worked with the Krewe of Cleopatra to become the first krewe to offer on-float recycling.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, YLC pivoted to virtual leadership development programming and produced 85 virtual leadership development experiences with 36 hands-on leadership opportunities.

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Our Structure

As the nation's oldest independent YPO (Young Professionals' Organization), YLC proudly boasts:

 

  • Over 500 active members
  • 10 community-based projects
  • A 25-member board of directors
  • Three dedicated staff members
  • Numerous volunteer project leaders spearheading every YLC community initiative

Our Story


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In 1986, a group of visionary young New Orleanians recognized a gap in young professionals cultivating valuable leadership skills that they can use to engage the communities in which they live. They saw the social and economic complexities of engaging like-minded individuals but were optimistic about the opportunities. Unwilling to wait for a change in existing civic bodies, they took matters into their own hands. The result? The birth of the Young Leadership Council, where hands-on leadership met community project development.


Today, with more than 35 years behind us, we stand stronger than ever, with 500+ members actively reimagining our community's future.

Introduction

Through our projects, we aim to bring positive change to New Orleans and attract and nurture the city's young professionals. Since our inception, we've successfully generated over $25 million to support local initiatives.


The Journey Continues 

Our commitment remains unchanged. We are here to foster leadership, unity, and community progress. Join us as we continue to sculpt the next generation of leaders and further enrich the essence of New Orleans.


Explore, engage, and be a part of our journey. Your community awaits.

BECOME A MEMBER!
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