Twenty years ago, a group of concerned Asian parents knew that something was missing from their children’s education. Their qualms were not with the educational system – public or private. Their children had excelled in their studies and demonstrated academic excellence. What they realized was that academics only represented  part of the picture in determining one’s success in the real world. And so they acted. In 1989 they held the very first Youth Leadership Conference. As word spread in the Asian community of YLC’s teachings of leadership, communication, and self-discovery, interest grew. Student attendance increased with each passing summer, and a few years later, conferences were held at Rice University in order to accommodate more students. The early YLC conferences were held in just one day; today they conference is held over a weekend-long program. A formal group – the Youth Leadership Council – made up entirely of volunteers was established to oversee the planning and delivery of the YLC annual summer conference.

It is with great honor that I present you with YLC 2.0 (pronounced “two-point-oh”). The redesign of our website not only follows a recent Internet movement to improve web interfaces, but YLC 2.0 commemorates the volunteers, sponsors, students, and parents that have made YLC possible for over 20 years.

YLC alumni, we know you’re out there! It doesn’t matter how  you were involved in YLC. We want to hear from you! Reconnect with old YLC friends on our Facebook Fan Page. Send us a message on Twitter. Subscribe to our email newsletter.