Young Leadership Council (YLC) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan civic organization created to develop leadership through community projects.

Our vision is to be the platform for young professionals to build strong communities and create social change.

Through volunteer-led community projects, YLC recruits and retains young professionals to New Orleans and has a positive impact on the quality of life in the region. The oldest independent YPO (young professionals’ organization) in the country, YLC has raised more than $25 million to support community projects in and around the New Orleans area since 1986.

YLC has more than 500 members and is led by a 24-member board of directors and two staff members. Each community initiative is led by one or more volunteer project leaders.

In the spring of 1986, a handful of young New Orleanians came together to tackle problems facing the community. They were a few years out of college and didn’t think existing civic organizations would afford them opportunities for hands-on involvement. So, they formed their own organization and called it the Young Leadership Council. Their unique and primary focus was leadership development through community projects.

The YLC lives on more than 35 years later in the same tradition with over 500 members and numerous community projects.