Youth LEAD provides teens and young adults with resources and support to set and meet personal goals.  Youth LEAD empowers young people to meet their goals for education, employment and inclusive recreation. Youth LEAD also helps community organizations offer inclusive recreation.

Why Youth LEAD?

Youth LEAD is designed to inspire systems change in the transition from youth to adulthood. Increasingly young adults with developmental disabilities are graduating from inclusive education settings and seeking opportunities to grow up in inclusive communities. The need to empower youth to continue to go to school, work, and access recreation in inclusive environments is of increasing concern to teens and their families.

Youth LEAD is based on research conducted by the UMKC Institute for Human Development and its programmatic elements are informed by best practices. UMKC IHD’s research identified three local, pressing needs for young people with developmental disabilities:

1. Increased opportunities to develop self-advocacy and leadership skills
2. Youth-friendly materials that support goals related to inclusive recreation, continuing education and employment.
3. Improved capacity of youth-serving programs to include, support and accommodate people with developmental disabilities.

Youth LEAD Goal

In response to these needs, the overall goal of Youth LEAD is “to create a sustained community infrastructure through which to support the leadership development of youth and emerging leaders with developmental disabilities.” This project focuses on engaging and supporting leadership development for youth from diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds within the urban area of Kansas City.

Youth LEAD Leadership

Youth LEAD is by teens and young adults, for teens and young adults. A Youth Congress of teens and young adults with disabilities works with representatives of youth-serving organizations provide program leadership.  This means, they make program decisions, provide input on what young people are interested in and develop youth-friendly resources.

Youth LEAD is funded by the Administration on Developmental Disabilities Projects of National Significance.