About

Youth Advocates for Change is a California-based youth development organization helping young people turn their ideas, interests, and lived experiences into meaningful action.

Founded in 2020 as a grassroots, youth-led creative activism movement, YAFC began with a simple belief: young people should have the tools and support to create change around the issues that matter to them. As we've grown, that belief has expanded beyond advocacy to include entrepreneurship, career exploration, mentorship, and opportunities for young people to build something of their own.

Today, we work alongside schools, community organizations, mentors, and partners to help young people explore what they care about, develop their ideas, create change in their communities, and discover new possibilities for their futures.

Whether a young person is launching a community project, building an organization, exploring a career, or simply figuring out what they want to do next, YAFC is here to help them take the next step.

Youth-centered. Possibility-driven. Action-oriented.

At YAFC, we create spaces where young people feel supported to explore who they are, what they care about, and what they want to do with their ideas.

Our approach is grounded in the belief that:

Young people deserve the opportunity to lead and make their own decisions
Great ideas grow when young people have access to the right people, tools, and resources
Exposure and mentorship can change what a young person believes is possible for their future
Learning becomes more meaningful when young people have opportunities to put it into action

We meet young people where they are and help them move forward—whether that means creating change in their community, building an idea from the ground up, exploring a new career, or connecting with someone who can help open the next door

Our Evolution

Youth Advocates for Change has grown alongside the young people we serve.

What began in 2020 as a collective of high school students using art, storytelling, and advocacy to respond to injustice has grown into an organization helping young people take their ideas further.

Over the years, we learned that young people don't just need a platform for their voices—they need access to mentorship, resources, relationships, and real opportunities to turn what they care about into something tangible.

That realization has shaped the YAFC of today. Our work now spans community change, entrepreneurship, career exploration, and mentorship, creating more ways for young people to discover what's possible and take meaningful steps toward it.