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YCD Chapters
What ages can participate in YCD chapters?
YCD is intended for middle school, high school, and college-aged youth (generally ages 11 and above). Each chapter is limited to a specific age range: either middle school age (11-13), high school age (14-18) or young adult age (19-22).
What kind of groups become YCD chapters?
YCD chapters may be school- or organization-based, meaning that every participant attends the same school or is a member of the same organization. Examples include a gay-straight alliance, an affinity group such as a Black Student Alliance, or a student council at a high school; as well as a youth coalition connected to a Boys and Girls Club or local government. School- and organization-based chapters pay an annual membership fee to gain the benefits of being a YCD chapter.
YCD chapters may also be community-based, meaning participants do not come from the same organization, and it is open to any person in the community of that age. This is YCD’s recommended approach, so that youth from different schools and backgrounds can mix and create a more diverse membership. Community-based chapters do not pay to participate in YCD.
YCD will also enter into partnership agreements with local non-profits to host or sponsor a YCD chapter in their space. Partnerships are only available for community-based chapters that are open to all youth in the community.
What happens in a YCD chapter?
YCD chapters are inclusive youth-led spaces where group members are empowered to explore their identities, develop skills to succeed both individually as as activists, educate themselves and their peers on social issues, and advance inclusion and justice in their community.
Chapters typically meet every other week for 60-90 minutes. A chapter meeting will start with an icebreaker or check-in to help group members bond, followed by a workshop, activity or discussion selected by the chapter youth co-leaders in advance. Every meeting is different! Two adult mentors will be present for meetings to ensure everyone remains safe, and to give guidance to the youth co-leaders. Finally, the group will decide on and implement a project of their own making. Through the process, group members build community, knowledge, skills, and most of all, have fun together.
What’s the difference between a chapter and a Student Board?
Student Boards are a special type of YCD chapter that will plan our regional and statewide conferences. However these groups will receive input from the other chapters in their state or area to guide them in their planning process. Additionally, youth must apply and be accepted to Student Boards at the beginning of the school year, whereas with other chapters, new members can join at any time.
Who leads a YCD chapter?
Our model recommends two youth co-leaders (sometimes called co-chairs) to lead each chapter for a year. These two leaders receive specific training from YCD to prepare them for this role. While some groups may opt to have one or three leaders, we have always found it best to have two based on years of experience.
Additionally, two adult mentors will support the chapter and the co-leaders, but do not “run” meetings and are not “in charge.” Our program is youth-led, so that adults are there to provide guidance and answer questions when needed. We provide training to adults on how to mentor in youth-led spaces as well.
Do I need to have an existing club or group?
Nope! YCD supports students who are looking for guidance on how to start a new group, or people who have an existing group but want to take it to the next level. It doesn’t matter whether you are one person, five people, twenty people. Contact us for help in starting a new chapter in your school or community!
Do I need to live in Colorado or New Mexico?
Absolutely not! While we have in-person conferences in Colorado and New Mexico, youth and supportive adults can register YCD chapters anywhere in the country (or around the world). YCD supports these chapters with many of the same benefits available in CO and NM, including support for organizing a group, training for student leaders, YCD’s curriculum and workshop guides for regular meetings, a virtual conference experience, guidance on completing an action project, and monthly support emails and Zoom mentorship meetings.
Does my group need to start YCD at the beginning of the school year?
No, your group or club can start the program at any time. While our guides and approach are designed around the school year, you can adapt the timeline for whatever works for your group, and our team is available for advice and support.
Does my group need to attend a YCD conference to become a chapter?
Nope! You can sign up as a YCD chapter, download our guides, gain access to our library of workshop guides and curriculum, and plan an action project even if you aren’t able to attend one of our conferences. Of course, we think these events are important and powerful experiences, and offer a virtual conference for any group that isn’t able to make it to our in-person events.
What does it cost to become a YCD chapter?
There are different costs depending on whether your chapter will be middle school aged or high school aged, and what state it is located in. This is because we offer slightly different benefits in each of these scenarios. Use the button below to review the costs.
Are discounts or scholarships available?
We work hard to keep costs low so that YCD programs are accessible to all. If you would like to participate but do not have funds to pay the cost, please contact us to discuss potential scholarships that may be available. We are committed to ensuring that cost never prevents a student or educator from participating in YCD programs.
Does your organization have an agenda?
Yes! We’re all about empowering students working to make their schools and communities inclusive, safe, and nurturing for all identities.
How do I get started?
Sign up for YCD! Visit the button below to begin your journey with YCD. If you have additional questions, please contact us.
YCD Conferences and Events
What YCD events are upcoming?
Visit our calendar of upcoming events below for more details.
Do I have to be a YCD chapter member to attend a YCD event?
No. We encourage groups to register as YCD chapters for the best experience and for the most benefits, but you may register for an upcoming event even if you are not yet formally a YCD chapter. Contact us to discuss.
Does an adult need to attend YCD events with students?
We highly recommend every chapter or group have an adult chaperone. However, this is not a requirement if no adult is available to join.
Can a student attend a YCD event alone? Do you have to attend through a group?
Yes, a single student can attend by themselves. We’d encourage students to form a group or chapter, whether it be two people or more, so that they have support in their efforts to advance inclusion and social justice. In some cases, we can also facilitate introductions between groups from the same school or community.
Can an adult attend a YCD event alone, without students?
Most of YCD’s events are student-centric and student-led, and intended for students as the audience. If you are an adult who works regularly with youth and would like to attend a YCD conference or event, you can still attend without students, though we’d strongly encourage having at least one or two students join you.
Adults not connected with schools or youth-serving organizations are encouraged to volunteer to support YCD events. We also offer some professional development events for educators from time to time.
Do you offer scholarships or discounts?
Yes, we work hard to ensure YCD programs are accessible to all. If your group is interested in joining a YCD event and does not have funding, please contact us to discuss possible solutions.
Does YCD have conferences outside of Colorado and New Mexico?
Yes, we now offer an annual virtual conference for chapters and groups outside of Colorado or New Mexico, or anyone who can’t make it to our in-person events!
As YCD chapters develop in additional states across the country, YCD aims to launch formal programs with in-person conferences in additional states over time.
Can groups from other states attend in-person YCD conferences?
Yes, groups outside of a state can travel to join a YCD conference. We encourage you to get in touch with us before registering to discuss. Our conferences often fill to capacity, so we try to reserve most conference space for students from the state where the event is taking place.
Do students need to be fluent in English to attend YCD events?
No. We value linguistic diversity and welcome everyone to participate in YCD events and programs. If a student requires an interpreter to participate, please let us know and we’ll work with you to make the necessary arrangements. In locations where we have a large number of Spanish speakers, we may also consider having workshops or discussion groups specifically for Spanish speakers. We also offer ASL interpretation at all our events (when requested) free of charge, so that Deaf students can always participate.
Do you offer child care at YCD events?
When requested, we will offer child care or provide funding to cover child care costs, especially for teen parents, so that they may participate in YCD events and programs.
How do I register for an upcoming event?
The easiest way to register for any event or opportunity is to visit the Sign Up for YCD page, and follow the prompts.
Presenting a Workshop with YCD
Who selects which workshops are featured at YCD conferences?
We are strongly committed to making all YCD events 100% youth-led. Each YCD conference has a Student Board with 20-some students. This group selects all topics, workshops, and speakers for their conference. YCD’s Board of Directors and staff do not play a role in selecting workshops and speakers for our conferences.
How long are workshop sessions?
Workshops are 60 minutes in length, plus an additional 10 minutes to administer an evaluation.
How are presenters evaluated?
YCD provides hardcopy evaluations to attendees at the end of each session. YCD collects and tabulates these evaluations. We provide results of the evaluations via email to presenters, usually within two weeks of a conference or event.
Does YCD offer honorariums for workshop presenters?
Every workshop presenter may choose to indicate whether they require an honorarium as part of the proposal process. Each conference’s Student Board has a budget for their event, to pay for the keynote speaker, performers, as well as workshop presenters. These students decide how they want to allocate their budget. In general, established nonprofits have offered their sessions for free, and independent D&I experts have charged $250 or less to present their session twice at a single conference. It is rare that YCD can afford to pay a single presenter more than $250 for one conference.
If you are willing to present your workshop free and would like the work to be acknowledged as an in-kind donation of services, we can provide an acknowledgement letter for tax purposes.
Does YCD accept workshops from speakers that must travel long-distance for the event?
In general, we aim to feature workshop speakers and presenters from the local community where the conference is taking place. This way, students in attendance build connections with resources they can seek out for more information after the conference. We also have a limited budget as a small non-profit organization, so cannot support long-distance travel.
If you are willing to cover your own travel expenses, you may still propose your workshop for a Student Board to consider.
How can I propose a workshop for an upcoming YCD conference or event?
Use the button below to visit the Propose a Workshop page.
Action Projects
Does YCD pick an action project for each group to do each year?
Definitely not — the barriers to inclusion and social justice within each community and school are different. Some groups may face serious issues connected to homophobia and transphobia; others may face challenges with economic inequality or homelessness. Our program emphasizes local, student-led decision-making around what issue needs to be focused on and addressed through an action project. Each chapter will pursue a unique, independent action project that they have decided is appropriate for their context. We’re here to support and guide as requested along the way.
Volunteering
Can I volunteer with YCD?
Yes! Our organization relies upon the help of amazing volunteers, and we’d love your help. Visit the Volunteer page for more information on current volunteering opportunities.
Do I have to pass a background check to volunteer?
Yes. YCD has an adopted Youth Safeguarding Policy that requires all volunteers to go through a background check. This check does not include any credit history. This step is important to ensure we are keeping our youth safe in YCD spaces at all times. This process generally takes one week to complete.
Youth volunteers (ages 18 and below) who attend a school hosting a YCD conference are exempted from this process.
Can I attend and volunteer at the same YCD event?
In most cases, attendees at YCD conferences and events are busy the entire day. We require help from volunteers to support these events. Thus, it’s not possible to attend part of the day and volunteer on the same day.
Donations
What costs does YCD incur that donations cover?
Our organization operates on a lean budget to keep costs low. For in-person conferences and events, our costs are primarily food (we serve breakfast, lunch and a snack), materials (we provide water bottles and pens to all attendees), and speaker honorariums. We strive to host our events in venues that donate their space. Costs outside of in-person events include curriculum development, technology to support our programs and website, and curation of ongoing virtual programming for students and educators.
Can I direct my donation to support a specific state or event?
Yes, we operate independent budgets for every conference and state where we have in-person events. Donations can be directed to sponsor or support individual conferences in your vicinity, or to sponsor/cover the costs for students and educators in your city, county, or school district. You can also make a general donation to support the development of our curriculum and online programming that benefits students nationwide, as well as operating costs.
Is my donation tax-deductible?
Yes. Youth Celebrate Diversity is approved by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Donations to Youth Celebrate Diversity are tax-deductible. You can view our IRS Form 1023 application or view our 501(c)(3) determination letter!
Can I donate online with a credit card?
Absolutely! We accept online donations via NetworkForGood.
Does YCD accept in-kind donations?
Yes! We love in-kind donations from businesses and can use them during our fundraising efforts. Please contact us to explore ways to partner and align your business with youth creating inclusive schools and communities.
To whom should checks be made payable?
Youth Celebrate Diversity
Where do I send cash or check donations?
Youth Celebrate Diversity
7900 E. Union Avenue
Suite 1100
Denver, CO 80237
Please also include a note with your personal or company information, so we can provide an acknowledgement letter for your donation.
Organizational History
How did YCD get started? What is its history?
1993: Students and a teacher in a Denver suburb noticed teens across Colorado were struggling with similar social issues, but many times did not have the resources, knowledge, or platform to effectively address these challenges. After creating the Cherry Creek Diversity Conference (now YCD’s Colorado Youth Diversity Conference), word spread across the state, and within a few years the conference had an annual attendance of 90+ schools and youth organizations.
2014: A group of alumni from the Cherry Creek event formed Youth Celebrate Diversity as a non-profit organization to expand on its success and support teens working for change across the country.
2016: YCD began offering professional development for teachers, focused on how they can advance inclusion and social justice within their classrooms and buildings.
2017: YCD hired its first paid, full-time Executive Director, and supported students in creating the Mountain West Diversity Conference (Gypsum) for Colorado’s Western Slope.
2018: YCD supported students in creating the New Mexico Diversity Conference for Youth (Albuquerque). Also, YCD was awarded the 2018 Colorado Governor’s Service Award for Outstanding Non-Profit Organization.
2019: YCD forged a partnership with Colorado State University and local teens to create the NoCoWyo Diversity Conference (Fort Collins) to support students across northern Colorado and southern Wyoming working for positive social change.
2020: In response to COVID-19 and to make the work more accessible, the organization shifted its focus to supporting local student organizing, action, and virtual programming.
2023: YCD launches its new chapter-based strategic plan and curriculum.
What if my question is not answered on this page?
Contact us! We’d love to hear from you.
