The Youth Leadership Camp (YLC) is an annual four-week leadership program for deaf high school students which has been operating in the United States as a non-profit organization since the late 1960s.
Youth Leadership Camp activities are conducted in American Sign Language. YLC programs stress personal responsibility and accountability, organizational skills, team building, higher education and employment in its mission of scholarship, leadership and citizenship among deaf youth.
The YLC is accredited by the American Camp Association and is associated with the Lions Club in the states of Oregon and Washington.
Youth Leadership Camp applicants are evaluated in terms of academic standing, character, leadership potential, and involvement in school and community. Applicants must submit an essay and letters of recommendation in a process similar to selective college admission procedures.
YLC Locations
1969: Pine Lake Camp in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania in The Poconos
1970-1989: Swan Lake Lodge in Pengilly, Minnesota
1990-2002: Camp Taloali in Stayton, Oregon
2003: Camp Lakodia in Madison, South Dakota
2004: Sertoma Camp Endeavor in Dundee, Florida near Winter Haven
2005–present: Camp Taloali in Stayton, Oregon
Sponsors
Sponsors of deaf youth leadership programs such as the YLC include:
California State University, Northridge and its National Center on Deafness
Communication Service for the Deaf
Gallaudet University and its Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf
National Association of the Deaf (United States)
Rochester Institute of Technology and its National Technical Institute for the Deaf