Youth Leadership America (YLA) is dedicated to building leaders of tomorrow by providing leadership opportunities for motivated and talented young people. YLA advocates using the city as a classroom, giving students hands-on learning opportunities to develop real life professional skills. By partnering with local businesses and civic groups, these young people are able to learn by doing, and benefit from the mentorship of successful leaders. In return these businesses and our local communities benefit from the strategic input of Generation Y--a group which influences as much of half of the spending in the US economy.