Tucson Youth Leadership Academy
About Tucson Youth Leadership Academy
The Tucson Youth Leadership Academy is a partnership between Greater Tucson Leadership and the Pima County Superintendent’s Office to expand the leadership skills of high school students and develop career readiness. We partner with Pima County school districts to bring our top-notch leadership development curriculum into local high schools. The goal of the program is to retain students in Pima County, and help them explore career pathways in fields pertinent to the future workforce of the Greater Tucson Region.
Program Attributes
Gallup Strengths Finder Assessment – Students discover their top five strengths and utilize those to understand and frame their leadership development.
Myers-Briggs Strong Interest Survey – The assessment provides robust insight into a person’s interests, so students can consider potential careers, their educational path, and the world of work.
Leadership Development – Students learn leadership development skills in Visioning, Public Speaking, Personal Brand Development, Conflict Management and Resolution, Values Exploration, Active Listening, Problem Solving, and developing Personal Mission Statements and Goals.
Career Pathway Panels – Students meet directly with leaders from the community. Past speakers have represented the following companies: Raytheon, Union Pacific, Paragon Space Development, Freefall Aerospace, Tucson Electric Power, Southwest Gas, Caterpillar, Roche Tissue Diagnostics, El Rio Health, and more.
Career Shadowing – Students spend 10 hours in a job shadow placement situated in one of the WIB economic sectors.
Program Design
Leadership Development Retreat – 12 hours
Four Class Days – 10 hours
Job Shadowing – 8 hours
Graduation Ceremony
“TYLA is a program that offers beneficial and insightful information that helps high schoolers develop and refine their unique individual traits to become a strong leader.” -TYLA Participant
May 9, 2025 - GTL received the Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Service to Community from the Metro Education Commission for our Tucson Youth Leadership Academy (TYLA) program. TYLA is all about empowering students through leadership training, career exploration, and mentorship, all at no cost to them. This award celebrates the incredible impact TYLA has had in preparing the next generation of change-makers and reflects our mission to recognize, develop, and engage driven leaders to be catalysts for change. We are so thankful to the educators, mentors, sponsors, and community partners who make this program possible.
Tucson Youth leadership Academy Class History
2022 Spring - Tanque Verde High School
2022 Fall - Tucson Magnet High School
2023 Spring - Amphitheater High School
2023 Fall - Flowing Wells High School
2024 Spring - Catalina High School
2024 Fall - Santa Rita High School
2025 Spring - Palo Verde High School
2025 Fall - Marana High School
2026 Spring - TBD
Demographics
At Greater Tucson Leadership we strive to recruit participants that reflect the Tucson Community. These are the demographics of all 7 cohorts combined.Gender
80% Female
20% Male
Ethnicity
8% American Indian or Alaskan Native
6% Asian / Pacific Islander
17% Black or African American
40% Hispanic
15% White / Caucasian
14% Multiple ethnicity / Other
SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
Your support of GTL's TYLA is an investment in young adults in our community who will be future leaders and change-makers. This investment will positively impact our community for years to come. Thank you!
Click here for TYLA Sponsorship Opportunities.
Contact GTL Development Director, Jamie Leon-Guerrero at [email protected] or (520) 445-5059 for more information.
