named programs · 5 · from sources
What they call their work
Action Committee
Youth-led organizing and campaign arm fighting to abolish police and metal detectors in NYC public schools; includes direct actions, policy advocacy, and media campaigns.
Empower Fellowship
18-week stipended fellowship for youth ages 15–19 focused on identity development, leadership training, allyship, and self-led advocacy projects.
External Workshops
Facilitated workshops on organizing, students' rights, school-to-prison pipeline, and community resistance offered to schools and community groups citywide.
Summer Social Justice Institute
Seven-week stipended program for youth ages 15–19 focusing on anti-oppression, organizing skills, and political education through workshops and visits to community organizations in NYC.
YA-YA Squad
General membership collective offering monthly events, workshops, and opportunities to participate in advocacy efforts and direct actions.
activities · 4 groups
What they do
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Youth Leadership Development Programs 4 activities
- External youth workshops in schools and community organizationsConducts workshops in New York City schools and community organizations, engaging 20–30 youth per session on topics such as identity, self-advocacy, and leadership, facilitated by trained YA-YA youth facilitators.
- Youth leadership development and civic engagement programOffers holistic leadership development programs for youth ages 15–19 in New York City, including anti-oppression training, political education, organizing skills, and identity development through in-person workshops and peer collaboration. Programs include an 18-week fellowship and a 7-week summer program meeting multiple days per week, with participants receiving modest stipends to support their economic participation.
- Youth stipend programProvides modest financial support to youth participants in leadership and community-building programs, including a $100 monthly stipend for Action Committee members and stipends during the summer program, to reduce economic barriers to participation.
- Youth-led advocacy and campaign participationSupports youth in designing and leading self-directed advocacy action projects and participating in campaigns to end the school-to-prison pipeline and advance racial, social, and economic justice. Includes direct actions, policy advocacy, and community impact initiatives led by youth organizers.
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Annual Impact and Evaluation Reporting 1 activity
- Annual documentation of program and campaign progressProduces annual reviews that document progress across youth leadership programs and social justice campaigns, highlighting community empowerment outcomes and youth-led impact.
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Education Policy Advocacy & Reform 1 activity
- Policy advocacy and testimony at the Panel for Education PolicyProvides monthly testimonies at the NYC Panel for Education Policy to influence school safety policies, particularly regarding metal detectors and Chancellors Regulation A-432, based on student experiences and youth-led research.
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Criminal Justice Policy Advocacy 1 activity
- Story-based media campaigns on school justice issuesProduces ongoing media campaigns since 2018 featuring interviews with students, teachers, parents, and community members about their experiences with school metal detectors and visions for restorative justice, aimed at shifting public narrative and policy.
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financials · form 990 · fy2024
revenue
Total revenue$519K
Contributions & grants$517K100%
Program service revenue$00%
Investment income$00%
Other revenue$2K
expenses
Total expenses$416K
Program expenses89%
Admin / overhead10%
Fundraising0%
Salaries & benefits$291K
Grants paid out$0
Largest expense lineCompensation
balance sheet
Total assets$123K
Cash$123K
Investments$0
Liabilities$0
Net assets$123K
Liquid reserves3.5 mo
6 years on record · 2019–2024 · YoY revenue +97.5%
leadership · form 990 part vii · fy2024
Who runs it
paid leadership · 1
| Name | Title | Hours/wk | Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| RAUL SOTO | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR | 40 | $122K |
board members · 4
- ALAN KANTZ — DIRECTOR/SECRETARY
- DON KAO — DIRECTOR
- JOI RAE — DIRECTOR/TREASURER
- SHALENA BROADDNAX — DIRECTOR
relationships · 14
Who they work with
- Board of Directors Partner — Responsible for governance, fiscal oversight, and stewarding the organization's vision and values.
- Brotherhood-Sisterhood Sol Partner — Community-based organization whose members were interviewed for YA-YA's media campaign on school safety and metal detectors.
- Chinese Staff and Workers Association Partner — Co-leads tours with YA-YA Network to educate youth about the impact of development and displacement in neighborhoods like Chinatown and the Lower East Side.
- HOLLA Partner — Community-based organization whose members were interviewed for YA-YA's media campaign on school safety and metal detectors.
- New York City Government — Engages youth in activism related to city policies and institutions in New York City.
- New York City schools Partner — YA-YA Network conducts workshops in NYC schools, collaborating with student groups and educators on youth organizing and social justice education.
- Parent Action Committee Partner — Community-based organization whose members were interviewed for YA-YA's media campaign on school safety and metal detectors.
- RYTF Partner — Community-based organization whose members shared experiences for YA-YA's "Tale of Two Schools" media piece on racial disparities in school policing.
- Schomburg Center Partner — Hosts YA-YA Network youth for visits to exhibitions such as the Black Power exhibition as part of political education programming.
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project Partner — Collaborates with YA-YA Network during Gender Justice Week to educate youth on issues affecting the Trans and Gender Non-Conforming community, particularly as they relate to incarceration.
- YA-YA Network Partner — Collaborates with supporters, volunteers, and partners to advance mission
- Youth Against Displacement Partner — Co-leads tours with YA-YA Network to educate youth about the impact of development and displacement in neighborhoods like Chinatown and the Lower East Side.
- community bases connected to youth activists Partner — YA-YA Network partners with community organizations across NYC that are linked to youth activist networks to deliver workshops and build organizing capacity.
- joinyaya@yayanetwork.org Partner — Email contact point for fellowship inquiries and engagement.
strategies · 3
How they approach the work
Named approaches extracted from this org’s sources. Where others share an approach, follow it to see the full set of orgs running it.
- Dual-Strategy Media and Policy Advocacymethodology: media_and_policy_dual_strategyBy pairing media-based storytelling with direct policy advocacy, we produce shifts in public discourse and institutional practices because narrative change amplifies youth voices and strengthens campaign impact on issues like school safety and policing.
- Transformative Political Education & Critical Consciousnessmethodology: transformative_political_educationBy combining radical education, popular pedagogy, and critical reflection on power, privilege, and oppression, we produce empowered youth leaders who can act as allies and organizers because this approach builds solidarity and transforms individual and collective understanding of systemic injustice.
- Youth-Led Systemic Changemethodology: youth_led_systemic_changeBy centering youth as leaders and organizers, we produce systemic social change because young people develop critical consciousness, collective agency, and political power to challenge structural injustices and transform institutions like schools.