• Our History

    Starting in a church environment in 2003, Young Adult Youth Leaders, (Y.A.Y.L.) was created from the desire to have a  youth-led, fun, safe and exclusive place for teenagers to engage and openly discuss their daily life struggles.  


    As more teenagers got involved Y.A.Y.L. quickly gained popularity from  churches and other youth groups. The youth started to counsel each other about the different challenges teenagers face and the different ways they dealt with them. This is when our founder, Andra McCarty realized that YAYL could be so much more than a church youth group and more of a safe haven for underprivileged kids. It allowed kids to be honest, transparent, and supportive of each other. It became her passion, her why and what she wanted to do with the rest of her life. 


    After reaching adulthood, she worked in the public school system for almost 20 years. The same issues and obstacles were evident. She immediately became an advocate for underprivileged kids from dysfunctional homes. This is when she realized she could expand YAYL to reach kids that didn’t have a spiritual background but who faced the same challenges. 


    In 2014, YAYL was officially formed and incorporated into a 501c3 certified organization.  We grew into a community outreach with the purpose to inspire positive social change by empowering at-risk youth to overcome adversity resulting in positive long-term lifestyle changes consequently strengthening our communities.


    Over the years, YAYL has grown from 5 members to over 40 members at a given time. Some of the original members has stayed involved in the organization through their children or in some instances grandchildren. The expectation of YAYL is to possibly alter the course of dysfunction and provide the guidance and resources to encourage visionaries. 

Our Leadership

Every member of our board of directors is an experienced leader who has made significant contributions to our society. 

Each one brings a unique set of skills and expertise to our organization. 

Andra McCarty
Founder/CEO

Mrs. McCarty has led a 20-year-old youth development organization which centers around at-risk youth, helping to guide them back on a productive path for success.


Since starting Young Adult Youth Leaders Inc (Y.A.Y.L) Mrs. McCarty has introduced an exciting new strategy to allow more youth to achieve positive outcomes in three priority areas: Citizenship, Good Character, Healthy Lifestyles and encouraging Academic Success. To support (Y.A.Y.L.)  fostering these vital outcomes, Mrs. McCarty emphasizes the importance of building organizational capacity, improving program quality and consistency while being a leading advocate for the youth.


Youth under Mrs. McCarty leadership demonstrates great improvement in the areas of education, leadership, and healthy outcomes. Y.A.Y.L continues to introduce various programs that supports the three outcome areas, including summer learning enrichment program that emphasizes on their educational needs and mentors for the children as an additional support outlet. With a commitment to support Y.A.Y.L.’s success, Mrs. McCarty is a leading effort to strengthen the organization with various web platforms where youth can learn digital skills, which is a future thriving investment.


Mrs. McCarty has had a passion for children since she was a teenager, always wanted to give a part of herself to help a child in need. Mrs. McCarty has a BA degree in Business Management and an AS degree in Management/Education. She has several certifications in child development, child behavior management and child behavior modifications. For over 18 years she has worked with Orange County Public Schools in the capacities of Paraprofessional, Behavior Specialist and Teacher. Within all these experiences she formed Y.A.Y.L and started her nonprofit organization with growth of 3 generations and counting.