About Us

Our History

Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL) was founded in 2011 in Puducherry, India, as a youth-led non-profit organization started and run by college students from Puducherry and Tamil Nadu. By 2019, TYCL India was being supported by more than 100 local volunteers to run thirteen different projects and programs. Many of these projects were based on new innovations that were piloted for the first time in India. TYCL continues to operate in Puducherry with the aim of bringing positive change in youth, children, and their communities through safe, inclusive, participative, and innovative leadership models.

In 2018, Trust for Youth and Child Leadership (TYCL) International, Inc. was registered as a 501(c)3 not-for-profit organization in New York State. As an international entity, TYCL aims to expand its projects and its influence towards positive youth-led change on a global platform.

Our Mission

TYCL International creates safe, inclusive, and participative spaces for and with young people and their allies to realize their full potential through innovative leadership models.

Our Vision

All young people enjoy their rights and are empowered to act locally with creative skills, leadership, and indigenous knowledge to find sustainable solutions for issues affecting the people and planet in their own communities.

Our values

Mutual Transformation
We are willing to have our perceptions and ideas changed and we are willing to share our views and experiences with others who are also open to being changed.

Meaningful and Relevant Participation
We respect the life histories of all child, youth and adult participants, irrespective of race, class, caste, region, religion, language, culture, sexuality, gender, age, nationality, creed, disability, etc.

Dialogue
We learn with and from others by sharing our views in ways that respect other peoples’ views. We choose to dialogue on our issues, not debate.

Reflection
We are observant and aware of our own feelings and thoughts and we take time to reflect on how those feelings and thoughts impact the way we act in the world.

Connection
We are conscious of how all people and issues are not separate or alone. We see the connection between issues as well as our connection to other people. We recognize that this world is an interconnected and interdependent place.

Action
We commit to make changes in our own lives, our local communities and our global communities. We value action that follows and is reinforced by our principles to address the community issues that matter most to us.