Youth Development for Leadership

ERASE Racism’s Youth Development for Leadership Initiative (YDLI) empowers Long Island youth enrolled in public schools to advance equity in their schools and communities. The initiative encompasses three programs: the Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow Conferences (LILT), the Student Leaders for Equity Internship (SLEI), and the Student Task Force (STF).

Each of the programs has a unique focus and purpose discussed further below, but all three provide participants with opportunities to meet and connect with students from school districts across Long Island, to share their experiences and perspectives, and to draw on their shared insights to explore and develop innovative solutions to reduce structural racism. Together the three programs engage a broad range of students and ambitiously impact structural change in schools and communities using student collectivity and solidarity across racial, socio-economic, and district lines. Examples of this impact are outlined in this document.

The programs in our Youth Development for Leadership Initiative align with New York State Education Department's Portrait of a Graduate.

If you are an educator who landed on this page, we invite you to check out these slides on the Portrait of a Graduate, presented by Dr. Lorna Lewis at our 2026 Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow Conference.

Student Task Force

At the forefront of our work is our Student Task Force – a group of volunteer high school students passionate about creating change in their schools and communities while continuing to learn from others. To read about and sign up for our Student Task Force, click here.

Student Leadership for Equity Internship

Following the legacy of the organization’s commitment to addressing institutional and structural racism on Long Island, New York and nationally this program focuses on giving high school students the tools to organize and advocate for racial equity in their schools and communities. To read about our Student Leaders for Equity Internship, click here.

Support our Student Leaders for Equity Internship for years to come by donating to our GoFundMe.

Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow Conferences

The Long Island Leaders of Tomorrow Conferences (LILT) are full-day, student-led conferences with high school students from demographically diverse districts across Nassau and Suffolk counties. They are designed to: 1) connect students across racially segregated district lines and other areas of difference; 2) educate students about historical and ongoing structural racism on Long Island, and 3) inspire students to work together in order to make meaningful changes in their schools and communities.

You can already register for the 2026/27 Nassau Conference on Friday, November 20, 2026 by clicking here to register with 10 students, and clicking here to register with 5 students.

Registration details for the 2026/27 Suffolk Conference will be shared shortly.
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