Our Story
The Beginning
International Youth Initiatives (IYI) was established on March 31, 2013, by Youth Good Will Ambassador David Dean Sr. as a nonprofit organization committed to investing in the future of young people.
Liberia holds a unique place in history as Africa’s oldest modern republic, founded by formerly free African-American slaves and gaining independence in 1847. After decades of political instability and two devastating civil wars, Liberia has worked to rebuild and strengthen its communities, schools, and economy. Yet many young people continue to face limited access to education, technology, and opportunity.
IYI was founded in response to the need for greater access to quality education, educational resources, mentoring, leadership development, and positive environments where young people could learn and grow. With humble beginnings serving 10 students in after-school reading program, we quickly hit our target of 50 students. The need was evident, so IYI developed a curriculum designed to move beyond simply reading to students. The program equips underserved kids in urban slum communities with the skills to read independently, strengthen their math skills, teaching life skills all based from Biblical principles.
From its beginning, IYI has focused on creating opportunities for young people to become active participants in the development of their communities. The organization began working with schools in Central Monrovia, establishing YI Hubs that provided opportunities for mentoring, charitable projects, and youth engagement.
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Operation Read First
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Growing the Vision
As the organization developed, IYI expanded its work through educational programs, reading initiatives, leadership seminars, youth clubs, mentoring, community service, and international leadership opportunities.
Through initiatives such as Operation Read First, IYI worked to provide reading instruction and educational support to children who had limited access to educational resources.
IYI also developed a mentoring leadership opportunities for young people through leadership seminars and mentoring programs. In 2017, the LeaderShift Incubator is a 21-day leadership mentoring conference for high school students culminating in an international experience allowing IYI to become a member of the United Nations Youth Assembly in New York.
The IYI mentoring pillar through the “LeaderShift Incubator” has impacted several thousand schools in Monrovia and has a network of over 3000 high students in 22 high schools. Our goal is to grow our next generation of leaders who embrace and walk with integrity, culture and identity. than 3,000 students across four locations.
LeaderShift
United Nations Youth Assembly
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Our Future
The vision of IYI continues to grow.
What began as an initiative focused on youth development has developed into a broader vision for creating environments where young people can access education, technology, mentorship, leadership opportunities, and resources that prepare them to contribute to their communities and nation.
At the center of this vision is the Youth Resource Lab—a place designed to provide young people with access to educational resources, technology, mentoring, and opportunities for positive self-development and nation-building.
Today, IYI continues to build on this foundation with a vision of expanding Youth Resource Labs and creating greater opportunities for young people throughout Liberia and beyond.