The Village Youth Leadership Team
(An Annual Program of AIDS Delaware)

The Village Youth Leadership Team (VYLT) is a competitive 8-week program designed to empower and support Sexual- and/or Gender-Minority (LGBTQ+) youth ages 13-23. VYLT promotes self-esteem, health, harm reduction, resilience, and community support while developing and enhancing leadership skills for participants. This program was established in 2018 as a result of an expressed need for supportive programming for LGBTQ+ youth in Delaware.

MORE INFO TO COME ON 2025

Our Mission

The Village Delaware is a civic engagement effort of AIDS Delaware that serves to support LGBTQ+ people, with a focus on providing safe(r) spaces for youth ages 13-23. LGBTQ+/aligned youth can participate in the annual Village Youth Leadership Team (VYLT). In this program, youth build a network of peer support, find mentorship with LGBTQ+ professionals in Delaware, gain knowledge on a variety of topics, and find empowerment in order to help them thrive as they transition into early adulthood.  


The Village has established a list of values, which informed the programming and approach we take to our work, including:

– Collaboration 

– Creativity

– Fun

– Health & Wellness

– Intersectionality 

– Intentional Inclusiveness 

– Anti-racist

– Accessible

– Promoting Personal Growth

– Empowerment

– Self-acceptance

– Self-esteem

– Self-knowledge 

– Social Justice

– Reducing mental and physical LGBTQ+ health disparities; improving community wellness

– Uplifting our most vulnerable community members