Introducing IPYG Affiliate Organization – Arrow Youth Leadership Council International (AYLCI)

 

Arrow Youth Leadership Council International (AYLCI), headquartered in Union City, Georgia, USA, is a youth leadership organization that empowers young people to develop the leadership and career skills needed in the 21st century through mentoring, academic support, and civic engagement. Guided by its four core principles—mind, mouth, heart, and hands—the organization aims to cultivate well-rounded leaders who embody intellectual growth, effective communication, empathy, and practical action.

 

 

In 2025, AYLCI partnered with IPYG to establish the Youth Engagement & Peacebuilding Working Group (YEPW) in Atlanta to address issues such as conflict and violence within the community. Through its flagship project, Play4Peace ATL, the group supported young people in designing peace initiatives based on their own experiences with conflict. It also provided training on how to communicate with government officials and how to draft policy proposals. Through these efforts, the initiative created an environment where youth can grow as key actors for peace within their communities.

AYLCI also hosted a “Critical Community Conversation,” bringing together representatives of six cities, youth, and local residents to openly discuss issues of violence, equity, and solidarity. A few months later, the City of South Fulton unanimously endorsed the youth-led Play4Peace project and officially proclaimed June 6–8 as the Weekend of Peace.

 

 

YEPW in Atlanta developed a toolkit to help local governments implement YEPW activities and encouraged municipalities to adopt a peace-building framework. The group also advanced a city-level resolution supporting Article 10 of the Declaration of Peace and Cessation of War (DPCW) focused on spreading a culture of peace. As a result, five cities and counties—South Fulton, Stonecrest, Fairburn, DeKalb County, and Fulton County—officially adopted a legislative proclamation supporting Article 10 of the DPCW and proclaimed their own “Weekend of Peace.”

These achievements have drawn significant attention to the collaboration between AYLCI and IPYG as a new model of youth peace leadership—one that integrates peace education, civic engagement, and leadership development.

Dr. Maya Taylor, founder and executive officer of AYLCI, who has spent decades helping young people grow into exemplary adults, shared the following message with youth around the world:

“Young people, we know that you’re the age when you want to play, and that’s wonderful. We just want you to understand the value in playing for peace. When we play for peace, we learn how to get along with one another, and we learn how to care for one another. Because indeed we are all on one team, one world, and one team. So let’s play for peace.”