MEMBER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN◆COMPETITION REGISTRATION OPEN◆POLICY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE◆MEMBER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN◆COMPETITION REGISTRATION OPEN◆POLICY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE◆MEMBER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN◆COMPETITION REGISTRATION OPEN◆POLICY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE◆MEMBER APPLICATIONS NOW OPEN◆COMPETITION REGISTRATION OPEN◆POLICY RESEARCH OPPORTUNITIES AVAILABLE◆

About us

Student ideas. Real outcomes.

Why we exist

"Students have good ideas about the places they live. We built the structure to do something with them."

YCTT is a student-led organization that connects local problems to student research, competitions, and civic engagement. We work in Artesia and Cerritos, with plans to expand to other cities as partnerships develop.

The idea started from a straightforward frustration. There are a lot of youth civic programs. Most of them produce certificates. Very few produce anything a city can use.

We wanted to build something different. Competitions that ask students to actually solve a problem rather than perform one. Internships where the deliverable is a real policy brief, not a reflection essay. And commissions that stay inside city governance after each cohort of students moves on.

We are starting in Artesia, where Councilmember Zeel Ahir has sponsored the work and opened the door to real city partnerships. That is where we are building first.

How commissions work

Not a club. Commissions.

Example commissions

  • ◆Business & Economy Commission
  • ◆Public Health Commission
  • ◆Parks, Recreation & Environmental Safety Commission
  • ◆Education & Youth Services Commission
  • ◆Technology & Innovation Commission
  • ◆Housing & Urban Development Commission

Commission members research their subject area, draft policy recommendations, and present findings to city partners. The commission structure is permanent, meaning there is always a body of student researchers working on local issues, not just a one-time project that ends when the semester does.

Commission member applications are currently open.

What we stand for

How we operate.

Local problems first

We start with community input and work on real issues in the cities we operate in. Not national hypotheticals. Actual local problems with actual stakeholders.

Across all disciplines

Policy, business, computer science, healthcare, humanities. The same local issue can be tackled from any angle. Good thinking does not belong to one field.

Permanent infrastructure

We build commissions and partnerships designed to outlast any single group of students. The structure stays. The work compounds. This is not a one-year project.

By students, for cities

The organization is run by students. The research is done by students. We are not a program that happens to students. We are students doing real work.

Real impact

Work that sits in a folder is not the goal. Student output goes to city partners, elected officials, and institutions that can act on it.

Open access

Not a selective honor society. If you want to work on something meaningful, there is a place for you here.

Where we operate

Our cities.

We are building in Artesia and Cerritos. Both cities have local issues worth working on. Both have students who care about them.

Artesia

Launching first. Commission formation underway, first competition in Spring 2026. Sponsored by Councilmember Zeel Ahir.

Cerritos

Partnership being established. Commissions and competitions coming as we grow.