Next Level Leaders
- Leadership
- Entrepreneurship
- Financial Literacy
- Career Readiness
- Mental Wellness
- Mentorship
A youth leadership and economic opportunity program of Youth Texas Teams
Preparing Young People to Lead, Build, and Create Their Future
Youth Texas Teams Next Level Leaders is a youth development, leadership, and career-readiness program for young people ages 15–25 designed to help participants develop the knowledge, confidence, professional skills, and mindset needed to navigate education, employment, entrepreneurship, and adulthood.
The program uses sports as a platform for leadership and personal development, while connecting young people to practical skills in entrepreneurship, financial literacy, professional communication, career planning, and workforce development.
Participants learn how to turn their interests and strengths into goals, skills, opportunities, and action.
Our Approach
Young people need more than a resume to prepare for the future.
They need to understand how to communicate professionally, manage money, set goals, build relationships, make decisions, identify opportunities, and advocate for themselves.
They also need opportunities to practice those skills in real-world environments. Next Level Leaders creates that space through:
- Leadership
- Mental Wellness
- Skills
- Mentorship
- Financial Knowledge
- Career Exposure
- Entrepreneurship
- Opportunity
What Participants Learn
Leadership & Professional Development
Participants develop skills in:
- Leadership
- Communication
- Problem-solving
- Conflict resolution
- Professional etiquette
- Personal responsibility
- Teamwork
- Public speaking
- Decision-making
- Goal setting
- Time management
Financial Literacy
Participants explore practical financial concepts that can help prepare them for adulthood, including:
- Budgeting
- Banking
- Managing income
- Financial goal setting
- Preparing for independent living
- Saving
- Credit
- Understanding expenses
- Responsible spending
Career Readiness
Participants develop practical skills that can support their transition into employment and postsecondary opportunities.
Training may include:
- Resume development
- Interview preparation
- Networking
- LinkedIn and professional profiles
- Workplace problem-solving
- Professional communication
- Professional communication
- Career research
- Job-search strategies
- Career goal setting
Mentorship
Participants can connect with professionals, entrepreneurs, community leaders, athletes, business owners, and other mentors who can provide guidance and perspective.
Mentorship opportunities may include:
- Career conversations
- Business mentoring
- Mock interviews
- Entrepreneurship guidance
- Career pathway discussions
- Leadership discussions
- Resume reviews
- Professional networking
- Goal-setting conversations
Mental Wellness & Leadership
Leadership development also requires personal development.
Next Level Leaders incorporates mental wellness education into the program to help participants understand the relationship between stress, confidence, decision-making, relationships, and personal growth.
Participants explore:
- Stress management
- Resilience
- Healthy relationships
- Managing pressure
- Asking for help
- Confidence and self-esteem
- Healthy communication
- Goal setting
- Healthy coping strategies
- Balancing responsibilities
The program promotes mental wellness education and resource awareness but does not replace professional mental health treatment.
Entrepreneurship
Participants are introduced to the fundamentals of building an idea into an opportunity. They may explore:
- Identifying a problem
- Understanding customers
- Marketing
- Business planning
- Social enterprise
- Developing a business idea
- Branding
- Pricing
- Entrepreneurship
- Pitch development
Participants can develop and present their own ideas through projects, presentations, or youth business challenges.
Leadership in Action
Next Level Leaders is designed to move beyond classroom instruction. Participants will have opportunities to apply what they learn through projects, challenges, community activities, presentations, and leadership experiences.
Participants may develop:
- A personal leadership plan
- A personal budget
- A business or social enterprise concept
- A personal career pitch
- A career development plan
- A professional resume
- A professional portfolio
- A community impact project
Sports as the Platform
Sports can teach lessons that extend far beyond competition.
Discipline, teamwork, communication, preparation, accountability, resilience, and leadership are skills that can transfer from the playing field into classrooms, workplaces, businesses, and communities.
Youth Texas Teams uses that connection to help young people recognize that the skills they develop through sports and youth experiences can become part of their professional future.
Participants can also explore careers throughout the broader sports ecosystem, including:
- Sports business
- Community relations
- Event management
- Entrepreneurship
- Technology
- Leadership
- Marketing
- Partnerships
- Operations
- Communications
- Analytics
Career & Economic Opportunity
The goal is to help participants move from learning to opportunity.
As partnerships and funding become available, eligible participants may gain access to:
- Internships
- Job-shadow experiences
- Career panels
- Workplace visits
- Entrepreneurship challenges
- Project-based learning
- Professional networking
- Work-based learning
- Summer employment opportunities
- Employer connections
Youth-Led Leadership
Next Level Leaders encourages young people to become active contributors to their schools, teams, organizations, and communities.
Participants can develop leadership projects that address issues they care about while practicing planning, communication, teamwork, budgeting, and community engagement.
The program helps young people move from asking:
What can I do?
to
“What problem can I help solve?”
Our Vision
Youth Texas Teams believes young people should have opportunities to prepare for both employment and entrepreneurship.
They should have access to mentors, practical financial knowledge, leadership experiences, career exposure, and opportunities to practice what they are learning.
They should also have the tools and support to protect their mental wellness while navigating the transition into adulthood.
Next Level Leaders helps young people develop the skills to lead themselves, lead others, build opportunities, and take the next step toward their future.
- Leadership
- Mental Wellness
- Skills
- Mentorship
- Financial Knowledge
- Career Exposure
- Opportunity
