Advocate. Educate. Graduate.
CAYS stands for Community Alliance for Youth Success. We’re an organization dedicated to bringing communities together to help young people transition into adulthood with purpose, empathy, and tools to navigate life’s challenges.
Our founders—Bobbi DePorter and Stedman Graham.
Longtime friends and colleagues, Bobbi and Stedman are educators, authors, and youth advocates who have dedicated their careers to helping young people succeed in life.
They believe in the power of purpose.
When students of all ages are fueled by a purpose, they are better able to discover their strengths and make the most of their talents. And this provides an exciting sense of direction that unlocks goals, educational aspirations, and career choices.
The idea for CAYS happened around a whiteboard brainstorm back in 2011.
Shortly afterward, they invited mayors, superintendents, city council members, business leaders, educators, and celebrities to learn more. Eighty people showed up to that meeting—excited about helping the CAYS mission succeed.
Since then, CAYS has helped thousands of people in the United States and abroad utilize the Discover Your Purpose program to help students live their best lives!
Our leadership team:
Bobbi DePorter
President of Quantum Learning Network
LFI President
CAYS Co-Founder
Stedman Graham
CEO of Stedman and Associates
CAYS Co-Founder
Steve Farber
CEO and Speaker—Extreme Leadership
Candice Fee
Educator at Kearny High School
Discover Your Purpose Curriculum Designer
Christian Mouritzen
Strategic Advisor
Andrew Blume
Veteran and Youth Advocate
Wendy Darling
Founder of Miraculous Living Institute
Helice “Sparky” Bridges
Founder of Blue Ribbons Worldwide
Kelly Bennett
Bennett Unlimited PR
What we do:
Our team either facilitates workshops within youth educational environments or trains educators to utilize our proprietary program called Discover Your Purpose.
Discover Your Purpose is a collection of interactive lessons and exercises that can be adapted to the learning needs of students between the ages 10 and 19.
Think of the Discover Your Purpose program as a toolkit of learning add-ons that seamlessly complement what teachers are already doing in the classroom.
The Discover Your Purpose program provides students with interesting and engaging opportunities to learn more about themselves through self-reflective and inspiring activities.
Students, educators, and parents enjoy proven and positive outcomes that ripple out to create healthier communities:
increased attendance
better classroom engagement
decreased stress for students and teachers
higher graduation rates
future generations of happier, more resilient adults
Want to get involved and help young people in your community or school system enjoy an improved sense of well-being and life direction?
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Free Discover Your Purpose Course
For educators who want an easy and flexible way to test the Discover Your Purpose approach to student engagement. Lessons can be adapted to meet the needs of students from 10 to 19 years old.
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Educator Training
For organizations and school systems that want to integrate Discover Your Purpose into its ethos. Includes a Teacher Training Guide, Curriculum Map Template, Teacher Workbook, and Digital Resource Library.
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Discovery Dialogue
CAYS partners with vetted community members who are trained to facilitate Discover Your Purpose exercises in exciting one to two-hour workshop. Workshops are a great way to get inspired and quickly learn proven purpose-driven teaching methods.
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Become A Partner
Partner with us as an organization or individual. Your support enables students in the US and globally to experience life-changing results of the Discover Your Purpose program. Uplift the young people in your community.