Community Youth Development (CYD) creates environments, events, and activities that cultivate leadership and support positive choices. CYD serves thousands of middle and high school aged youth in Sarasota County each year. CYD encourages young people to utilize their talents and energy and helps adults to recognize and tap into the often overlooked talents of youth. A coalition of Sarasota County youth-serving agencies and community teens, CYD brings youth and adults together in a constructive manner. Teens work alongside staff from existing youth-serving agencies to develop programs that inspire teen participation and positively impact the community at large.