The Alliance of Elite Youth Leadership was founded in 2013 in McKinney after founder Derrick Robinson told his wife Ceretha Robinson of “a vision from the good Lord” that pushed them to create a mentorship program for teens.

The background

The couple grew up in Marianna, Arkansas where they didn’t have many resources, Derrick Robinson said, but noted that they had parents who taught them how to “work with what we have and not have excuses."

They wanted to bring the resources they were lacking to teens in Collin County.

“We figured that what we dealt with as a teenager in Marianna, teenagers are dealing with it everywhere,” Derrick Robinson said. “We wanted to be examples, to lead by example, and most of all, hopefully our story can reach back home.”


Zooming in

The Alliance of Elite Youth Leadership, or AEYL, offers four core programs.

The leadership development includes community-based mentorship for teens and young adults ages 12- to 24-years-old. This involves consistent one-on-one mentoring between a teen or young adult, and an adult staff member.

The organization's academic and business development program gives scholarships to 45 high school graduates and provides internship opportunities with businesses in the community. AEYL also offers support for students enlisting in the military, connections with AEYL alumni in the workforce and career workforce training, and organization leaders also administer high school equivalency exams.


The sports and STEM outreach program allows students to get involved with sports like basketball and football as well as participate in science, technology, engineering and mathematics-related activities like robotics teams.

The community service program encourages students to get involved with their community through monthly service projects and annual events like the turkey giveaway and Christmas toy drive.

The nonprofit averages about 130-250 families who participate consistently in their programs.

What else?


AEYL relies on partnerships throughout the community. The organization partners with different entities like the Texas Workforce Commission, the city of McKinney and other businesses to provide internship opportunities for teens in the program.

“We always grow by getting those partners and building those relationships with other entities and organizations, because we always want to make sure that we're providing extra resources to the families that we serve,” Ceretha Robinson said.

What they're saying
  • “I just love how you learn a little bit of everything,” Junior AEYL member Demaris said. “You learn leadership [and] you get mentorship if you need any help with your studies.”
  • “It has helped me honestly tremendously,” Freshman AEYL member Kyla Robinson said. “I'm better with my leadership skills. It helps me talk more to big crowds. I don't really like talking in front of everybody, but it helps me get comfortable with how to read an audience."
  • “AEYL is mainly just my springboard to get me into [reality] and help with the wellness of life,” Senior AEYL member Angel Solis-Hardy said. “If you want life skills, if you wanna know how life works and how to get good experience ... I would tell you to join AEYL.”
Looking ahead

While the nonprofit currently hosts programs in various buildings around Collin County, Derrick Robinson dreams of growing into an “AEYL empowerment center.”


“Our goal is to build a facility that would be state of the art, that will allow more mind changing and really empower not just our kids, but also the families, to see another quality of life where they can just walk into a building and get different programs,” Derrick Robinson said.

Get involved

The nonprofit has several end of year programs to look forward to including:
  • Nov. 16, Thanksgiving Turkeys for Families in Our Community
  • Dec. 21, Gifts for Teens (Ages 13-17)
Learn more