we are

The South African Academy for Young Leaders (SAAYL), is a Section 21 company and registered as a Non-Profit Organization (NPO) founded in 2010 in Cape Town by a conglomerate of forward-thinking business executives, community leaders and professionals. The founders wanted to address the alarming issue of the ever-growing gap between the leaders of today and the younger generations who will eventually step into their shoes and lead tomorrow but may not be adequately-equipped to deal with the great challenges of the future.

The SAAYL is an organization, established among other things, to assist in the development of the young at-risk and underprivileged, push and encourage the artistically inclined to pursue their talents and develop their skills, give confidence and hope to the underrepresented groups like the disabled and women and essentially encourage all of these groups to impact society by doing things such as pursuing business ventures so they can come together to become active players in the social and economic growth of South Africa.

The founders concluded that the forming of the SAAYL organization would give rise to an invaluable opportunity to pass the torch down to the youth with leadership and entrepreneurial potential by providing opportunities for leadership development. By utilizing their extensive qualifications, knowledge in various industries, as well as life experiences, they would have the opportunity to bridge the gap by mentoring, transferring leadership skills and creating awareness through specifically designed commercially-inclined seminars, artistically and culturally-oriented workshops, and many other activities.

SAAYL has a strong presence amongst the youth in both the Western and Eastern Cape, by engaging schools and sporting organizations and utilizing its resources to empower said organizations with leadership, mentoring, administrative and professional skills.