Capital City Youth Development Corporation

Our Leadership & Commitment

Founder/Executive Director

Paula DeBoles-Johnson, MPA, CCM / Advocate, influencer, public speaker and catalyst. She opened the doors of the Capital City Youth Development Corporation in 2003 in response to the staggering statistics related to girls entering the juvenile justice system. Her response lead to CCYDC’s flagship programs like the annual ‘All About Girls’ conference, the Healthy Marriage Initiative, the North Florida African-American Healthy Marriage Coalition and numerous other joint community projects and initiatives. Paula’s innovation, passion, humor, character and compassion have earned her the opportunity to direct and create leadership opportunities for numerous organizations and citizens.

As a motivational speaker and coach, she engages audiences on the topics of Active Leadership, Girls Empowerment, Civic Engagement, Diversity and Conflict Resolution. Paula has presented at numerous conferences, colleges & universities, corporate entities, nonprofit organizations and associations including the National Board of Governors.

She has consistently contributed thousands of hours to numerous community causes and organizations including her current work with the Tallahassee Human Relations Council, Timothy Training & Development Center, Tallahassee-Leon County Commission on the Status of Women and Girls and the National Achiever’s Society. Paula is most proud of what she believes are her most important roles, wife and mother.

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Our Committment

We are committed to ensuring that all young people understand that they are valued, heard and have a place in our society. Through our programming youth:

Know that SUCCESS is possible - if they are willing to work for it.
Understand their self-worth can be enhanced through meaningful contributions to their community.
Learn the importance of developing significant relationships with peers and adults.
Work diligently to discover a sense of self, independence, and understand that they are the masters of their own futures.
Through education, feel a sense of safety and structure.
Actively discuss conflicting values and formulate their own ideas of what’s right.

What We Offer

CCYDC offers a host of training, workshops, coaching opportunities and speakers for your event. Contact us today for more information.

Our Work

Training & Consulting

The CCYDC team offers a host of services to enhance any organization, including individualized training, group workshops, grant writing, workshop facilitation and creation of client-specific training.

Prestigious Young Thinkers (P.Y.T.)

Founder, Zemoria Johnson - An innovative, immersion, mentoring program for females ages 8-13, created to empower them in the areas of self-esteem, goal setting and creative leadership. Through P.Y.T., young girls are paired with high school mentors that will help guide girls through the process of becoming emerging leaders. With individual mentoring, educational workshops, group exercises, the arts and motivational speakers, young ladies will learn what it takes to become independent thinkers, strong and talented young leaders.

Teens & the Law (T&TL)

Concerned about the increase in crime in Tallahassee, Zenani D. Johnson created a program for teens to educate them about how to interact with law enforcement if they were ever stopped. "This work was very personal to me because a friend had a scary experience with officers that was extremely traumatic for him. He was safe, but it could have ended very differently based on what was happening in the headlines at the time. It's important that youth be informed, not afraid."

Get Kids Noticed!

Let’s be honest, these days young people need more than good grades to get noticed for awards and more importantly scholarships! While we cannot stress enough the importance of studying hard and getting good grades, we found that this is not always enough to fill any financial gaps on the road to higher education. No, it’s not easy, if it were, all seniors would receive the same level of accolades and scholarships. No worries, we can help guide you through this process to Get your Kid Noticed, just as we have many others!

CCYDC is also proud to serve as a certifying organization for the Presidential Volunteer Service Award. To begin registering your service, log onto: presidentialserviceawards.gov and use our Record of Service Key (NQK-60200).

Keynote Speakers

The perfect opening or closing keynote speakers will be the highlight of any event. Our Founder/Executive Director would love to serve in this capacity! Often touted as a “high energy- thought provoking - agent of change”, Paula has provided her expertise in working with youth at numerous conferences and round-tables events across the country. Paula is a contributing author, OJJDP National Training Consultant and the creator of 'All About Girls', an empowerment conference for females which has been replicated in neighboring states. Contact her today for your next event!

Specialized Servies

Looking for an outside set of eyes, ears and EXPERIENCE from someone who’s been there and done that can be the difference between success and failure. Looking for that someone? Give us a call today!

Preparing Today's Youth for Tomorrow....

CCYDC Overview

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