Teens in SYL enjoy complete access to all campus facilities as they engage in both individual and group oriented, short and long-term projects that hold relevance and significance for them. For example:

• Independent Projects – These are self-directed opportunities for SYL youth to explore an area of personal interest and further their own development through an activity of their own design. Individuals are responsible for completing a project proposal, documenting their work, and presenting periodic progress reports as well as the completed project to the group. Teens are encouraged to engage with community members as resources/consultants.
• Large-scale Group Collaboration – This experience can take many forms, most often it is in the form of an overnight trip that the young people take charge of planning. From researching possible destinations, creating an itinerary, and formulating a budget, to raising funds and reserving accomodations, the SYL teens have full ownership of the project.
• Research Project – for the SYL group this is the Teen Symposium, a night of presentations by SYL group members of findings from individual research investigations, organized around a common theme, and presented to a community-wide audience. Group members engage in a collaborative process to choose the organizing element, pursue threads of individual interest through conducting research, then reconnect to formulate and produce a cohesive public speaking event.
• Facilitator-designed Activities – These expose teens to a wide variety of content areas and topics they may not have been exposed to previously. Whether it is a scientific deep-dive into the properties of light and the electromagnetic spectrum, a culinary exploration of Gullah culture, or a unique team-building exercise, facilitators engage teens in new learning experiences that gently push them outside of their comfort zones and expand their horizons, encouraging constructive risk taking and building confidence in navigating the unknown in a broader experiential context. We can invite outside speakers and visiting artists to provide expertise around specific topics of special interest to teens, such as financial planning, human sexuality, and college admissions.
• Additional important program components include current events, service learning, community engagement, and outdoor group game weekly collaborations with youth in Group IV.