Welcome!
The mission of YOTA is to connect young amateurs with others of similar age by promoting and facilitating activities for them with the goal of encouraging their continued involvement in amateur radio.
YOTA in the Americas currently sponsors or participates in these events for young amateur radio operators:
- YOTA Summer Camps for ages 15 through 25 (under 26)
- YOTA Junior Camps for ages 0 through 14 (under 15)
- December YOTA Month special event for ages 0 through 25 (under 26)
- YOTA Contest for all ages with a bonus for ages 0 through 25 (under 26)
- Youth Contesting Program for ages 0 through 25 (under 26)
We also promote other youth activities in the Americas on our site. If you know of one we don't have listed, please let us know! Be sure to check out our Youth Events Calendar!
Thanks for stopping by our website!
YOTA Americas Region-Wide Camp Was Another Huge Success!
35 campers from 17 states and 3 countries (USA, Mexico, and Argentina) between the ages of 15 and 25 experienced a great week of hands-on, peer led, ham radio learning, community building, and fun in Huntsville, Alabama June 14-19, 2026. To see all the highlights, check out our YouTube Playlist and Photo Album!
They enjoyed an ARISS contact with astronaut Chris Williams, KJ5GEW, and a surprise visit from Penny Pettigrew, payload communications manager and others from NASA's Marshall Space Flight Center Payload Operations team. Closer to Planet Earth, campers sent up a balloon to near-space, topping out at 93,500 feet as it signaled as W4Y-11 on APRS. The balloon carried a successful biological experiment from Xavier University and a radiation experiment using Polaroid film.
Two pico balloons - W9EAR-12 and KM4ZIA-1 - were also launched. At the opening ceremony, they heard from two Guidance, Navigation, and Control spacecraft engineers - 2013 Young Ham of the Year Padraig Lysandrou, KC9UUS, and ARISS Chair Frank Bauer, KA3HDO.
In between sharpening their kit-building skills and getting acquainted with how to go on youth focused DXpeditions, operate satellites, and better use the DX clusters to earn DXCC. They also operated special event station W4Y and visited the US Space & Rocket Center & SIGNALS museum. The week ended with an intercultural evening where everyone could "Meet the DX" and share foods and souvenirs from their home QTH.
Fundraising Progress for YOTA 2026 Huntsville
*including equipment
A HUGE thanks to Amateur Radio Digital Communications (ARDC) for their April, 2026 grant of $35,000 for each of the 2026, 2027, and 2028 region-wide camps and all of our donors and sponsors!
Thanks for your help toward meeting our goal! Due to unexpected cost reductions and some serious budget trimming, the Huntsville camp is now very close to being fully funded. Visit the donate page for more information about donation options such as donation methods, employer matching, and our Amazon Wish List for next year!
Record Attendance at Hamvention Youth Socials
Nearly 50 young people attended this year's YOTA Youth Socials at the Dayton Hamvention! Youth socials are a time for young people to meet face to face, enjoy lunch together, and enjoy some conversations for a brief time so as to not take away too much time from all there is to enjoy at Hamvention! Thanks to the Yasme Foundation for sponsoring the booth talks space that we use each year (since 2022) and to all those who attended and those that helped arrange the food, snacks, drinks, and promotion.
YOTA Americas is Actively Seeking Volunteers
Youth On The Air Americas is looking for more volunteers to assist with the operation of camps and year round promotions and activities. If you are interested in helping, please contact Camp Director Neil Rapp, WB9VPG at director@youthontheair.org. Licensed amateur radio operators are preferred. Licensed amateur radio operators under the age of 30 and YOTA campers and alumni are highly preferred. Come join our team! Most of these positions do not require attendance at camps.
1. Logistics Coordinator: YOTA Americas is currently seeking a volunteer to inventory, store, and transport or arrange transport of the camp's gear. The amount of gear typically fills three 48"x40"x36" boxes on pallets. Inventory would be needed annually. Gear would need to be transported (shipped or delivered) to the region wide camp each year, while only part of the equipment would go to subregional camps.
2. Development Coordinator: YOTA Americas is currently seeking a volunteer to lead our fundraising efforts by soliciting new grant opportunities and working with our past sponsors, grantors, and partner organizations to maintain or increase funding. The development coordinator would also be responsible for ensuring that obligations promised to our sponsors are met, keeping sponsors informed of our progress and growth, and maintain healthy relationships with donors and sponsors. This position would be fully remote.
3. Graphic Design Assistance: YOTA Americas is currently seeking graphic designers to take provided information and ideas and turn them into professional looking flyers, banners, reports, QSL cards, and logos. These positions would be fully remote. Projects are all year long, but heavier in the winter months.
4. Information Technology/Website Assistance: YOTA Americas is currently seeking occasional information technology support to assist our team with special projects such as but not limited to website maintenance, password management, installing plug ins and scripts on the website for certificate generation, a worldwide YOTA locator map, and a shared contact directory; and more. These positions would be fully remote, and most projects have flexible timelines.
Youth on the Air Partnership with Ham Radio Prep & World Radio League
Youth on the Air is excited to announce our new partnership with Ham Radio Prep, a leading resource for amateur radio education. Through their generous support, Ham Radio Prep will provide free study materials to help young amateur radio enthusiasts in the Americas get licensed and on the air, furthering our mission to inspire and engage the next generation of amateur radio operators.
Ham Radio Prep and World Radio League has also been gracious enough to provide YOTA with a discount code; by using code YOTA15 at checkout, you will receive 15% off your order and YOTA will also receive a donation each time the code is used!