RAISE

your voice.

BUILD

your community.

IMPACT

our world.

World Youth for Action is JA Worldwide's flagship, multi-year youth advocacy initiative designed to:

  • Elevate young people (ages 16–29) as equal contributors in shaping the decisions, systems, and policies that affect their present and their future.

  • Build a global consortium of ecosystem builders and partner organizations who co-create what real youth advocacy looks like in practice.

  • Converge youth advocates in New Delhi, India, in November 2026 for the Summit that takes it all to the world stage.

What is World Youth for Action?

Answer three questions to become a Youth Contributor.

START

HERE

START THE JOURNEY
Partner with us

WORLD

TOUR 2026

Four ways to join the movement

  • Answer three questions to become a Youth Contributor.

  • Bring World Youth For Action to your community by becoming a Listening Lab facilitator.

    Contact Sarah Rapp, Director of Youth Advocacy & People at JA Worldwide.

  • Partner with us to support youth advocates around the world.

    • World Youth for Action Summit in Delhi, India (November 19–21) connects 50 youth and 50 thought leaders (including members of the JA Worldwide Board of Governors and JA Institute Research Advisory Council, and partner representatives) to create recommendations for the next set of Global Goals.  

    • Partner with the other most impactful youth-serving organizations in the world to bring their youth to all FY27 events. 

    • Formally present youth-led Global Goals recommendations to the UN, co-signed by the top global youth-serving organizations, in March 2027.

      Applications open in July. Join the waitlist.

THE WORLD
NEEDS YOU

What should follow the UN Sustainable Development Goals?

The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will conclude in 2030. Conversations about what comes next are already beginning around the world.

So, in 2026, World Youth for Action will bring together young people, ages 16–29, to explore an important question: What should the next generation of global goals look like, and what might current systems be missing?

Youth Advocacy Certification Program

BECOME A CERTIFIED
YOUTH ADVOCATE

APPLICATIONS CLOSED.

Become a certified Youth Advocate: raise your voice, build your community, and change our world. The certification program is a six-week, intense virtual skilling journey for 50 youth ages 16–29.

Across four pillars, participants build the tools to lead conversations that matter and graduate as certified Youth Advocate.

  • The Youth Advocates program is a unique opportunity for young leaders like you to unleash your potential and drive meaningful change in your community and beyond. Through a combination of workshops, mentorship, and advocacy initiatives, you will develop the skills and confidence to become an effective advocate for issues that matter to you.

    1. A credential that travels with you.
      Complete the program and earn your official Youth Advocate certification — including a digital badge you can add to your LinkedIn profile and résumé.

    2. A voice on a global stage.
      As a certified Youth Advocate, you'll gain access to speaking opportunities with JA Worldwide, such as facilitating workshops, leading discussions, and representing the next generation in rooms that matter.

    3. Fast-tracked for a applications for the full-ride scholarship to the Summit in New Delhi.
      Every certified Youth Advocate is eligible to apply for a scholarship to the World Youth for Action Summit in New Delhi, India, November 17–21, 2026. The flagship moment of this entire movement.

    4. Build the skills that open doors.
      Communication. Facilitation. Leadership. Through practice sessions, peer learning, and in-depth discussions on the issues you care about most, you'll develop capabilities that don't stay in this program, they travel with you.

    5. A platform that amplifies you.
      Your story, your work, and your advocacy will be featured across JA Worldwide's global platforms, putting your voice in front of a global audience.

  • The cohort is open to youth around the world, aged 16–29, from any geography. No prior advocacy experience needed—just curiosity, commitment, and the will to take action.

    • 100% virtual

    • 50 participants per cohort

    • One live 60-minute session per week, plus asynchronous work and one action a week

    • End each week with a tangible output

  • Please follow the instructions in the application form. The application takes 10 to 20 minutes and includes a short written response, a one-minute video, and optional references. Applications are reviewed after the application deadline closes.

  • As a certified Youth Advocate, you join a global network of young people actively shaping decisions, influencing policy, and leading on the world stage. The skills you built here travel with you. The credential opens doors.

    You are also eligible to apply for the full-ride scholarship to the Summit in India, New Delhi in November 2026.

APPLICATIONS CLOSED

MEET OUR YOUTH CONTRIBUTORS

  • Aaliyah Begum | Ahmed Bouazizi | Aisha Diallo | Ajsel Budlla | Albert Wright | Amara Okonkwo | Ahmad Hudu Abdullah | Ananya Kenche | Anika Sharma | Anushka Pillai | Anthony Psyllos | Beatrix Almasi | Brandon Kopp | Camila Reyes | Chiamaka Eze | Cole Hardesty | Cosmo Vasquez | Cody Nelson | Damir Petrović | Daniil Volkov | Daria-Maria Hera | Davis | Diego Mendoza | Divya Patel | DRO Omepieu Yves Boris | Edik Mikayelyan | Elena Marković | Emma Halpin | Eric Xu | Evangeline Clarissa Djohan | Fábio Borges dos Santos | Fatima El Amrani | Felipe | Haasini Yatagiri | Irene | Jarin Musarrat Hossain | Jordin Watkins | Juan Pablo Burguete | Justin | Kai Nukuto | Katie Hanc | Katherine Hampton | Khouloud Karkaba | Lana Nguyen | Low Zheng Kai | Lucas Piñán | Maran Haydar | Mariano Gonzalez | Miana Rankin | Mohammad Ayasi | Mohammad Ayasi | Neha Varghese | Noah Minard | Obile Jeremiah | Peyton Craig | Pranavi Bhagavathula | Radha | Ralph Divinov | Sampada Pakkerakari | Sarah | Taha Sharief | Valery Arevalo | Yoyo Almerjossem | Zachary Campbell

JOIN

the movement

Global movement of young changemakers, advocates, and action takers. Want to be part of it?

I'm ready to join

Global movement of young changemakers, advocates, and action takers.
Want to be part of it?

I'm ready to join

World Youth for Action Consortium

BUILDING
TOGETHER

We're actively building the consortium behind World Youth for Action and we're welcoming partners who believe what we believe: that young people don't need to wait their turn. They need the right infrastructure to lead now.

Ready to build with us?

partner with us

Thriving communities become possible when young people are invited not only to prepare for the future, but also to design it.

At its core, World Youth for Action is built on a simple belief:

FIND WHERE YOU FIT AND HOW TO START

World Youth for Action is built as a multi-generational coalition. Each group brings something different to the table—and each has its own way in.

  • You have three ways into the movement:

    • Become a certified Youth Advocate

    • Bring youth advocacy to your community

    • Qualify for the Summit in India

    Whichever path calls you, the first step is the same—answer the three questions and become a contributor.

Become a Youth Contributor

  • Organizations, institutions, and companies ready to back the movement, whether by joining the consortium, partnering on regional and global events, or funding a Youth Advocate scholarship.

    Get in touch to find your role in the consortium.

Partner with us

  • If you are a JA alum, join our global community of changemakers called “gather”

Stay in the loop

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