In recognition of International Youth Day (IYD) on August 12 and the contributions and leadership of young people around the world all year, IFES asked young leaders and alumni from across our programs to reflect on their own leadership, IYD 2024’s theme of digital innovation, and the new USAID Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) policy’s focus on meaningful youth engagement. *
Each young leader answered the following questions:
- How do you serve as a leader in your community?
- The theme of this year’s International Youth Day is youth digital innovation. How can young people advance their leadership in online spaces while also maintaining the safety of themselves and their community?
- USAID released its new DRG policy in July. One commitment USAID has made is to “promote the meaningful participation of young people within their communities.” How can USAID do this in practice?
- The stories shared here reflect the diversity of youth leadership and stress the importance of engaging young people in the design, development, and implementation of programming. With the meaningful inclusion of young people, we build stronger and more resilient democratic cultures.