JA Worldwide at the YMCA World Council: Preparing Young People for the Future Together

July 28, 2026

Guest blog by Sarah Rapp, Senior Director, Youth Advocacy & People, JA Worldwide

Sarah with Matthew Hunter, Partnerships Lead, UN Youth Office, and Felipe Paullier, Assistant Secretary-General, UN Youth Office.

Last week in Toronto, I had the privilege of representing JA Worldwide at the 21st YMCA World Council, joining more than a thousand YMCA leaders, staff, volunteers, partners, and young people from around the world to explore a simple but important question: How do we better equip young people to shape the future?

What struck me most throughout the week was that every conversation, regardless of the organization or sector represented, came back to the same belief: young people are not simply beneficiaries of change. They are actively creating it. Bringing together organizations that serve young people from every corner of the world created an opportunity not only to exchange ideas, but also to strengthen the partnerships needed to ensure youth voices are present wherever decisions about the future are being made.

At JA Worldwide, we believe that young people are not waiting to take their place as leaders. They are already leading change in their communities. Our role is to help them build the skills, confidence, networks, and opportunities to turn that potential into lasting impact. That belief brought us to the YMCA World Council.

The YMCA World Council brings together changemakers who are serving young people in communities around the world. Many of their programs, including their Change Agent initiative, align closely with JA Worldwide's work to develop young leaders and engage our global alumni network. Being part of these conversations allows us to learn from other organizations while sharing our own experiences. More importantly, it creates opportunities to collaborate with partners such as YMCA, the United Nations Youth Office, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, and many others. No single organization can ensure young people have a voice in every room where decisions are made. Together, we can.

Throughout the week, I had the opportunity to contribute to several conversations focused on the future of young people. I joined a panel exploring how artificial intelligence is reshaping work and what organizations like ours can do to ensure young people develop the human skills that technology cannot replace. The discussion centered on preparing young people not only to adapt to change, but to help drive it.

Sarah with Carlos Madjri Sanvee, Secretary General, World Alliance of YMCAs, Asheesh Advani, CEO, JA Worldwide, and Kathleen Elsig, Director of Global Partnerships, World YMCA

I also had the honor of facilitating a session on what young people need to build peace. Leaders from the United Nations Youth Office, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, YMCA, and organizations across sectors came together to explore what helps young people become peacebuilders and what barriers continue to stand in their way. The conversation reinforced something we see every day at JA: young people already have ideas, passion, and determination. They need trusted adults, meaningful opportunities, and systems that recognize and invest in their leadership.

Throughout the event, I also had the opportunity to introduce World Youth for Action, JA Worldwide's flagship youth advocacy initiative. Our goal is to ensure that young people are seen, heard, and represented wherever decisions about their future are being made. We believe youth advocacy does not have an age limit. Whether you are a young person, an educator, a business leader, or the CEO of a global organization, everyone can play a role as a youth advocate. That might mean mentoring young people, opening leadership opportunities, welcoming youth onto governing boards, or helping make experiences like the World Youth for Action Summit accessible through scholarship support. Advocacy belongs to all of us.

Later in the week, I joined another discussion focused on youth leadership in practice. Rather than asking how organizations can involve young people, we explored how organizations can create authentic pathways for young people to lead, influence decisions, and shape their communities at every level. We also challenged leaders to create opportunities for young people, even when they may not yet have every qualification or every year of experience. Sometimes leadership begins simply by opening the door and trusting young people to walk through it.

JA Worldwide's voice extended beyond my sessions. Our Global Chief Marketing Officer, Tere Stouffer, joined the peacebuilding discussion and later participated in a conversation examining why youth-led initiatives often struggle to grow beyond the local level. Together with leaders from global organizations, she explored what it takes to move from inspiring ideas to sustainable, youth-led movements by strengthening partnerships, expanding support, and investing in long-term leadership.

JA Worldwide CMO Tere Stouffer delivered a keynote address.

Participating in gatherings like the YMCA World Council is about more than sharing JA Worldwide's work. It is about learning alongside organizations that share a common belief: young people are essential partners in solving the world's most pressing challenges. When organizations come together across sectors, we strengthen our collective ability to equip young people with the skills, experiences, and opportunities they need to create lasting change.

Youth advocacy does not begin when young people are invited into the room. It begins much earlier, by helping them develop the confidence to raise their voices, the skills to turn ideas into action, and the support to lead with purpose. It also requires adults to become advocates themselves, creating space for young people to participate meaningfully in decisions that affect their lives. That is the work JA Worldwide is committed to every day.

The future being shaped by today's leaders will be lived by today's young people. That is why youth advocacy is not a nice-to-have. It is a necessity. By working alongside partners like YMCA and others across civil society, business, education, and government, we can help ensure young people are not only prepared for the future, but actively helping to build it.