World Youth for Action

You’re not waiting for the future; you’re shaping it.

World Youth for Action is JA Worldwide's flagship, multi-year youth advocacy initiative designed to elevate young people (16–29 years old) as equal contributors in shaping the decisions, systems, and policies that affect your present and your future.

It is not a single event or initiative. World Youth for Action will focus on a major global challenge or opportunity and create meaningful structures for youth-led dialogue, collaboration, research, and recommendation-building. Through virtual cohorts, regional listening labs, global convenings, and partnerships with thought leaders and youth-serving organizations, you will work with other young people across borders, cultures, and lived experiences to help shape conversations that matter.

The 2026 Global Theme: 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?

Over the course of the year, you’ll engage in . . .

  • Virtual global cohorts

  • Regional listening and dialogue events

  • Community-based interviews and storytelling

  • Collaborative working groups

  • Intergenerational exchange with researchers, educators, business leaders, nonprofit leaders, and policy experts

  • A global summit in India in November 2026

Together, you’ll explore what thriving communities require in various local contexts, identify emerging global challenges and opportunities, and collaboratively develop youth-led recommendations for the future of global development priorities.

In early 2027, those recommendations will be formally presented to the United Nations and co-signed by a coalition of global youth-serving organizations.

More Than a Conference

World Youth for Action is designed as a working initiative. As a participant, you will engage in . . .

  • Design thinking and systems thinking

  • Communication and advocacy skill-building

  • Research and storytelling

  • Dialogue across cultures and perspectives

  • Policy exploration and recommendation-building

  • Collaboration around real-world global challenges

The initiative combines lived experience, local insight, evidence, and intergenerational collaboration to help you move from conversation to contribution.

Who Will Participate?

World Youth for Action is designed for . . .

  • JA alumni and young people interested in advocacy, leadership, entrepreneurship, community-building, and global issues

  • Youth-serving organizations and collaborative partners

  • Researchers, educators, facilitators, and policy experts

  • Business, nonprofit, and philanthropic leaders interested in intergenerational collaboration

  • Global citizens committed to building thriving communities

You will represent diverse geographies, lived experiences, educational pathways, industries, and perspectives.

Join the Waiting List

Additional information about participation opportunities, global cohorts, regional events, and partnership announcements will be shared in the coming months. Sign up below to join the waiting list for the 2026 event.