Around the world, young people are being left out of decision-making conversations that directly impact their lives and futures. Programs that have the potential to measurably impact their health and economic future are being created without their ideas, vision, and innovation. 

This year, YLabs launched the Youth Leadership Cohort program to give young people a platform to share their voice, gain valuable job and mentorship experience, be paid for their time and expertise, and work on solutions to the challenges that matter most to them.

Meet our 2022 Youth Leaders:

“I want to expand my creativity to create a meaningful impact in the field of public health through human-centered design,“ says Aamna, 23 years, “As a single person, how can I begin to create positive change?”

The selected youth from Rwanda, the United States, Kenya, and Sierra Leone, aged 18 to 24 years, will provide essential expertise and feedback on projects and strategic planning that will directly affect young people and their communities. We believe that their lived expertise is the best and most accurate form of feedback when it comes to designing for youth.

The four participants in this cohort were selected from more than 90 applications from around the world; all the youth demonstrated a desire to help their communities in tackling challenges such as unemployment, disparities in mental health access, and uncomprehensive sexual education.

The selected participants have each been assigned a project team depending on their areas of interest.

“I’m looking forward to learning how to go about incorporating psychology in innovative projects that target young people.” Says 23-year-old Candries from Kenya.

If the garnered interest for our first cohort is any indication of the current experience of young people, it’s that many desire but lack opportunities to make meaningful contributions in their communities. It’s therefore up to organizations everywhere to create spaces for young people to grow and to help their communities.