International Youth Day
Celebrating young people who are actively shaping the future through policy, thought leadership, entrepreneurship, and community innovation.
International Youth Day 2025 is a powerful call to recognize, invest in, and scale youth-led efforts that are transforming lives and communities.
From reimagining education and expanding dignified employment to influencing policy and building inclusive enterprises, young people are delivering bold, locally rooted solutions that drive sustainable and lasting change. Their leadership is not symbolic, it is structural, shaping the systems that will define the future.
In recognizing International Youth Day across Africa and Indigenous communities in Canada, we reaffirm our commitment to enabling locally grounded action in education, entrepreneurship, and systems transformation.
Youth-led stories of leadership and transformative change
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Akoben: Stories of Impact. Tales of Courage.
Read moreTold through the lens of Mastercard Foundation Scholars and Alumni, these stories speak about the power of education as a tool for transformative change in the world.
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Seeking Solutions for his Community
Read moreEsau Higenyi is in his second year of studies to become an agricultural engineer, but he is already working to help the people of his community.
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Transition to Work and Meaningful Livelihoods
Read moreIndigenous-led organizations, and those working in deep partnership with Indigenous youth, communities, and grassroots initiatives, are developing new models of employment and economic growth.
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Purpose-Driven Leadership
Read moreHappiness Maworera promotes environmental education through workshops focused on water and natural resource conservation.
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A Leader for Food Systems Change in Northern Kenya
Read moreLucia Epur Lebasha not only has a passion for her community but a clear understanding of the worldâs most pressing environmental and food systems challenges.
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How to Revolutionize Food Production
Read moreMelissa Haringwi Moyo's story is proof that, with effort and perseverance, even the biggest dreams can flourish.
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How One Womanâs Determination Built a Thriving Poultry Business in Kenya
Read moreHyliene's success didnât just benefit her. It ignited a wave of positive change in her community.
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From Refugee to Renewable Energy Leader: Vascoâs Journey in Kakuma
Read moreWhen Vasco fled the Democratic Republic of Congo to Kakuma Refugee Camp in 2010, he carried his dreams despite everything he had been through.
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Breaking the Silence: How Pauline Juma Built a Movement for Survivors of Gender-Based Violence in Kenya
Read moreIn March 2018, Pauline Akinyi Juma made a decision that would change her life and the lives of many others.
Empowering Indigenous Youth Voices
Indigenous Youth Roots engaged over 1,100 First Nations, MĂ©tisâŻand Inuit youth across Canada for their Indigenous Youth Reconciliation Barometer report, which provides an in-depth look at how Indigenous youth envision their futures through themes of culture, wellness, education, meaningful work, solidarity, and reconciliation.
