In celebration of Youth Leadership Month, we invite you to join us for “Cultivating Changemakers: A Panel Discussion on Youth Leadership”. This dynamic event will bring together inspiring young leaders, educators, and youth advocates to explore the critical role of youth in shaping their communities and the world. Through engaging dialogue and powerful stories, we will highlight how youth leadership, voice, and action are driving positive change.

Discussion topics will include:

• The importance of youth leadership in today’s world.
• Empowering youth to find and use their voice for advocacy and change.
• Real-life examples of youth-led initiatives and their impact.
• Strategies for fostering leadership skills and civic engagement among young people.
• Overcoming challenges and barriers faced by young leaders.

Guest speakers include:

Feven Tesfaye

Feven Tesfaye is a junior at Burnsville High School, located in Minnesota. She is deeply interested in the forms of advocacy amongst youth and the intersection of service learning and environmental equality. She has served as a Congressional District representative for the Minnesota Youth Council, which is continuing to place importance on environmental sustainability with the hopes of increasing interaction with young people. She is keen on equity for all minorities to have a right to speak out, and continues to help this mission as a Youth Fellow for her county’s League of Women Voters. At her school, she participates in a Youth Service Advisory Council, Speech and Debate, Student Council, and Women in Stem in all hopes of getting more service participation with the students at her school. She is excited to interact with people across the country and create a more interactive and sustainable youth-led future!

Jahnavi Rao

Jahnavi Rao is the President and Founder of New Voters, a youth-led 501(c)3 that empowers high school students to be heard and prioritized in politics. Since starting New Voters 7 years ago as a junior in high school, the over 300 directors and interns have civically engaged tens of thousands of high school students across 400 high schools in 39 states. She also serves as the Director and Founder of the New Voters Research Network, the convener of the New Voters Collaborative, and a Senior Fellow at the Center for Democracy and Civic Engagement at the University of Maryland. Previously, Jahnavi served as an intern in the White House Office of Public Engagement where she helped drive youth engagement, Deputy Campaign Manager on a state-legislative race, Director of “Boston Votes!” at the Harvard Kennedy School, and youth head of Youth Engagement and Millennial Participation at the DNC. Jahnavi has been recognized as a 2025 Forbes 30 under 30 recipient, a L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth, an Aspen Ideas Festival Fellow in the Raikes Family Foundation Cohort, and a Rhodes Scholar Finalist. Jahnavi graduated from Harvard College in May 2023, majoring in Government with a minor in Music. 

Panel Facilitator:

Madelyn Qayyum

Madelyn Qayyum is a junior at Obra D. Tompkins High School in Houston, Texas. An advocate for positive psychology, gender empowerment, and digital wellbeing, Madelyn serves in organizations such as United Nations Girl Up and Half the Story. When she’s not pursuing her academic and personal interests, you can find her running through a local park, curating Spotify playlists, or reading Stoic philosophy. With NYLC’s YAC, she hopes to use her creative communication skills to inspire positive social change at a national and global scale!

Who Should Attend:

• Students and young adults
• Educators and school administrators
• Youth program coordinators
• Community leaders and activists
• Parents and guardians
• Anyone interested in youth development and leadership