By Amy Meuers, NYLC CEO

I’ve spent two decades working alongside young people, and I can tell you with absolute certainty that they are not our future leaders—they are leading right now. At the National Youth Leadership Council, we’ve witnessed this truth unfold in countless ways, from students tackling food insecurity in their neighborhoods to teenagers revolutionizing mental health access for their peers. What I’ve learned is this: when we give young people the space to lead, when we treat them as the capable, creative problem-solvers they are, they shatter the limits of our expectations.

Let me share some of the extraordinary stories I’ve encountered through our “Power of Young People” podcast, where I’ve had the privilege of sitting down with youth changemakers who are addressing some of the most pressing human rights challenges of our time. These aren’t aspirational tales about what young people might do someday. These are accounts of what they’re accomplishing today.

Take Milan Varma, the president of Food4Philly, a student-led nonprofit addressing food insecurity across Philadelphia and beyond. Milan saw neighbors going hungry and didn’t wait for someone else to fix it. He mobilized his peers, built partnerships, and created sustainable solutions that both feed people today and advocate for systemic change tomorrow. That’s the power of youth voice in action.

Or consider Nora Sun, a Harvard sophomore who founded mercuri.world to break down language barriers in accessing mental health resources. She recognized that mental health care isn’t truly accessible if it’s only available in one language. Joining her in tackling mental health is Mila Henry, an eighth-grader who created MH Boxes to provide care packages specifically for young Black girls. Both understand that human rights include the right to mental wellness, and both are dismantling barriers that keep marginalized communities from getting the support they need.

Environmental justice is another area where young people are leading the way. Cash Daniels removed 45,000 pounds of trash from rivers. Elizabeth Djajalie pioneered the use of environmental DNA for conservation. Varin Sikka created AirCat to capture carbon dioxide efficiently. These young environmental champions, winners of the 2024 Gloria Barron Prize for Young Heroes, embody what happens when innovation meets persistence and deep commitment to protecting our planet and the communities most vulnerable to climate change.

What makes these young leaders so effective? 

At NYLC, we’ve developed a framework based on decades of experience, and it centers on four core values that we believe are fundamental to transformative leadership. Integrity means aligning your actions with your values and principles, standing firm in your beliefs even when it’s difficult, building the trust and credibility that advocacy work demands. Empathy enables young people to connect deeply with others, to understand diverse perspectives, and to create inclusive environments where everyone feels valued—this is absolutely critical in human rights work, where the most affected voices must be centered. Collaboration recognizes that effective leadership is never a solo endeavor, that working together and leveraging diverse strengths achieves shared goals through active listening, mutual respect, and genuine teamwork. Civic responsibility focuses leadership beyond personal success toward contributing to the greater good, empowering young people to serve their communities, advocate for justice, and drive positive social change with purpose and accountability.

Here’s what I want everyone to understand: leadership is not an innate trait. It’s a skill that can be developed through service, learning, civic engagement, and self-expression. This perspective is revolutionary because it democratizes leadership. It means every young person willing to develop these competencies can become a changemaker.

Let’s be honest, society isn’t designed to give young people a lot of agency. Yes, we’ve mostly moved past the days when children should be seen and not heard, but culturally, we still have a long way to go in recognizing that young people have valid experiences and perspectives that can make just as much impact on our world as those of adults. This is why youth-adult partnerships are so critical, and why we’ve made them central to our work at NYLC.

Why youth-adult partnerships?

True youth-adult partnerships go far beyond traditional mentorship. These partnerships create environments where young people are seen as capable, creative, and critical contributors. When young people are treated as equal decision-makers, something remarkable happens. I’ve seen it firsthand through our Youth Advisory Council, through Youth as Solutions, and through the countless conversations I’ve had on the podcast with young leaders working alongside adults in organizations like SADD, Big Brothers Big Sisters, the Made By Us Youth 250 Bureau, and various youth advisory councils across the country.

These partnerships work because they provide young people with platforms, resources, and legitimacy while ensuring adult allies amplify rather than overshadow youth voices. They represent a reimagining of power relationships, where experience and fresh perspective complement each other rather than compete.

How is youth advocacy possible?

What makes youth human rights advocacy so effective is the combination of passion with strategic action. They’re raising awareness while developing sophisticated advocacy skills and tools. In particular, digital advocacy has become a powerful tool in the youth human rights arsenal. Young people leverage social media in new and exciting ways, aside from just awareness. To younger generations, the internet is a tool for mobilization, community building, and direct action. They’re also leading conversations about digital rights themselves, recognizing that online freedoms and protections are human rights issues for a generation that has grown up connected.

To those ready to take action – educate yourself. Seek out resources like the Youth Rights Advocacy Toolkit. Listen to podcasts like “The Power of Young People” to learn from peers who are already doing the work. Understand the human rights frameworks that apply to your issue. Knowledge is foundational to effective advocacy, and we’ve built extensive resources at nylc.org through our Youth Advisory Council, Youth as Solutions program, and Resource Library specifically to support you in this journey.

Build your skills. Leadership, collaboration, advocacy, and communication are all skills you can develop through practice. Look for opportunities through service-learning, youth advisory councils, or community organizations. Find your people. You don’t have to do this alone. Seek out adults who will partner with you as equals, not just mentor you. Connect with other young advocates working on similar issues. Join or create organizations that share your values. Collective action amplifies individual voices.

Take the first step, even if it’s small. Organize a conversation with peers about an issue. Write to a decision-maker. Start a social media campaign. Volunteer with an organization already doing the work. Every movement began with someone deciding that the status quo was unacceptable.

And persist. Every young advocate I’ve spoken with has faced obstacles, failures, and resistance. What separates successful advocates from those who give up is persistence combined with the willingness to learn from setbacks, adjust their approach, and keep going.

Will you join the changemakers?

Young people are not waiting to lead on human rights. They are driving meaningful change right now. In every corner of the world, youth are identifying injustices, mobilizing communities, creating innovative solutions, and holding power accountable. They’re doing this not because it’s easy, but because they understand that human rights are not abstract ideals. They’re the difference between a world where everyone has opportunity, dignity, and freedom, and a world where those privileges belong only to the few.

As someone who has dedicated my career to working with young people, I can tell you that society often underestimates them, assuming they lack the experience, knowledge, or capacity to drive meaningful change. Every story I’ve shared proves that assumption wrong. Youth bring fresh perspectives, unbounded creativity, moral clarity, and the energy to sustain long-term advocacy efforts. Perhaps most importantly, they bring the understanding that the world they’re fighting for is the one they’ll inhabit.

I firmly believe that when young people are engaged in real-world experiences as part of their education and their civic lives, they become passionate about making the world a better place. I’ve seen it happen thousands of times. 

The world needs youth voice, youth passion, and youth leadership. Their lived experiences give them authority. The future that youth envision is possible. And the time to act is now. Start today. Start small if you must, but start. Join the rising tide of young people refusing to accept a world that doesn’t honor the human rights of all people. Your generation is already changing the world. Add your voice to theirs, and together, you’ll create the just, equitable, and compassionate future we all deserve.