Selective Summer Leadership Roles | ~5 hours/week | 10+ weeks

AMP Global Youth is a youth-founded and youth-led organization working to amplify the voice and power of young people on global issues. Founded by students at Yale University after 9/11, AMP now engages thousands of students each year through leadership programs, research, and national convenings—including the Global Scholar program, the youth-led State of Global Youth Report (SOGY), and the ReGen Summit in Washington, DC. Our work equips young people with the skills, networks, and platforms to lead on the issues shaping their generation.

As part of this ongoing work, we recruit a highly motivated, selectively chosen Student Leadership Team each summer to take on core organizational roles across research, storytelling, partnerships, and operations. Team members contribute directly to active initiatives and help move our programs forward in real time.

This is a working leadership role—students are expected to produce, contribute, and take ownership of meaningful work. Find the list of Summer 2026 opportunities below.

ReGen Activation & Summit Team (Framework & Implementation)

The ReGen Activation & Summit Team leads development and implementation of AMP’s ReGen Framework, translating key pillars into clear, actionable pathways for students. They design tools and activities that support personal and community-level action, and play a central role in shaping and delivering the ReGen Summit. Core Responsibilities:

• Develop and refine ReGen Framework pillars into actionable pathways
• Design creative activities, toolkits, and templates for student use
• Support outreach and engagement of students across platforms and programs
• Guide and support implementation of ReGen activities by participants
• Track and share outcomes and success tied to ReGen pillars
• Support outreach and coordination for the ReGen Summit (participants, speakers, partners)
• Help deliver workshops, discussions, and key components during the Summit
• Contribute to execution to ensure a high-quality, impactful event

Issue Analysts (Research & Thought Leadership) 

Issue Analysts are responsible for ensuring AMP’s work is grounded in credible, relevant, and forward-looking analysis. They engage deeply with global issues, translating complexity into clear insights that shape programming, content, and youth-facing discussions.

Core Responsibilities:

• Conduct research on priority global issues, trends, and emerging challenges
• Identify and develop focus areas (e.g., education access, climate, civic engagement)
• Synthesize findings into concise briefs and accessible insights
• Produce written content (blog posts, summaries, social content)
• Support development of program content (ReGen, SOGY, workshops)
• Contribute ideas that inform discussions, curriculum, and strategy

Social Media & Creative (Storytelling & Brand)

The Social Media & Creative Team leads how AMP communicates its work and engages its audience. They translate programs, ideas, and youth perspectives into compelling content that strengthens brand presence, drives participation, and expands reach.

Core Responsibilities:

• Develop and publish content across AMP platforms (posts, campaigns, video)
• Translate programmatic work into clear, engaging, youth-centered messaging
• Support outreach and recruitment campaigns (ReGen, Global Scholar)
• Monitor engagement and refine content strategy based on performance
• Experiment with new formats and creative approaches to storytelling

Partnerships & Fundraising (Growth & Strategy)

The Partnerships & Fundraising Team plays a central role in expanding AMP’s network and supporting its long-term sustainability. Through research, outreach, and relationship-building, they help connect AMP with partners and supporters who strengthen and scale its work.

Core Responsibilities:

• Research potential partners, sponsors, and funding opportunities
• Support outreach efforts, including drafting and sending communications
• Track and manage partnership pipelines and contacts
• Assist with follow-ups and relationship-building
• Contribute to strategy around partnerships, growth, and sustainability

Organizational Success (Operations & Systems)

The Organizational Success team ensures that AMP operates with consistency, clarity, and effectiveness as it grows. They support the systems, communications, and internal processes that enable high-quality execution across all programs.

Core Responsibilities:

• Review and update website content for accuracy and consistency
• Draft and support newsletters and network communications
• Edit materials to ensure clarity, quality, and alignment
• Support donor and stakeholder communications
• Assist with general organizational coordination and administrative systems

Expectations

• ~5 hours/week for a minimum of 10 weeks (May–August)
• Consistent, reliable contribution in a virtual team environment
• Ownership of assigned work and follow-through on deliverables
• Willingness to engage, communicate, and contribute ideas

What You Gain

• A selective leadership role within an established, youth-led organization
• Direct contribution to high-impact programs and national/global initiatives
• Practical experience in research, communications, strategy, and operations
• Tangible outputs and portfolio-ready work
• Access to a network of driven, high-impact youth leaders

To Apply

Share your interest here. You can also send a statement of interest to opportunities@AMPGlobalYouth.org; be sure to put the title of the position you’re applying for in the subject line.

The post Join our Student Leadership Team! Summer 2026 appeared first on AMP Global Youth.

We are thrilled to announce our newest Global Youth Visionaries! These inspiring young leaders are showing are not waiting for change; they are creating it through action, leadership, and commitment to others. Each Visionary has taken on real challenges, from strengthening civic engagement to expanding education and building trust where it has been lost. Their work reflects the core of what AMP Global Youth stands for: young people stepping forward to lead with purpose and to shape a better future. Their stories remind us that youth leadership is not something to prepare for later; it is happening right now in powerful and meaningful ways. Join us in celebrating them! 

Arwa Haloul: Creating Space for Stories That Matter

Across many communities around the world, young people are searching for ways to make their voices heard. For Arwa Haloul, this question became deeply personal. As a refugee and youth leader, she saw how often decisions about displaced communities were made without including the people who live those experiences every day.

Arwa began her work with a simple idea. If spaces for young people to share their stories do not exist, then those spaces must be created. She recognized that storytelling is not just a way to communicate experiences. It is also a way to restore dignity and agency to people whose voices are often overlooked.

Through her work, she has focused on creating platforms where refugees and displaced youth can speak for themselves. When individuals are able to tell their own stories, the narrative shifts. People are no longer seen only through statistics or headlines. They are recognized as individuals with ideas, hopes, and leadership potential.

Another important part of Arwa’s approach is building trust. Many people hesitate to share their experiences because they fear they will not be understood or respected. Arwa has worked carefully to build environments where young people feel safe expressing themselves. When that trust is established, something powerful happens. Confidence grows, and people begin to see their experiences as a source of strength.

Listening to Arwa describe this work made one lesson very clear. Youth leadership is not only about advocating for change. It is also about creating space for others to be heard. Her work reminds us that when people are trusted with their own stories, they can reshape how entire communities are understood.

Reflecting on Arwa’s work left a strong impression. She demonstrates that leadership can begin with something as simple and powerful as listening. By helping others find their voice she is helping build a more inclusive and empathetic world.

Matthias Becerra Sanches: Expanding Opportunity Through Education and Representation of Quechua Indigenous and Latino Youth

Mathias Becerra Sanchez grew up in a place where young people were rarely asked what they thought—let alone invited into rooms where decisions were made. In rural Peru, access to technology was scarce, government felt distant, and “leadership” often meant surviving quietly. Mathias did the opposite: he learned to ask questions loudly.

As a Quechua Indigenous and Latino youth, Mathias knows what it feels like to live between worlds—to speak languages that systems don’t recognize, to hold ideas that don’t fit neatly into forms, and to carry dreams bigger than the infrastructure around you. Instead of shrinking himself, he started building bridges.

Those bridges look like youth-led STEM and AI workshops taught in Quechua and Spanish. They look like mentoring first-generation students who have never seen someone “like them” in tech, research, or policy spaces. They look like creating rooms—sometimes literal, sometimes virtual—where young people are not just participants, but decision-makers.

Today, as a Human-Centered AI student at Stanford University on a full scholarship, Mathias moves between grassroots communities and elite institutions with the same question in mind: Who is missing from this space, and how do we bring them in with dignity? His work sits at the intersection of technology, ethics, and public participation, pushing for systems that are built with youth rather than imposed on them.

What makes Mathias a Global Youth Visionary isn’t just what he’s accomplished—it’s how he leads. He leads with trust. With listening. With lived experience. He understands that youth participation doesn’t start with microphones or ballots; it starts with belonging. With being seen. With someone saying, “Your voice matters here.”

Mathias inspires other young people not by presenting himself as an exception, but as evidence. Evidence that Indigenous youth belong in conversations about AI. That first-generation students can shape institutions. That leadership can be soft-spoken and culturally rooted, and still deeply transformative.

If the future is being built right now, Mathias is one of the young people quietly—and boldly—making sure no one is left out of it.

Yusuf Muhammed Saidu: Building Trust and Leading Change from Within the Community

In many parts of the world young people grow up surrounded by challenges that can feel overwhelming. For Yusuf Muhammed Saidu those challenges became the motivation to act. Growing up in a region affected by conflict he saw how instability and insecurity affected everyday life. Rather than turning away from those realities he decided to focus on building peace and strengthening civic engagement in his community.

Yusuf’s work is rooted in the belief that young people have an important role to play in shaping their societies. Early in his journey he noticed that there was often a gap between young people and the institutions that were supposed to represent them. Many youth felt unheard and disconnected from decision-making processes.

To address this gap, Yusuf focused on empowering young people with knowledge and confidence. Through education, dialogue, and community programs, he has helped youth become more engaged in civic life. His approach emphasizes accountability and participation, encouraging young people to see themselves as contributors to their communities rather than observers.

A central theme in Yusuf’s work is trust. He believes that trust must come before transformation. Institutions can only function effectively when communities believe that their voices matter and that their concerns are taken seriously. By working closely with local communities and prioritizing listening, he has helped build relationships that make meaningful change possible.

What makes Yusuf’s leadership particularly powerful is its consistency. His work shows that progress is often the result of small actions repeated over time. Showing up, keeping promises, and remaining committed to community needs can slowly rebuild confidence and cooperation.

Reflecting on Yusuf’s story is inspiring. His work demonstrates that youth leadership is not defined by grand gestures but by steady dedication. Through patience and commitment, he is helping young people recognize their own capacity to shape the future of their communities.

The post Announcing: 2026 Global Youth Visionaries! appeared first on AMP Global Youth.

This spring we are launching our ReGen framework, which equips youth to restore trust, strengthen democracy, rebuild relationships, and reimagine the future. Drawing on youth-led research, lessons from historic social movements, and regenerative approaches to community and environmental stewardship, the framework treats democracy as a living system—one that must be continuously nurtured, renewed, and redesigned for each generation. (Scroll down for more on the ReGen framework)

We are seeking youth artists to develop an image that will serve as the visual identity of the ReGen framework, which we will use for conference and framework branding and materials. Scroll down for more details and process →

Process: 

• April 15-30: AMP will accept submissions consisting of: 1) a preliminary idea (i.e. your vision), and a few samples of your work. Share with ReGen@AMPGlobalYouth.org
• May 5: AMP will choose up to 2 finalists, each of whom will receive a $200 award to fully develop their concept.
• May 15: Final artwork due.
• June 1: Winning pieces announced to our network, and ReGen community.

Creative Brief: 

Products: Full color design, usable for website and print.

Parameters: Square 

Colors: See our brand palette below. Colors should use or sync with this color palette. 

• #3100ff, #25ddc8, #ff2f57, #f5f5f5, #333333, #ffb600

Vibes: 

Should communicate…

• the essence of ‘regeneration’, including regrowth, renewal, recycling, and the natural world.
• the power of youth, and broader global connectivity and systems.

Core elements: 

• Visual image
• Word “ReGen”
• They can be woven together, or placed alongside each other

For reference, these are the key pillars of ReGen:

1. Restore Trust
2. Champion Story, Information & Media
3. Bolster Youth Participation
4. Promote Voice, Voting & Accountability
5. Weave the Civic Fabric
6. Sustain Our Natural Ecosystem
7. Know and Embrace Our Shared History

Questions: Reach out to ReGen@AMPGlobalYouth.org

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We are seeking mission-aligned partners who are interested in supporting youth leadership, civic engagement, and global education. Partners play a key role in expanding access, strengthening programming, and connecting students to real-world opportunities.

Partnership opportunities

We offer a range of partnership options designed to align with your organization’s goals and areas of focus.

• Program partners: Support core programming through workshops, speakers, or collaborative sessions with students
• Community partners: Engage with scholars through site visits, local experiences, or institutional connections in Washington, DC
• Sponsorship partners: Provide financial support to expand access, fund scholarships, and enhance the student experience

Benefits of partnership: 

This will be an outstanding opportunity to not only empower your own participants, but also to reach a broader and highly engaged group of globally-minded youth—including many exploring undergraduate placement and opportunities in Washington, DC. Partners can look forward to:

• Brand visibility across program materials and communications
• Recognition within our global network of students, educators, and partner organizations. We reach over 250,000 youth leaders and educators per quarter.
• Opportunities to engage directly with emerging youth leaders
• Alignment with a mission-driven initiative focused on global impact and youth empowerment

Next steps

If you are interested in partnering with us, we would love to connect!

Please reach out to Karen@AMPGlobalYouth.org to start the conversation.

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Who did you vote for in the latest election? Why did you vote for them? In recent democratic processes, it seems that a great number of people have been voting for whoever has more followers. It’s simple: if you sympathize with a certain politician, or if they appear to have the same thoughts and opinions as you, then they should represent you. Why not, right?

What we may forget is that these are the people who are actively creating better (or worse) conditions for our lives. Back in Athens, when democracy was first emerging, citizens debated public issues face to face, analyzing arguments and ideas that best fit the reality they were living in. Nowadays, however, even though we don’t argue political decisions directly, we have the power to decide who is choosing for us. Who would you trust to decide important aspects concerning your life? Your parents? Maybe your friends? As mentioned by Politico, only 19% of young citizens trust the US federal government, and 18% trust Congress. The fact is, most of us don’t have people we actually trust in political positions. So that decision has to be made based on facts, attitudes, and critical thinking.

Proper voting criteria include analyzing a candidate’s history, public policies, intentions for new projects, and what they have already voted for. It doesn’t matter if you’re supporting someone from the right, the left, or the center; it is only important that we understand what that segment stands for, which flags they raise, and whether those values are aligned with yours in the deepest sense possible. That way, you can identify who is actually going to defend your point of view and vote consciously.

Though these would be the ideal aspects to analyze in a politician’s story, social media has an important role in voting patterns in the 21st century and has been changing the way we see political positioning. A study conducted in Brazil showed that 27% of teenagers consider politicians to be influencers due to their constant use of social media. From that perspective, at a time when we see governments “collabing” with influencers, Gen Z is constantly surrounded by an unspoken belief that you should vote for “who you like best” or “who has more followers.” Did you vote for a certain politician only because someone you knew voted for them? Odds are the answer is yes, even if that influence came from your family. Lately, social media influencers have been taking that place of “someone you knew.”

According to the Tufts University CIRCLE report, over 77% of young voters rely on social media as one of their main political information sources. In that context, young voters have started to understand political policies in a shallow way. When you vote for a candidate an influencer voted for or campaigned for, you’re not voting for someone who represents you, but for a politician connected to a person you don’t actually know. An influencer most likely has a different routine, perspectives, and social and economic status than most of us. And just like that, we’re voting because of one-minute videos that we identify with, maybe just for a few seconds. On the other hand, if that video shows us something we don’t agree with, we immediately reject it—because how could anyone think something different from us? (That’s political polarization for you.)

Along with that, herd morality, as explained by Friedrich Nietzsche, plays quite a part in Gen Z’s view of democratic systems. Especially among young people, it’s very easy to believe that whoever “everyone is voting for” is already going to win anyway, and that one young person’s vote isn’t going to change the outcome, so you just vote with the majority. But the truth is, when you vote consciously, you influence other people to analyze who they’re voting for. And vote by vote, we will start electing people who will actually stand by us.

In the end, democracy isn’t about the number of followers, voters, or likes a politician has, but about the awareness and critical thought of everyone who voted for them. When we limit our voting to the most likable representatives, we’re not only weakening democracy itself but also harming our own society. If we want better governments, the change needs to start with us—choosing who will fight to improve it.

References:

Youth Rely on Digital Platforms, Need Media Literacy to Access Political Information | CIRCLE

 Young Americans ‘continue to lose faith in government institutions’ – POLITICOPesquisa mostra que jovens veem alguns políticos como influenciadores digitais 

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Join the AMP Global Youth team as a Summer Intern supporting two of our most exciting and impactful initiatives: the ReGen Youth Summit and the State of Global Youth Report.

AMP Global Youth amplifies the power of youth to design and demand our shared future. Founded by students at Yale after 9/11, we’ve reached tens of thousands of young people globally through our civic leadership accelerators, global policy workshops, and national youth conferences.

As a Summer Intern, you will support both program development and research initiatives that center youth voice and address urgent global challenges. You will work closely with AMP’s leadership team to help design meaningful learning experiences, contribute to youth-led research, and support the execution of high-impact programs.

This role offers hands-on experience in youth-centered program design, civic engagement, and storytelling, while building practical skills in research, communications, and collaboration. It is ideal for students and emerging professionals interested in global affairs, youth leadership, research, and social impact.

We anticipate hiring at least two candidates across multiple openings for this role.

Time Commitment:

• Term: Summer 2026 (flexible start and end dates)
• Hours: Minimum 20-24 hours/week
• Primary Working Location: Remote 
• ‘Optional’ Working Location: Washington, DC and/or Atlanta, GA (including Montgomery, AL travel for ATL program) *While our Global Scholar sessions are on the ground in Washington, D.C. and Atlanta GA, candidates are independently responsible for travel and housing in the area.
• Compensation: Academic Credit

Responsibilities

ReGen Youth Summit (Program Design & Implementation)

• Support the design and development of summit programming and sessions
• Conduct outreach to speakers, partners, and participants
• Assist with scheduling, logistics, and coordination
• Support communications and participant engagement before, during, and after the summit
• Contribute to shaping session flow and participant experience
• Support real-time program needs during the summit (as applicable)
• Related social media content development

State of Global Youth Report (Research & Writing)

• Conduct research on global youth issues, trends, and emerging challenges
• Support survey design, outreach, and data collection efforts
• Analyze findings and contribute to writing and editing sections of the report
• Assist with synthesizing youth perspectives into clear, compelling insights
• Support preparation of the report for publication and dissemination
• Related social media content development

Qualifications

• Strong interest in global issues, youth leadership, or social impact
• Strong writing, research, and communication skills
• Highly organized and able to manage multiple tasks independently
• Attention to detail and initiative
• Ability to work both independently and collaboratively in a remote environment
• Interest in learning how research, storytelling, and programming intersect to drive impact

Preferred (not required)

• Experience with event planning, research, or youth programs
• Background in international relations, public policy, education, or related fields
• Familiarity with social media, content creation, or digital storytelling
• Experience working with youth or youth-led initiatives

To Apply:

Submit a cover letter and resume to opportunities@aidemocracy.org. Priority deadline: June 5, 2026. We encourage early applications, as candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Americans for Informed Democracy / AMP Global Youth is a national student organization that amplifies the story, voice and power of global youth. Find out more at www.ampglobalyouth.org and/or www.globalscholar.org

The post Hiring: AMP Programs Intern (ReGen Youth Summit & State of Global Youth Report) [Summer, 2026] appeared first on AMP Global Youth.

Join AMP Global Youth as a Program Coordinator for Global Scholar 2026 – a youth leadership accelerator which prepares youth to be visionary leaders and bold changemakers around urgent global challenges.

Global Scholar brings together high school-aged youth from across the U.S. and around the world for an immersive experience at the intersection of global education, youth development, and civic leadership. Through hands-on activities, site-based learning, and youth-led projects, participants don’t just learn about the world – they actively engage in shaping it.

As a Program Coordinator, you are not only managing logistics, you are holding the container for transformation. You will guide the flow of the experience, connect learning across moments, and help young people translate ideas into action. The Program Coordinator oversees the daily flow, learning experience, and community culture of Global Scholar. This includes managing logistics, facilitating sessions, supporting youth development, and ensuring the program reflects AMP’s mission.

You will work closely with the Program Director, interns, and youth fellows to deliver a program that is structured, dynamic, and deeply human. Successful candidates will have experience leading similar programs, trips, clubs or courses, and strong familiarity with the issues discussed during the program.

We anticipate hiring at least two candidates across multiple openings for this role.

Time Commitment:

• Program Dates: Late June – Mid July (June 27 – July 19, depending on session placement)
• Online Staff Training: 25 hours (evenings/weekends in June)
• Duration: 1–3 weeks on program
• Primary Working Location: Washington, DC and/or Atlanta, GA (including Montgomery, AL travel for ATL program) *Our sessions are on the ground in Washington, D.C. and/or Atlanta GA, and candidates must be able to independently travel to the area.

Responsibilities:

Program Coordination

• Coordinate the overall flow of the experience, including academic learning, logistics, and student safety.
• Facilitate student learning by connecting the dots between readings, speakers, workshops, and assignments through daily conversations, small-group breakouts, informal one-on-ones, and more.
• Facilitate and oversee experiential sessions (e.g., speaker panels, social events, student discussions, check-ins, site visits, and Capitol Hill Day), ensuring each experience is engaging, well-paced, and meaningful.
• Coordinate technology and materials across the program, ensuring all sessions are prepared, accessible, and start on time.
• Strengthen partnerships throughout the program by building strong rapport with speakers, guests, and institutional partners.

Student Well-Being and Safety

• Ensure participants are following all safety, behavioral, and community guidelines.
• Support students in a residential group environment, including proactive check-ins, navigating group dynamics, and creating engaging opportunities for connection and belonging.
• Serve as a consistent and supportive presence, helping to foster a positive, inclusive, and respectful community culture.

Program Logistics

• Coordinate on-the-ground logistics, including meals, transportation, and daily operations.
• Track and submit receipts and expense reports in a timely and organized manner.
• Act as a liaison between the host campus and the program, ensuring smooth coordination across all partners.

Who This Role Is For:

• Experience working with student groups, trips, camps, conferences, or equivalent youth programs (e.g., camp counselor, RA, facilitator) is required.
• Engaging, energetic, and curious: Coordinators play a key role in shaping the tone of the program and should be able to cultivate an environment that is welcoming, dynamic, and inspiring.
• Strong comfort with event logistics, including coordinating speakers, managing schedules, handling expenses, and troubleshooting in real time.
• Familiarity with global issues, international affairs, or civic topics, with the ability to guide group discussions and support student learning.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills; able to connect with diverse groups of young people and stakeholders.
• Flexible, patient, and able to think quickly in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, and initiative.
• Willingness to serve as both a mentor and facilitator to highly motivated young leaders.

Hours, Pay, and Benefits:

This is a 1-3 week contract position, from late June through the middle of July. This includes 25 hours of training (i.e., 3 days) prior to the start of the program. Pay is approximately $1000/week, depending on experience and on weeks worked. When working with our residential programs the Coordinator will also receive meals and housing at the host university.

To Apply:

Submit a cover letter and resume to opportunities@aidemocracy.org. Priority Deadline: May 5, 2026. We encourage early applications, as candidates will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled.

Americans for Informed Democracy / AMP Global Youth is a national student organization that amplifies the story, voice and power of global youth. Find out more at www.ampglobalyouth.org and/or www.globalscholar.org

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Isn’t Gen Z all for movement and change? That’s what I asked myself after realizing the considerable rise of young conservative people in my country. You see, I’m a Brazilian myself, and I thought maybe it was a regional thing – perhaps because of the political mess that has been happening in Brazil these past few years. Instead, after doing some basic research and paying more attention to social media tendencies of past years, I came to realize that it was, in fact, a global tendency. In the United States of America (USA), for example, in the 2020 elections, 41% of young men voted for Donald Trump – a conservatism symbol – while in 2024, the percentage increased to 56%. Among women also considered part of Gen Z, 30% voted for Trump in 2020, compared to 40% now.

If we take a broader look at worldwide politics and conflicts, it’s fair to say that chaos is a good adjective to describe them. With Israel and Palestine, Russia and Ukraine, the Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) action, and Donald Trump’s political choices for global trade and plenty of other conflictual situations, the world falls into complete uncertainty – including the individuals themselves. With insecurity surrounding everyone, the younger generation tends to lean towards a false sense of security, with plenty of youth living with the perspective of “I was born in the wrong generation” and going for the whole “submissive wife and men of the household” kind of ideals.

Other than that, social media also plays an important part in these tendencies, especially when it comes to newer generations that rely much more on it. With the substantive growth of the entertainment industry and better accessibility through social media, plenty of young people started to drift apart from politics, concentrating their attention on different influencers – many of them who make content out of discriminatory jokes and lack of critical sense. Given this situation, part of youth began to shift their ideas into a more conservative approach, due to the diminished interest in social affairs.

That being said, a Brazilian researcher, Beatriz Besen, a Psychologist working on her PhD at the University of São Paulo (USP), also noticed these global tendencies years ago, when young people who didn’t show any interest in politics started expressing their conservative ideals more substantially. To investigate it, she interviewed 12 young activists, both from Brazil and Germany, and identified two different threats that instigated the Right to be more prominent. Within the South American country, criminality became a factor, and in the European country, immigration, reflecting the uncertainty and insecurity that leads people to “old school” tendencies. (Rádio USP presented by Mel Vieira and Ferraz Junior).

Another aspect that began to affect especially Gen Z is the meaningful historical distance from actual conservative and restrictive societies. That means that, when young adults say “ I wish I were born in the 80’s”, for example, they don’t actually understand the circumstances of that period of time – in the USA, the rate of violent crimes in the 90’ reached its peak, with 750 occurrences per 100,000 people – and the incredible changes that people fought for to get where we are now. 

Finally, the consequences of the rise of the Right among the young public are plenty, some of them already happening nowadays. With the comeback of traditional perspectives, there is a possibility of a greater rise in female violence, especially due to oppressive marriages, an increase in discriminatory practices influenced by colonialism, and older ideals. This global tendency isn’t just a change in a personal opinion of an individual; it reflects the society as a whole, impacting the improvements established after centuries of fighting for change. 

References:

https://jornal.usp.br/?p=789450 

https://www.brasildefato.com.br/2025/12/05/avanco-da-direita-entre-jovens-vem-da-precarizacao-da-internet-e-do-distanciamento-historico-indica-cientista-social/ 

https://thehilltoponline.com/2024/12/09/social-medias-role-in-the-rise-of-conservatism-among-gen-z/ 

https://www.bushcenter.org/catalyst/the-case-for-conservatism/how-the-right-got-its-groove-back

Hannah Ritchie and Fiona Spooner (2026) – “How have crime rates in the United States changed over the last 50 years?” Published online at OurWorldinData.org. Retrieved from: ‘https://archive.ourworldindata.org/20260119-000134/us-crime-rates.html’ [Online Resource] (archived on January 19, 2026). 

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At AMP Global Youth, we know that trust is not abstract—it is lived. It shapes whether a student believes their voice matters in a classroom, whether a young activist trusts institutions to deliver on climate promises, whether communities can come together across differences to solve problems. Trust is the foundation of the social fabric that holds us together. And right now, that fabric is fraying.

The 2025 State of the Global Youth Report confronts this crisis head-on. We explore:

• How do young people experience and define trust in today’s world?
• Where is trust breaking down—and where are youth working to repair it?
• What role can young people play in rebuilding our social fabric?

Our research spans critical domains from civic engagement to media literacy, from community organizing to institutional accountability. By centering youth voices and lived experiences, this report reveals how today’s young people navigate an era of unprecedented polarization, technological disruption, and social fragmentation—and how they are building new models of connection, credibility, and collective action.

This report is more than just data. It is a call to action—for policymakers seeking to restore faith in institutions, for educators building spaces where young people can develop critical thinking and civic skills, for community leaders fostering connection across divides, and for young people themselves who are already doing the work of repair.

We invite you to join us. Whether you’re working to strengthen democratic institutions, build more trustworthy media ecosystems, create inclusive communities, or simply seek to understand how this generation sees the world, the State of the Global Youth Report is here as a resource to inform, inspire, and mobilize.

Because we believe that young people are not just inheriting a fractured world—they are already working to mend it. And they are the ones we’ve been waiting for.

Read the full Report here. Scroll down for highlights! 

Part 1: What is Trust?

Youth most strongly associate trust with core integrity and relational values, forming a clear top cluster led by honesty (75%), respect (64%), loyalty (60%), and transparency (58%). These results suggest that, for young people, trust is fundamentally rooted in truthfulness, mutual regard, and consistency between words and actions rather than authority or status.

A middle tier centers on emotional safety and dependability—including authenticity, support, understanding, reliability, and communication—indicating that trust is reinforced through feeling heard, protected, and able to rely on others over time.

The lowest-ranked values—such as reputation, diversity, and boundaries—are still meaningful but appear more contextual, suggesting youth view trust less as a formal or institutional construct and more as a lived, relational experience grounded in everyday human behavior.

Part 2: Who do youth trust? 

The data demonstrates that in the minds of young people worldwide, there is clearly a trust pyramid, where personal relations reign supreme (7.77 for friends, 8.24 for family, etc.), followed by immediate service providers such as medical practitioners (7.01) and teachers (6.43), and organizations and data sources bring up the rear, the latter scoring as low as social media applications, which range from 2.13 to 4.17, and political entities averaging between 3.0 and 3.8. The principle of proximity is demonstrated through the high correlation of personal trust.

On regional levels, Brazil presents a consistently high degree of trust in interpersonal and community institutions but at the same time an abnormally low political trust, while Syria exhibits selective trust, where hands-on service providers are preferred to more abstract national institutions; in Russia, there is a general institutional skepticism, which is especially acute when applied to religious leaders and independent journalists, while in the US, there is above-average trust in local schools, local officials, and healthcare, yet steep declines for national politics and social media.

However, the thread that runs through all of these is that the youth trust people they know or people that work directly with individuals far more than they trust systems, platforms, or any political structure, which may highlight the personal nature of trust in 2025. This is of profound significance because the implications are that trust does not reside within systems or structures of authority, and that trust can only be built through continuous personal interactions at the hands of competent individuals.

Part 3: How can we build trust?

When asked how to actually build trust, young people prioritize actionable behaviors over abstract values: honesty leads overwhelmingly (72 responses), followed by reliability (50), understanding (43), communication (29), and emotional safety (28), while traditional institutional safeguards like boundaries (3), confidentiality (5), and even competence (5) barely register. This ranking reveals a pragmatic wisdom—respondents recognize that trust isn’t built through policies or credentials but through consistent, authentic human behavior.

The relatively high emphasis on familiarity and repeated interaction (27) underscores that trust requires time and sustained presence, not one-off gestures. Context matters significantly in application: for schools, students prioritize accountability and confidentiality (wanting assurance that sharing won’t lead to punitive consequences), plus boundaries that establish mutual respect between teachers and students.

For news and social media, honesty and unbiased presentation dominate concerns. For personal relationships, no judgment and clear boundaries emerge as foundational, while for elected officials, communication that demonstrates genuine listening and understanding of diverse community needs takes precedence.

The gap between what young people say builds trust (honesty, reliability, understanding) and what institutions typically offer (competence credentials, official policies, hierarchical authority) explains much of the trust deficit revealed in the rankings data. The pathway forward is clear but demanding: institutions must shift from broadcasting authority to demonstrating consistency, from claiming expertise to showing understanding, and from expecting deference to earning trust through transparent, accountable, repeated positive interactions that prove—not proclaim—trustworthiness.

Action Plan:

Following are initial thoughts on how we can build trust within education spaces, youth programs, and our broader political and civic spaces. This conversation is ongoing. Please add your thoughts on how to build trust here, and we’ll include them with updated recommendations in the coming weeks.

For Educational Institutions

• Create structured touchpoints for reliability demonstration. Establish office hours, predictable response times for emails, and clear expectations for assignment feedback. When educators consistently follow through on these commitments, they build the reliability that students value most. Additionally, develop professional development workshops specifically focused on creating emotionally safe classrooms—teaching educators how to balance support with appropriate boundaries, as the research suggests both matter but in different ways.
• Implement “trust audits” where students anonymously rate which trust dimensions they experience in their learning environment. Use this data to identify gaps between what students value (reliability, support) and what they perceive they’re receiving. Create accountability mechanisms for improving low-rated areas, such as peer observation programs where teachers observe each other specifically for trust-building behaviors.

For Community Organizations & Youth Programs

• Design programs that explicitly teach the context-dependent nature of trust. Help young people understand when to prioritize different trust elements—seeking emotional safety in friendships while demanding transparency from institutions. This metacognitive approach empowers youth to make more intentional decisions about where to place their trust and what to expect in return.
• Establish mentorship programs that model reliable support. Pair young people with adults who commit to specific, achievable touchpoints (weekly check-ins, responding to messages within 24 hours) rather than vague promises of availability. Track mentor follow-through as a key program metric, recognizing that reliability is foundational to all other trust dimensions.

For Civic Engagement & Political Participation

• Launch transparency initiatives that directly address the honesty gap. Create platforms where elected officials publicly commit to specific actions and where constituents can track follow-through. The data shows young people value reliability in leaders (22%), but current political structures rarely make accountability visible or accessible.
• Develop civic education curricula that explicitly address trust in information systems. Given that 46% of respondents prioritize reliability for information sources and 37% emphasize competence, teach young people practical skills for evaluating source credibility, cross-referencing claims, and identifying bias. Include units on the business models of news organizations and social media platforms to help students understand structural incentives that may compromise trustworthiness.

For Digital Literacy & Media Programs

• Create “trust triangulation” workshops based on respondents’ emphasis on corroborating information across sources. Teach students systematic approaches to verification rather than relying on single sources, addressing their concern about misinformation and manipulation in social media contexts.
• Partner with content creators and influencers who model transparency about sponsorships, corrections when they’re wrong, and authentic representation of both successes and failures. The quotes reveal that young people value authenticity (“their online image isn’t fake: they don’t hide their failures”) and can detect manipulation, so elevate examples of trustworthy digital communication.

THANKS to the State of Global Youth Report 2026 Team!

Susie Coakley
Axel Treitel-Knapp
Alina Niskoromnykh
Arwa Haloul
Saadallah Mansour
Eliana Gardner
Alexander Doyle
Claire Witalec
Tanya Mishra
Daniel Ohr
Robi Castaneda
Nethra Krishnan
Kamila Sarsembay
Karen Showalter (advisor)
Lara Guioto
Victor Ramos Dessaune
Lucas Oliveira

This team hailed from across the US, Syria, Russia and Brazil, and worked together virtually over the past 6 months to define our research questions, gather data, distill findings, and write the report.

Support this work!

The State of Global Youth Report is an all-volunteer effort. Help us ensure this work continues, and grows. We need more support to offer stipends to our youth leaders, disseminate the report to youth leaders and allies, and organize future launch events. Any amount helps — make a contribution here.

Reach out to Opportunities@AMPGlobalYouth.org or Karen@AMPGlobalYouth.org to discuss partnerships and sponsorships of the State of Global Youth Report.

The post Announcing the State of Global Youth Report 2025: Trust: Fractures & Opportunities for Youth appeared first on AMP Global Youth.

We’re diving into real talk about the challenges and chances facing young people today. This event is all about understanding the cracks in trust and finding new ways to build stronger bonds for the future. Based on findings from the State of Global Youth Report, and led by youth leaders from around the globe, we’ll be exploring how youth DEFINE TRUST, WHO THEY TRUST, and strategies for BUILDING TRUST and our broader civic fabric.

Speakers include:

AMP student leaders from the US, Russia and Syria, who will share highlights from this year’s State of Global Youth Report, which focuses on how youth define trust, who they trust, and how we can build trust as part of our broader civic fabric.

Ellen Dixon, Omoniyi Lawson, and Ekin Akman, from UNESCO’s SDG4Y&SN Team, who will discuss their recent work on youth trust in public services.

Tommy Anderson, from the Appalachian Media Institute, who will share their work amplifying the youth voice through media, film, and radio.

We’ll also announce this year’s Global Youth Visionaries, who are youth leaders on the ground leading efforts to build trust in their communities.

RSVP to join us here, to be part of the conversation! Participants will receive a free event sticker!*

The post Join us for: Power Up 2026! Virtual Event Feb 7 appeared first on AMP Global Youth.