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Youth fellowships

How can we build a better world for young people? We can start by building a better world with young people.

Today, too few opportunities exist for young people to contribute to analyzing global trends and pioneering solutions to the challenges we all face. And, although we face all those challenges together, no one will feel their impact more greatly than our youngest generations. So why aren't we working with them to build the future we all want to live in?

UNICEF holds a firm belief in the power and potential of young people. Our Youth Fellowships embody this conviction, enabling young people to contribute to the challenges of today and the challenges of the future. Meaningfully engaging with youth can help UNICEF access fresh perspectives and insights, becoming more responsive and adaptive to the changes in the world that could greatly impact present and future generations and achieving a more equitable future for children and youth worldwide.

Jump to: Youth Foresight Fellowship | Leading Minds Fellowship

Youth Foresight Fellowship

Empowering tomorrow’s leaders to forge a better future for every child

A ten-month fellowship program for young foresight practitioners to influence UNICEF’s research agenda and strategies – advocating for youth inclusion in policy and decision-making globally and within their countries. In addition to pursuing their own projects, they contribute to UNICEF reports, including Prospects for Children: Global Outlook, which provide an annual in-depth analysis of trends and events impacting the rights and well-being of children and youth across the globe.

The Youth Foresight Fellows leverage meaningful youth engagement and participatory foresight approaches to help policymakers, multilateral institutions and young people think more strategically about our potential futures.

Learn more

2023 Youth Foresight Fellows

Abril Perazzini
Argentina

Aicha Robei
Algeria

Fathmath Zahanath Zuhury
The Republic of Maldives

Joshua K. Opey
Ghana

Kate Seary
United Kingdom

Mamadou Doucoure
Mali

May Phyu Phyu Aung
Myanmar

Nahjae Nunes
United States of America

Oussamaben Mohamed Ali
The Union of the Comoros

Rawan Elsayed
Egypt

Selin Özgürsoy
Türkiye

Zainab Waheed
Pakistan

Ijun Kim (Senior Fellow)
Republic of Korea

Fisayo Oyewale (Senior Fellow)
Nigeria

Nourhan Badr El Din (Senior Fellow)
Egypt

Previous Youth Foresight Fellows

2022

Asra Memon, Pakistan
Deona Julary, United States of America
Fisayo Oyewale, Nigeria
Ijun Kim, Republic of Korea
Iman Bashir, Kenya
Jacob Ellis, United Kingdom
Joshua Steib, Germany
Nourhan Badr El Din, Egypt
Ricardo Pineda Guzmán, Honduras

Leading Minds Fellowship

Elevating the perspectives of youth to shift the status quo

Leading Minds is a future-focused conference series and premier platform for global thought leadership, co-created and co-driven by young people. It aims to convene cutting-edge thinkers and leaders, including next generation advocates, so they can dive into urgent, world-changing issues for children and young people and create a space where knowledge and power merge. This is where thought leaders will become changemakers.

Leading Minds Fellows are more than just participants. They are the architects of the future – young people taking action in their communities and the world, transforming insights into action and ideas into lasting change. Through this fellowship, they play a pivotal role in shaping both the conference series and UNICEF’s ongoing dialogue and strategy on critical issues like climate change, youth engagement and child rights.

2024 Leading Minds Fellows on Climate

A six-month, part-time fellowship program designed to foster and harness the talents of young climate leaders. This fellowship will steer the agenda of UNICEF’s 2024 Leading Minds conference focused on climate breakthroughs.