Global Opportunity Youth Network

The Global Opportunity Youth Network is a multi-stakeholder initiative committed to creating place-based systems shifts for youth economic opportunity.

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Learn about the 5th Annual GOYN Global Convening – November 17th-21st, 2024.

Reflections, Featured Plenaries, and More from the GOYN Global Convening 2024

“Entrepreneurship is a journey, from skilling to mentorship to career guidance… The collective power of partnership can take up this challenge.” – GOYN Ramgarh, National Youth Conference on Employability and Entrepreneurship India

Learn more about GOYN’s Communities

“GOYN has inspired me to lead with passion and love, and in finding my voice.” – Lorena Parra, GOYN Bogotá

Hear from GOYN’s Youth Advisory Group (YAG) Leaders in Bogotá, Colombia.

“My message to the youth today, is to never give up, always have hope and fight for what you want.” -Amal Mohamed, GOYN Mombasa

Learn more about GOYN’s Youth Leadership initiatives

Working with Anchor Partners situated in communities around the world, we work to create economic mobility for “Opportunity Youth” — young people aged 15-29 who are out of school, unemployed, or working in informal jobs.

Our approach focuses on multi-sector collaboration and participatory solution design with an emphasis on equity, systems-level change, and amplifying the voices of youth.

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Who We Are – Global Opportunity Youth Network

The Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) is a multi-stakeholder initiative hosted at the Aspen Institute and managed in partnership with Global Development Incubator (GDI), committed to creating place-based systems shifts for youth economic opportunity.

Building on youth-led and local solutions, GOYN advances economic mobility for “Opportunity Youth” —young people aged 15-35 who are out of school, unemployed, or working in informal jobs— through access to dignified and sustainable entrepreneurship, employment, and leadership pathways. At its core, the GOYN approach breaks the disconnection point by reframing the narrative that often defines Opportunity Youth and addressing the systemic, rather than individual, challenges they face.

GOYN São Paulo: “Inspiring Young People – Carol Vicente”

 

In this video, Carol, a 28-year-old resident of Jardim Rainha, Itapevi, São Paulo, shares her experience with developing a community project in her neighborhood (As Minas – “Young Women”) and the impact of Juventudes Potentes in supporting her work, namely through micro-financing. She discusses the importance of local empowerment, the role of social projects in fostering community support, and her personal journey in social work. Carol highlights how projects like hers can help provide opportunities and support for the community, emphasizing the importance of helping one another and spreading love and knowledge.

GOYN Mexico: Employer Engagement (“Empresas con la Juventud”)

In 2023, twenty companies came together to strategize the creation of job opportunities for Opportunity Youth in Mexico City. Under GOYN Mexico City’s leadership, the program “1, 2, 3… Empresas con La Juventud” (“Companies with Youth”) was launched to leverage youth-led advocacy for private sector engagement. Collective priorities include:

  1. Non-discriminatory hiring practices for equitable employment
  2. Creating job opportunities for youth without higher education
  3. Investing in training and skill development programs.

Watch this clip for a glimpse into a recent event! Participants include major brands like Accenture and McDonald’s.

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GOYN is hosted at the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions (AFCS), initially inspired by the work of the U.S.-based Opportunity Youth Forum to reconnect OY in the United States to education and/or career pathways. Learn more about AFCS here!

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