Global Opportunity Youth Network

The Global Opportunity Youth Network is a community of partners and young leaders who are breaking down barriers to economic opportunity and creating lasting change so young people can thrive in livelihoods and life.

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“One voice can start a movement. A voice can write the future. And you be the voice.” – Wendy Saru, GOYN Mombasa

Learn more about GOYN’s work to change the narrative on Opportunity Youth

Announcing the 2nd Edition of the GOYN Learning Report!

Read about GOYN’s six years of progress connecting 630,000+ youth to economic opportunities

“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

Around the world, millions of young people have limited opportunities—not because they lack talent or drive, but because structural barriers in the local economy impede their economic mobility. The Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) engages local public, private, and civil society partners alongside young people to collaborate at the community level, building pathways to dignified employment and entrepreneurship opportunities and changing entire systems to ensure young people realize their full potential.

Hosted at the Aspen Institute and managed in partnership with Global Development Incubator (GDI), GOYN improves economic outcomes for “Opportunity Youth” – young people aged 15-35 who are out of school, unemployed, or working in informal, often precarious jobs. Currently in 17 communities across nine countries, GOYN makes a long-term commitment to its communities, bringing training organizations, employers, and policymakers together to tackle the systemic employment challenges that Opportunity Youth (OY) face. Young people themselves co-lead in designing solutions relevant to the local context, opening doors to sustainable livelihoods and stable, vibrant communities.

Who We Are

Meet the Global Opportunity Youth Network

Experience the energy, passion, and drive of the global network that works hand in hand with young people and adult allies to make the vision of productive livelihoods and fulfilling lives a reality for Opportunity Youth around the world.

Young Changemakers Are Everywhere

Hear directly from Juventudes Potentes – Opportunity Youth in São Paulo, Brazil – in this dynamic manifesto channeling the power and promise of young people leading change in their community.

Where It All Started

Learn how 24 young leaders from 12 countries came together in 2019, contributing their lived experience, practical insights, and innovative energy to start shaping the response to the global youth employment challenge. This convening in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA was the inaugural event of what would become the Global Opportunity Youth Network. These young trailblazers established a legacy of leadership and vision and reinforced the importance of “nothing about us without us” that has been GOYN’s hallmark since its earliest days. Learn more

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