About

The Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) was created to mobilize stakeholders across multiple sectors to work collectively at the local level to address the complex set of factors – both challenges and opportunities – that affect young people in finding and thriving in dignified work. With 600 million young people – one-third of the total youth population worldwide – considered to be Opportunity Youth (OY), the urgency is real.

The Reality We Face

The work of GOYN builds upon decades of positive youth development, which shifts focus away from “deficits” and toward “assets” – strengths, capabilities, and potential – that young people possess. Hosted at the Aspen Forum for Community Solutions, GOYN was inspired and informed by the work of the Opportunity Youth Forum, our sister network that reconnects OY in the United States to education and/or career pathways. Seeking to alleviate the challenges that OY face on a global scale, GOYN was founded on the belief that young people, recognized for their inherent talent and agency and with the support of adult ally institutions, can and will build a better present and future for themselves and their communities. That belief – reinforced by the Aspen institute’s prioritization of Rising Generations – undergirds all of GOYN’s work around the world.

In its long-term commitment to each community it selects, GOYN establishes the base of knowledge and power for decision-making with local leaders and young people, focusing these efforts on three levels:

1. Engaging Opportunity Youth

We connect young people—who are out of school, unemployed, or in informal work—with the tools and resources they need to thrive, including:

• Access to information, guidance, and mentorship to facilitate the journey to the world of work
• Training, skill building, and wraparound supports that improve employability, boost confidence, and cultivate agency
• Pathways to decent, stable, income-generating opportunities — through formal jobs, micro-ventures, or self-employment, as well as access to finance

See how our approach to youth engagement integrates young people as active participants in all phases of GOYN’s work.

2. Strengthening the Youth Employment Ecosystem

In each community, we form a Collaborative—an alliance of young people and local leaders from government, business, and civil society—working together to form lasting pathways to livelihood for OY. Collectively, they:

• Map the local ecosystem to deepen data-driven understanding of OY profiles and the supply and demand sides of existing and emerging economic pathways in the local context
• Share resources and learning to advance a common, minimum 10-year vision and strategy
• Co-design, implement, and monitor interventions tailored to local needs and opportunities
• Mitigate additional systemic barriers faced by youth subgroups—such as migrants, LGBTQI+, young women, and youth with disabilities

Read GOYN’s Learning Brief on building a Collaborative Infrastructure.

3. Catalyzing Systems-Level Transformation

We aren’t just achieving one-off results—we’re stimulating sustainable systemic shifts in the larger ecosystem:

• Influencing public and employer policies, funding flows, and institutional mindsets to secure access to work and well-being for OY over the long term
• Instilling an “asset-based” narrative emphasizing the talent and potential of young people
• Building foundations for more equitable economic outcomes

“The Global Opportunity Youth Network believes in the power of young people to shape their own future. At its core, GOYN is inspired and informed by opportunity youth leaders who are at the heart of our global network. We partner with local and global youth allies to create equitable access to economic opportunity and address the deep-rooted structural barriers that prevent many young people from realizing their potential.”

– Jamie McAuliffe – Founding Director, GOYN