How to build youth-led programs that actually work

By Amanda Newlove and Ashley Weber

The Youth Advisory Board is a group of young people from the U.S. who vocalize youth priorities by serving as ambassadors to Plan International. Each year, they organize their largest deliverable — the Youth Leadership Academy.

The Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) is a yearlong program focused on providing leadership and advocacy tools to young activists through training and mentorship to create change locally and globally. Designed by and for youth, the program brings together participants from across the U.S. to meet and learn from inspiring activists, influencers and experts.

The five-day residential academy in Washington, D.C., held each July, kicks off a year of project-based leadership. During the weeklong intensive, participants learn about networking, fundraising, advocacy, and leadership. They explore how their talents can drive change in their communities. Afterward, they’re paired with a mentor from Plan’s Youth Advisory Board to support their leadership journey.

So, how do you build a program that’s truly youth-led — not just youth-involved? Here’s how Plan centered choice, safety, information, and voice to make the YLA a model for meaningful youth engagement.

Empowering youth through choice

Youth Advisory Board members chose how they wanted to contribute — whether through curriculum design, recruitment, coordination or creative storytelling.

Participation in the YLA was based on an application process, putting “choice” at the center. Youth chose to attend — and before each session during the in-person academy, facilitators shared what would be discussed and gave participants space to opt out if needed. Choice remained embedded throughout the experience.

Creating safe spaces

Planning for the YLA began with risk assessments for both virtual and in-person settings. These weren’t one-time tasks — they were ongoing tools, used throughout planning and implementation.

Key steps included:

This was a cross-team effort, shared with youth creators, facilitators and chaperones. Everyone involved needed to understand the risks and how to manage them. A safe environment is essential for youth to thrive.

Keeping youth informed

Plan ensured that YAB members had access to all the information they needed to lead effectively. This included reviewing agendas, outcomes and feedback from previous academies to guide 2025 planning.

YLA participants also received youth-friendly materials and program details. Plan transformed Excel-based schedules into fun, easy-to-read graphics, and held youth-only pre-YLA webinars with engaging presentations to build excitement and set expectations.

Even digital platforms were tailored to youth preferences — for example, switching from Slack to GroupMe for more accessibility.

Centering youth voices

Plan prioritized collective youth power by creating space for the YAB to set the agenda, design the curriculum, and build out materials from start to finish.

Staff deferred to youth decision-making throughout. When staff decisions were needed, they ensured YAB members understood why and how their input shaped the final outcome.

When youth lead, everyone wins

Plan was intentional about making the 2025 Youth Leadership Academy a truly youth-led initiative — one that honored the skills, perspectives and leadership of young people to create something that belonged to them.

We invite you to support youth-led efforts and amplify young voices — because when youth lead, everyone benefits.

Amanda Newlove and Ashley Weber co-authored this article.

Amanda Newlove is the senior manager of safeguarding, risk and internal compliance at Plan International USA.

Ashley Weber is a senior program coordinator working with Plan’s Youth Advisory Board on youth leadership initiatives.

To learn more about Plan’s work, get in touch: Amanda.Newlove@planusa.org | Ashley.Weber@planusa.org

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