Youth Leadership Academy

The YLA’s trainings, discussions, activities and speakers are designed to equip you with skills to become an effective changemaker in your community. You’ll build and strengthen skills in advocacy, project management, relationship building, public speaking and more.

The YLA will also build your knowledge of youth civic and political participation, protection from violence and health equity, which align with Plan’s global gender equality mission. As you learn about these issues through the YLA, we will guide you through the process of creating your own solution-based leadership project to advance change on one of the three mentioned impact areas.

The program will kick off in June in preparation for the residential academy in July, where you will meet your peers as well as Plan staff and Youth Advisory Board members, who will lead program workshops and activities. Following the residential academy, you will begin planning and implementing your leadership project with the guidance of a YAB mentor through monthly virtual check-ins. Throughout the year, you may participate in Plan-sponsored events such as International Day of the Girl Takeovers, webinars, campaigns and activations, just to name a few!

At the end of the program, we will hold a symposium where you’ll have the opportunity to present your project alongside your peers. Read more about the young leaders and their projects from one of our previous YLA programs here.

Youth-led design is a building block of the YLA. Plan’s Youth Advisory Board members plan and lead sessions throughout the year and serve as mentors to YLA participants. Many of the Youth Advisory Board members have also participated in the YLA, so they have in-depth knowledge of the program. In addition, influencers and prominent youth figures speak at the residential academy in Washington and online at our monthly webinars.

The 2025-2026 YLA will focus on youth civic and political participation, protection from violence and health equity. During the four-day retreat, you’ll attend workshops and panels to learn about these global gender equality issues from experts and activists. You’ll also attend sessions to develop your leadership project and prepare for the monthly virtual check-ins over the following year.

And, you’ll also get to do some sightseeing with other YLA participants and Plan staff while in the city!

If you are accepted into the YLA, you will receive a schedule prior to the July residential academy. Please see the 2023-2024 agenda to get a sense of the workshops and program structure.

Throughout the yearlong Youth Leadership Academy, you will design, create and implement a project that tackles a gender equality issue related to youth civic and political participation, protection from violence or health equity. Some of the YLA participants have implemented projects related to period poverty, refugee rights and minority students in politics.

You will meet with an assigned mentor on a monthly basis, attend skill-building webinars, access seed funding to launch your project and have opportunities to connect and engage with Plan’s global youth network and partners.

The YLA consists of 50 high school students between the ages of 13-18 from around the country. We value diversity and inclusion and believe it makes our organization stronger, so we encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply and contribute their voice and experience. Participants are required to live in the U.S. during the duration of the program. You will meet your peers in person in Washington and continue to work alongside them throughout the academic year.

Yes, there is a program fee of $1,000 which funds in-person and virtual program costs for the duration of the year. This includes housing, food, supplies and transportation during the residential academy but excludes transportation to and from the residential academy in Washington.

Yes, need-based financial aid is available on a case-by-case basis. Anyone can apply for partial or full financial aid. In the YLA application, there is a section you can complete to request this.

There is no application fee, and applicants will be selected and notified on a rolling basis. After you have submitted your application, if selected, you will be contacted by one of Plan’s Youth Advisory Board members or staff. A 15-minute interview may take place within two weeks of applying, and you will be notified of acceptance on a rolling basis.