From ideas
to implementation.
The Global Youth Action Fellowship (GYAF) is a practical, implementation‑focused leadership program for young people ready to move from learning to accountable community action.
A fellowship built for practical implementation.
Global Youth Action Fellowship is not a traditional leadership program. It is a hybrid, community‑based fellowship designed for young people who want to design, lead and implement real projects that create measurable change.
Over 6 weeks, participants move through structured training, stakeholder engagement, field coordination and local action. Each fellow leaves with a completed project, a documented impact report and a global network of collaborators.
Two Phases of Practical Leadership
From recruitment to implementation – a structured pathway for young leaders.
Phase 1: Pre-Fellowship
1 month – Foundation & Readiness
The Pre-Fellowship is an intensive onboarding phase designed to prepare participants for the full fellowship experience. Fellows build their professional presence, identify community challenges, and develop project ideas.
- Professional profile development (LinkedIn, CV, portfolio)
- Community project identification and proposal submission
- Network building with global peers and mentors
- Leadership mindset and community engagement readiness
Phase 2: Fellowship
6 weeks – Implementation & Impact
The 6 weeks Fellowship is where ideas become action. Participants refine their projects, engage stakeholders, implement their initiatives, and document measurable impact.
- Project design, Theory of Change, and stakeholder mapping
- Community needs validation and implementation planning
- Field implementation, monitoring, and adaptation
- Impact reporting, documentation, and certification
From Learner to Community Leader
Every step is designed to build competence, confidence, and community connection.
Areas of Community Action
Fellows design and implement projects within these thematic tracks, aligning with the Sustainable Development Goals.
Four Ways to Engage
Whether you're a young leader, a professional, an organization, or a funder – there's a place for you.
Meet the Facilitators
The people who led the learning for Cohort 1.
Emmanuel Newah
Technical Advisor – Safeguarding & Protection
Plan International Liberia
An accomplished safeguarding, child protection, and accountability professional with over a decade of experience leading programs across humanitarian and development settings in Africa. He provides strategic leadership in PSEAH, youth engagement, and organizational capacity strengthening.
Session: Accountability & Safeguarding: Accountable Interventions and Protection
Daron L. Davis
Founder, BlackGuard OS & Independent Governance Researcher
BlackGuard LLC
An independent governance researcher, policy writer, and systems architect who built BlackGuard™ OS – an architecture focused on accountability, institutional authority, traceability, and implementation control. He develops applied governance frameworks that help leaders define problems, align stakeholders, and connect implementation to measurable impact.
Session: Community Needs Analysis
Dr. Puleng Letsie
Coordinator – Menstrual Health & African Coalition for Menstrual Health
UNFPA East and Southern Africa Regional Office
A public health, gender, and human rights specialist with over 25 years of experience across Africa. She has held leadership roles with UNAIDS, UNFPA, and UNDP, working extensively on youth empowerment, SRHR, HIV, and health policy. She holds a PhD in Psychology of Education, an MPH, and an MPhil in Human Rights.
Session: Systems Thinking & Stakeholder Mapping
Mwikali Kasyoka
Legal Equality Associate
Equality Now Africa
A human rights lawyer with expertise in refugee law, women's rights, and gender equality. She previously worked at the Kakuma Refugee Camp, providing legal representation to refugees and survivors of SGBV. At Equality Now, she provides technical expertise on advocacy strategies to advance women's rights and end violence against women and girls.
Session: Ethics & Human Rights‑Based Approach
Divya Thakur
Psychologist & Psychotherapist
Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP)
A Psychologist and Psychotherapist with experience in counselling and mental health support. She conducts workshops on mental health, stress management, and life skills. She has authored research for the United Nations and represented India at an international conference in Vietnam.
Session: Mental Health: Awareness, Support and Advocacy
Emanuela Pia Viglione
Senior Project Manager
GEINNOVA
A senior project manager with a background in Political Science and International Relations. She connects global challenges with local realities, designing new approaches to learning and helping organizations navigate the green transition. Her focus is on creating conditions for people and places to thrive through culture, knowledge, and innovation.
Session: Project Design Fundamentals & Partnership Engagement
Ange Flora Kamugisha
Senior Development Practitioner
CSR Solutions Rwanda
A dedicated humanitarian and community development professional with over 20 years of experience leading programs across Africa. She is a board member of CSR Solutions Rwanda and a founding member of Zonta International Rwanda. A survivor of the Rwandan genocide, she is now a resilient advocate for gender equality and community resilience.
Session: Resource Mobilization & Engagement through CSR
Festus Kang'alya
Programme Officer
Sightsavers Kenya Office
An experienced development professional with over 15 years of expertise in disability inclusion, education, livelihoods, and policy advocacy. He leads a social inclusion programme supporting women and farmers with disabilities to understand and exercise their labour rights through associations and trade union participation.
Session: Resilience & Self‑Care
Dala T. Korkoyah, Jr.
International Development Professional
Independent Consultant
A development professional with more than 20 years of experience working with international NGOs, governments, USAID, the UN, and the World Bank. He specializes in strategic planning, monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL), and organizational development. He is passionate about equipping emerging leaders with practical tools to turn vision into measurable impact.
Session: Results Framework & Theory of Change
Prof. Priya Nath
Assistant Professor & Executive Director, TiE Patna
Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna
An educator and AI strategist with over 16 years of experience in artificial intelligence, digital transformation, marketing, and entrepreneurship. She is the author of 'Role of Artificial Intelligence in CSR' and has conducted AI workshops introducing over 2,000 students to generative AI. Her current research focuses on Emotional AI and its influence on trust and persuasion.
Session: Digital Literacy and Advocacy
Hosted by My Safepad International
The Global Youth Action Fellowship is proudly hosted by My Safepad International, a social impact institution advancing health, dignity, and rights worldwide.
My Safepad International
A social impact institution operating at the intersection of health, dignity, education, and rights. My Safepad International delivers solutions that go beyond awareness into real, measurable impact, advancing sexual and reproductive health and rights for all. As the host of the Global Youth Action Fellowship, My Safepad provides strategic direction, operational support, and a global network to empower young leaders.
Learn more about My SafepadOur Partners & Co‑Organizers
Institutional collaborators that make the Global Youth Action Fellowship possible.
Chandragupt Institute of Management Patna (CIMP)
India's leading management institute, established by Government of Bihar, nominated as Lead Knowledge Institute by NITI Aayog, the Government of India.
Learn more
GEINNOVA
A Spanish SME based in Zaragoza, Spain. Since 2013, GEINNOVA has run numerous international projects in social inclusion, entrepreneurship, sustainability, and mental health. Experts in European and international funding, they have participated in over 110 projects.
Learn more
My Skin Global (MSG)
A youth-centered organization headquartered in Denver, Colorado, with programs across East Africa and the diaspora. MSG designs curricula that confront colorism and advance youth engagement, mental health, and gender justice.
Learn more
Alliance for Youth Development in Africa - AYDA
A non-profit, youth-led organization committed to empowering young people. AYDA works to equip youth with the knowledge, skills, opportunities, and resources needed to become responsible leaders, change‑makers, and contributors to sustainable development.
We welcome universities, NGOs, foundations, government agencies, and private sector partners to support youth implementation ecosystems.✨ Partners receive visibility, branding, networking opportunities, and the chance to co-create with a global cohort of young leaders.
The Community Impact Fund
The Global Youth Action Fellowship ecosystem seeks to help promising fellow ideas move beyond the classroom and toward implementation. The Community Impact Fund is designed to mobilize resources for community-led projects, ensuring that great ideas don't stay on paper – they become reality.
Follow the Journey
See fellowship announcements, fellow stories, and community updates.
Young people don't need more platforms that only teach them.
They need platforms that help them act.
💌 We'd Love to Hear From You
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