GEN Global Assembly Interactive Workshop: Shaping the Future of Diplomacy through Youth-Led Action and Community-Building

Session Description

In a world facing rapid change and deep divisions, a new kind of leadership is rising, one built not on titles or institutions, but on action, purpose, and community. Join Sarah Rapp, Director of Youth Advocacy at JA Worldwide, and Ritika Saraswat, Founder of Re-Defined and Business Analyst at Deloitte, for a hands-on workshop that centers the power of youth-led advocacy, entrepreneurship, and cross-border collaboration. Through real stories, meaningful reflection, and action-oriented exercises, we’ll explore how today’s young leaders are using ventures, networks, and purpose-driven communities to build bridges where systems fall short—and why this work matters now more than ever.

This session isn’t only about learning; it’s about stepping in. Whether you're an educator, founder, policymaker, investor, or builder of any kind, you’ll leave with a deeper understanding of what youth advocacy truly means, and one concrete action you can take to support it.

About the GEN Global Assembly

The GEN Global Assembly (GGA) brings together diverse experts and practitioners from around the world to brainstorm strategies and learn skills for strengthening the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. To kick off the GEC, the immersive GGA workshops will provide the tools and insights to help us build thriving entrepreneurial ecosystems together around the 2025 themes, which includes "Enhanced Cross Border Engagement Through the 'New Diplomats' as a priority.

About Enhanced Cross-Border Engagement Through the "New Diplomats"

Over the next decade, the global entrepreneurial ecosystem must prioritize deepening international collaboration—not just at the government level, but also between entrepreneurial ecosystems, corporations and entertainers.  Three working groups described below will define how global engagement that can bridge divides in different ways to traditional government diplomacy.  

Session Recap: Igniting Youth Advocacy, Entrepreneurship + Community Building

(AI-generated session recap made available by Google NotebookLM)

1. Brief Summary

Join us for a dynamic workshop led by Sarah Rapp, Director of Youth Advocacy and People, and Tere Stouffer, Chief Marketing Officer, both from JA Worldwide. This interactive session wasn't just a presentation, but a lively conversation designed to equip attendees with tools to become effective youth advocates. Discover how entrepreneurship and community building are fundamental pathways to creating a better world, learn about JA Worldwide's global work, and most importantly, explore your own role and action items in championing young people. The session featured engaging exercises, personal stories from the speakers and attendees, and insights into how everyone, regardless of age, can advocate for youth.

2. Outline

• Welcome and Introductions by Sarah and Tere.
• Setting Workshop Goals: Shifting mindsets, showcasing entrepreneurship/community building for a better world, learning JA's approach, sharing attendee perspectives, and leaving with an action item.
• Initial Reflection Exercise: Participants write down why they came to the workshop or the role they want to play in advocating for youth.
• Attendees share their motivations and advocacy goals.
• Introduction of the "Live Podcast" format: Sarah and Tere ask each other questions about their journeys and challenges in youth advocacy, encouraging attendee participation.
• Sarah and Tere share their personal stories and journeys into youth advocacy, including early influences and defining moments.
• Discussion on the biggest challenges in general advocacy and youth advocacy specifically.
• Exploring the connection between entrepreneurship, diplomacy, and peace.
• Insights into how society perceives and talks about Gen Z and Gen Alpha.
• Attendees share their answers to the "Live Podcast" questions.
• Introduction of Ashish, CEO and President of JA Worldwide.
• Heroes Exercise: Ashish leads attendees in identifying their heroes and the qualities they admire, revealing personal values.
• Tere discusses the power of storytelling in advocacy, contrasting data-driven presentations with personal narratives.
• Sarah highlights strategies for activating young people and building thriving alumni communities within JA Worldwide.
• Final Exercise: Participants write down an action item for youth advocacy.
• Attendees share their planned action items.
• Closing remarks and thanks.

3. Notable Quotes

• "youth entrepreneurship is the future's economy. . . essentially what I want to advocate for the youth is bridging um education and experience gaps."
• "Everyone's a youth advocate. So the word youth doesn't define how old you are when you're advocating for youth."
• "One very specific thing that all of you can do to be youth advocates is to bring youth voices onto boards. It changes everything."

4. Key Takeaways

• Youth advocacy is for everyone: The definition of a youth advocate should expand beyond just young people; it includes anyone who champions young people with their best interests at heart.
• Meaningful work is foundational to peace: Addressing unemployment through entrepreneurship and work readiness is crucial for preventing chaos, disruption, and violence.
• Combine stories and data for impact: Personal stories, like that of Aad Ali, resonate deeply and enhance memory, while data provides essential context, making advocacy more effective.
• Empower young people through community and recognition: Building strong alumni networks and providing certifications or micro-credentials validates their efforts and helps them succeed.
• Bringing youth onto boards fosters faster, more relevant decision-making: Including young voices directly in governance ensures their perspectives are heard and can accelerate progress. The Heroes exercise can help individuals identify their core personal values, often reflecting the qualities they admire in others.

5. Resources Mentioned

• Notebooks, Post-its, and Index Cards were available for participants to use during the workshop exercises.
• The book "Modern Achievement" was mentioned as containing the Heroes exercise and others.
• The Youth Voices website (youthvoices.org) was shared as a resource containing transcripts of conversations with young people on various topics.
• JA Worldwide offers an Alumni Leaders Academy and a Community Builder course for engaging alumni and developing their skills.

6. Action Items

The session concluded by prompting attendees to commit to concrete action items for youth advocacy. Examples shared by participants included:

• Suggesting the addition of youth members onto non-profit boards.
• Starting or continuing to fund and structure NGO projects aimed at helping children who lack opportunities.
• Providing student fellows with the resources they need to succeed and helping them build essential skill sets for future employment.
• Raising awareness about financial support and opportunities available for high school students starting businesses.
• Creating entrepreneurship programs or "vacations" to provide youth with tools for starting businesses.