Young people are struggling, yet millions dream of changing the world. Today’s youth are inheriting a world changing faster than anyone can predict. We cannot simply give them the answers they will need tomorrow; instead, we must help them learn how to find solutions themselves. This is agency. When young people work with others to tackle real-world challenges, they build the judgment, creativity, collaboration, and ethical leadership that our collective future demands.

How can we come together to help millions of young people be empowered as changemakers? How do we move from treating youth as passive beneficiaries of the future to embracing them as its active co-authors?

At the Learning Planet Institute (LPI), we have been breaking new ground in Paris and beyond for 20 years, teaching youth how to become the change they want to see. This September, we are bringing this vision to the global stage on the occasion of the 81st Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA 81) in New York. Looking at the bigger picture, our goal is to show how we can collectively support meaningful youth engagement, amplify youth-led change, and co-design a transformative model of education focused on impact.

Taking the Stage at UNGA 81

As AI revolutionizes our world and planetary crises accelerate, the United Nations is calling on youth to lead. Our participation at UNGA 81 represents a key step in fulfilling that call.

At UNGA 81, LPI is engaging with key actors, international delegates, and decision-makers to advocate for:

1. Co-Constructing with Youth: Designing governance models where student leaders and young changemakers actively participate in decision-making processes.
2. Expanding Global Talent Pools: Connecting young people eager to change the world with the resources, networks, and international platforms necessary to scale their solutions.
3. Shaping the Post-2030 Education Agenda: Collaborating with global allies to explore emerging forms of civic engagement, responsible AI usage, and non-formal learning that build ethical, resilient leaders.

Together at UNGA 81, we invite partners worldwide to join us in supporting meaningful youth engagement and weaving diverse perspectives into a better shared future.

Our teams at UNGA81

This year, we will be co-facilitating two sessions on 22 September:

•  Education for Human Flourishing: What Works in Practice? A session designed to explore practical examples and innovations advancing wellbeing, agency, purpose and human development through formal and non-formal education, youth movements and technology.

Organised by Cambridge Partnership for Education, HundrED, International Baccalaureate, Learning Planet Institute, OECD Education and Skills, Salzburg Global, Teach For All

https://educationhouse.org/events/education-for-human-flourishing-what-works-in-practice 

• Learning Planet Youth Design Challenge launch, diving in a new edition of our year-round initiative inviting thousands of young people (15–26) to submit projects advancing peace, wellbeing and sustainability, with a platform, expertise and community of practice to support selected projects.

Organised by Learning Planet Institute (Supported by UNESCO and United Nations University), UN Youth Office, World YMCA, Global Student Forum, World Scouting
https://educationhouse.org/events/8-launch-of-learning-planet-youth-design-challenge-2026-27 

We well also be contributing to collaborative sessions on Student Assessment: 

• What Student Outcomes Matter for the Future – and What Evidence Base Do We Need? https://educationhouse.org/events/what-student-outcomes-matter-for-the-future-and-what-evidence-base-do-we-need organised by OECD Directorate for Education and Skills in collaboration Learning Planet Institute, Teach For All

https://educationhouse.org/events/what-student-outcomes-matter-for-the-future-and-what-evidence-base-do-we-need, Meaningful Youth Engagement in the UN , Youth Peacebuildinging 

From the Learning Planet Academy to Global Youth Agency

Our journey to UNGA 81 is grounded in concrete action. In January 2026, during the 7th edition of the LearningPlanet Festival, LPI – supported by the United Nations University (UNU)—as the first UNU Hub of its kind in France—and UNESCO—as a Category 2 Institute – officially launched the Learning Planet Academy. Grounded in research and made stronger by a global network, the initiative aims to bridge the gap between learning and impact, offering top-quality opportunities to make youth voices heard.

Our programmes center around three vital pillars – Environment & Climate, Peace & Democracy, and Mental Health & Wellbeing – and innovative learning pathways to equip young people to respond to global crises: 

• In the MOOD for Climate Action: A hands-on initiative empowering young people to take tangible action on the front lines of sustainability.
• The Learning Planet Youth Design Challenge: A global platform inviting youth to co-create, test, and scale solutions to pressing societal challenges.
• Learning Planet Youth Ventures & ReModelUN: Projects designed to reshape civic participation, update governance models, and ensure young people directly shape policy and international debate.

Rather than competing to be “the best in the world,” these initiatives invite learners to acquire the skills and confidence to be “the best FOR the world”.

Multiplying Impact Through an Extraordinary Global Network

To empower youth at scale, isolated efforts are not enough. We must nurture an extraordinary international network that increases the impact of our concrete programmes tenfold. LPI continuously works with high-quality partners—including the UN Youth Office, UNU, UNESCO, YMCA, World Scouting, the Global Student Forum (GSF), and many others.

In early 2026, LPI signed a historic Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Global Student Forum (GSF)—the world’s leading coalition of independent student unions. United by a shared commitment to the transformative power of education for equity and global solidarity, LPI and GSF are combining historical student legitimacy with new technologies and co-creation methods to synthesize and amplify diverse student voices worldwide.

Similarly, the Institute established a landmark three-year agreement with World Scouting, connecting the world’s leading youth educational movement with LPI’s expertise in educational innovation. As World Scouting’s Chief Education and Development Officer, João Armando P. Gonçalves, noted, bringing these ecosystems together creates new pathways for youth leadership and civic participation in an interconnected world.

As François Taddei, President and Co-Founder of the Learning Planet Institute, emphasizes:

“Education should not only prepare young people for the world; it should help us prepare the world with them, giving them the agency to turn their dreams into action.”

The challenges of the 21st century cannot be solved with the methods of the 20th. By offering innovative pathways, nurturing our international network, and placing youth agency at the core of everything we do, the Learning Planet Institute is helping young people look after themselves, others, and the planet.