The 31st AFS Youth Assembly
August 12-14, 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland
Download the Brochure for Program Partners
Become a Program Partner as an official speaker or host a session at the AFS Youth Assembly and share your ideas with young leaders from over 100 countries. Program Partnership enables you to:
- Showcase your organization’s work, values and brand to a talented pool of young people.
- Join or build a creative and interactive panel/workshop connected to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Promote the AFS Youth Assembly to constituents on social media and other outreach channels
- Receive benefits including discounts and complimentary day pass to access to the conference on the day of your presentation
As a Program Partner, you’ll join notable organizations in empowering youth for global change. AFS Youth Assembly Program Partners play an important role in the development of our program. Civil society international organizations, advocacy groups, universities, private sector and other institutions that empower individuals through capacity building or are interested in engaging youth through their work are a great fit for the AFS Youth Assembly. Sessions are designed to provide our Delegates new knowledge, skills, tools, and networks to effectively make a positive impact on our world.
The AFS Youth Assembly annual conference gathers about 500 of the world’s most dynamic young people each year, from over 100 countries to connect with like-minded peers, trailblazers, and influencers; develop global competence and critical skills; and transform their vision for a better future into action. Attendees, ages 18-35 are committed to working for impact in line with the Sustainable Development Goals and represent some of the most dynamic, upcoming talent among young people in this field.
- One of the world’s largest youth events focused on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
- Founded in 2004, with roots going back to 1958
- 20,000 Alumni from 160 countries, including the UN Secretary General’s first-ever Envoy on Youth Ahmad Alhendawi & Former Secretary General of the United Nations Kofi Annan
- 1,000+ youth-led projects have been generated by AFS Youth Assembly participants in their home communities
- Multiple leadership opportunities for delegates to win awards and prizes of up to $10,000 dollars to fund their social impact projects, and recognition on a global stage
Deadline to apply: January 28, 2026
The overarching theme of the AFS Youth Assembly is “Rise. Reimagine. Rebuild: A World for All.” We are seeking submissions aligning with any of the following tracks:
- Reclaiming Development as a Human Right for All
- Policy, Justice and Adaptation: Real-World Solutions for Climate Resilience
- Rethinking Education: Youth Innovation for Future-Ready Skills
- Bridging Divides: The Power of Connection in a Polarized World
Read the full Concept Note of the 2026 AFS Youth Assembly.
Proposals that offer the following to the audience are particularly desired:
- Field experience and hands-on work is highly valued
- Give new ideas and insight on a particular topic
- Motivate and inspire the audience
- Feature interactive engagement with and participation of the audience
- Provide practical and useful information or advice for young leaders
- The program seeks to reflect a diversity of geographical representation
- Highlight follow-up resources or opportunities for youth impact in that field
Session formats:
Participants benefit from having a variety of style and format of events. We are open to innovative proposals in session format, or one of the following formats. Workshops will be 1-hour long and panels and discussion sessions will be 1:15 hours long.
- Skill-building Workshop – session with interactive training in a particular skill or topic with specific outcomes
- Solution-building Workshop – solution-building session that encourages the audience to actively brainstorm new ideas
- Informative Workshop – detailed and interactive session offering new ideas, resources or information on a particular topic
- Panel Session – thematic session with multiple speakers sharing various perspectives with Q&A
Speaker fees:
As a nonprofit organization, AFS Intercultural Programs is not able to provide financial support at this time. We are extremely fortunate to rely on all our program partners, speakers, and organization for their crucial contribution. Our speakers have delivered speeches and insights to our Delegates free of charge. This is what allows us to keep the AFS Youth Assembly as accessible to our Delegates as we can, making it one of the most affordable events of its kind. This is especially important for us as the majority of our audience is youth from around the world, largely developing countries, trying to make a difference in their own communities.