The Youth Advisory Council

Hikaru Wakeel Hayakawa is a Caribbean and Japanese American social entrepreneur and climate activist. He is the Executive Director and a founding director of Climate Cardinals, one of the world’s largest youth-led climate organizations, with 16,000 volunteers in 145 countries.

Since becoming its first full-time leader, Hikaru has transitioned Climate Cardinals from a volunteer-led initiative to a professionally staffed global movement, pioneering multilingual climate education and youth empowerment. He spearheaded the organization’s translation program with Translators Without Borders and Google Cloud, producing 3 million words in 105+ languages. Hikaru advises global organizations like UNESCO and the World Health Organization, and organizations across sectors such as AFS Intercultural Programs, Robert Kennedy (Sr.) Human Rights, and Veolia, the world’s leading environmental services company. His work has been featured in Forbes, ABC News, the Associated Press, Teen Vogue, and Grist, and he has spoken at Harvard, Columbia, Google, and the United Nations.

Hugo Enrique Osorio is a Colombian social leader, raised in London, dedicated to empowering youth through education, leadership, and social entrepreneurship. As the founder of The Sueña e Impacta Foundation (Dream & Impact), Hugo champions leadership and social entrepreneurship among Colombian youth, with the initiative now extending its reach to Europe and North America. Through more than 400 events, he has trained social and community leaders, equipping them with the knowledge, skills, and academic tools necessary to maximize their impact.

He holds a degree in Politics and International Relations from the University of Kent and a Master’s in International Law from the University of London. Hugo’s experience as an immigrant has profoundly shaped his vision, inspiring him to support young people and social leaders in overcoming challenges and realizing their full potential. Hugo’s work spans the UK and Colombia, fostering civic engagement, sustainable development, and inclusive education.  Hugo served for several years as Colombian Youth Ambassador for the AFS Youth Assembly and now serves as Impact Coordinator for Latin America and the Caribbean, amplifying youth voices and fostering cross-cultural collaboration across the region.

Ilan Enverga is an award-winning K-12 educator, international teacher trainer and founder of the non-profit organization, Global Changemaker Schools, specializing in education for sustainable development (ESD).

Ilan is the Global Focal Point for Education at the Major Group for Children and Youth and was elected the international Youth Representative on the SDG4 High-Level Steering Committee, the UNESCO apex body for global education cooperation. Together with the SDG4 Youth & Student Network, he leads initiatives advancing the Youth Declaration for Transforming Education, including the global #LeadingSDG4Youth campaign for meaningful youth engagement in education decision-making. At his first attendance of the AFS Youth Assembly in 2023, he participated in the Global Educators Workshop, was the youth speaker on the panel on “Solidarity for SDG 4”, and was awarded 2nd Place for the AFS Award for Young Global Citizens. Every year since, Ilan has supported the coordination of the AFS Youth Assembly as part of its Youth Advisory Council.

Layan Albraik is a Saudi medical student at Alfaisal University in Riyadh, dedicated to advancing global health and sustainable development. As the Saudi Youth Ambassador at the AFS Youth Assembly and a member of the Youth Advisory Council, she represents Saudi youth in international forums, working collaboratively toward the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, with a focus on SDG 3: Good Health and Well-Being.

Her work emphasizes the integration of medical knowledge, research, and policy to improve access to equitable, high-quality healthcare worldwide. Layan views medicine as a bridge between science and humanity, where physicians serve not only as clinicians but as advocates for system-level change. Through her leadership and research, she highlights the role of youth in shaping a sustainable and inclusive health future. Representing Saudi Arabia, she remains committed to empowering young professionals to contribute meaningfully to global health initiatives and to advance the nation’s growing role in promoting equity, innovation, and well-being for all.

Max Amanu is a development economist, youth empowerment strategist and education activist, dedicated to empowering young people to become active agents of positive change through advancing access to quality education and championing youth participation in public life. He is currently the Regional Director for Africa at changing-lives Switzerland, Thematic Lead for Education and Employability at the Queen Elizabeth II Commonwealth Trust (QECT) and a Co-Founder of Northwind Foundation, a nonprofit organization that empowers youth from low-income backgrounds through access to free education and employability skills training.

He also serves as a Member of the UNODC’s YouthLED Integrity Advisory Board to the Global Resource for Anti-Corruption Education and Youth Empowerment (GRACE) Initiative and a Co-Chair for the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) & Future-Proof Skills for Dignified Work Thematic Area Working Group of UNESCO’s SDG4 Youth & Student Network. Prior to joining the AFS Youth Assembly Advisory Council, Max served as an Ambassador for the 30th Session of the Youth Assembly and attended the conference in New York in 2023 as a delegate.

Nina Grmuša is a passionate youth advocate committed to advancing human rights, meaningful youth participation, and social and environmental justice. She has been Chairperson of the Advisory Council on Youth at the Council of Europe from Spring 2024 to the beginning of 2026, working to ensure that youth led civil society shapes policy and democratic governance. An active volunteer for a decade for AFS and the European Federation for Intercultural Learning (EFIL), Nina promotes intercultural learning and global citizenship through her engagement across Europe. Through her work, Nina brings intersectional feminist lens and values empathy and equality the most.

Odunayo Aliu is an education specialist and development practitioner with experience in transforming the education landscape in rural and marginalized communities. She is the founder of Bramble Network, a nonprofit organization that provides equitable educational opportunities to children and youth in rural and marginalized communities. Through her leadership, the organization has impacted over 12,000 young people.

Odunayo has also been instrumental in the establishment and management of several EdTech and social enterprise initiatives, utilizing cutting-edge technology and community organizing to influence mindsets and cause societal change. Odunayo was honored with the 2025 Outstanding Delegate Award and Sir Cyril Taylor Scholarship at the 2025 AFS Youth Assembly.

Oluwadamilola Akintewe is a Nigerian feminist lawyer and global youth leader actively coordinating social justice, equality and empowerment initiatives with a focus on development policy. Via Project Rebirth, a social enterprise she founded in 2018, Oluwadamilola is providing economic justice, peace, access to human rights protection and human dignity interventions to displaced women and youths across West Africa, enabling them rebuild their lives post conflict.

Also, through Forbidden Topics, a young feminist collective she founded with active communities across 30 countries, she’s championing Civic Advocacy and Policy Changes on women’s rights globally. For her leadership, Oluwadamilola has been awarded the 2025 AFS Young Global Citizens Award. She was named a 2024 ESG Rising Star by Women of the Future UK in Partnership with Financial Times and received the 2024 Princess Diana Legacy Award from HRH William, Prince of Wales for her humanitarian efforts. Oluwadamilola is committed to fostering cross-sectoral and stakeholders’ partnerships towards global development. She’s currently undergoing a Masters of Global Affairs as a Schwarzman Scholar in Tsinghua University, Beijing, China.