Registration is open for youth ages 18-32 with a proven track record of leadership experience, school, or community involvement and are interested in global affairs, sustainable development, and youth issues. Applicants must be able to secure a U.S. visa, and travel to the United States in August 2024.

The 29th Youth Assembly will be held on August 16-18, 2024 in New York City. It will be an in-person event. If the organizer cancels the in-person event due to Covid-19 pandemic or other events beyond its control, the organizer may, at its discretion, hold the event virtually. 

AFS Intercultural Programs Inc. spearheads every session of The Youth Assembly in 2024 with the support and partnership of notable organizations and companies. Friendship Ambassadors Foundation organized the event until 2020. 

According to the UN, the definition of youth is “more fluid than other fixed age-groups.” Various organizations have their own definition of youth. At The Youth Assembly, we do not have a strict definition of youth, but have defined a certain age range for who is considered a “Delegate” for our program planning purposes. A Delegate should be between the ages of 18-32 at the time of application. 

Due to capacity there is an extremely limited number of spaces for people applying as Observers (for participants over 32 years of age). If you are applying as an Observer please indicate your motivation for attending on your application for review. Please note due to limited space we will only be able to accept a small number of Observers to attend the AFS Youth Assembly.

The Applicant Questionnaire will be used to evaluate your application. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and will be evaluated based on the applicant’s work or involvement, achievements, and interest in sustainable development.

Upon submission of the application form, you will receive an auto-response email. Submission of the registration form does not automatically guarantee acceptance. A refund will be issued to registrants who did not meet our eligibility requirements. 

Generally, delegates apply for B-2 visas (tourism). Please note that international applicants who are based outside the United States are responsible for obtaining their own visa to travel to the US. Contact the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate to find out how. Acceptance to The Youth Assembly does NOT guarantee the issuance of a visa or admission into the United States. Visa issuance is entirely contingent on U.S. Embassies’ and Consulates’ discretion. Admission into the United States is contingent on U.S. Customs and Immigration Authorities’ discretion at the point-of-entry.

Please also note that the organizers’ (AFS Intercultural Programs) responsibility is limited only to supplying an invitation letter. AFS cannot make personal phone calls or requests on your behalf to specific Embassies or Consulates. Intervention with the diplomatic and consular affairs by a host organization is not possible, and reliance on such phone calls may slow your application process or decrease your chances of obtaining a visa. 

​​Due to the pandemic, many countries have longer than usual wait times for interview appointments at U.S. embassies. Please consider investigating wait times for embassy interviews before applying to the Youth Assembly:

https://travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/visa-information-resources/wait-times.html

We suggest applicants check local organizations and associations, such as the Lions or Rotary clubs in their area, for sponsorship opportunities. Former delegates have found that a search through the internet, academic scholarships, and local and national sources can also be a source of subsidy and support.

Some scholarships might be available for the Youth Assembly Program Academies, you may check here. You can also utilize our fundraising guide, which provides suggestions to help with self-funding efforts.

All events at the AFS Youth Assembly are carried out in English. Interpretation services (including sign languages) may be arranged with an external agency at a cost to the participant. For inquiries, please contact us at [email protected].

Yes, in case you have a companion, they will also need to register and pay for the event. 

Unfortunately, failure to complete the payment by the indicated deadline will result in your application and registration being withdrawn. If you need more time, you may request an extension. However, extension requests will only be approved on a case-to-case basis and with possible increased/late fee.

In an effort to promote diversity in all its forms, AFS is pleased to introduce a Delegation Program for the 29th Session of the Youth Assembly. Interested organizations are required to fill out the Delegation Program Application Form. This form will be reviewed, and a determination will be made on the group’s registration eligibility. Qualifying groups will receive an email with instructions on how to complete registration of its delegates. Please note that a Delegation must have 5 or more members.

As stated in the terms, the Registration Fee is non-transferable (you cannot transfer it to another person, or to a future edition of the Youth Assembly) and, except as provided below, it is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the Participant for any circumstances and reasons whatsoever.  These circumstances and reasons may include, but are not to be limited to, medical conditions, family conditions, impossibility to travel due to Covid restrictions or any other government restriction, issues related to visa applications, etc.  Upon submitting application forms and paying the Registration Fee, AFS reviews, processes, and may accept those applications.  In return for this service, accepted applicants may not request a refund or credit or dispute the charges before, during, and after the YA Program, except for receiving partial refunds of the Registration Fee as listed below

Note: Written Cancellation Notice has to be provided as follows: write an email to [email protected] with the subject “Cancel Registration”, informing  your full name, registration ID, and email address used in your application. We will also ask you to briefly describe the reason for canceling the reservation if you agree to share that with us (optional).

No. Participants who sign up for the Conference option are responsible for their own travel arrangements, including accommodation, meals, flight, airport transfers, and visa application fees.

Delegates may request an upgrade to one of the Youth Assembly Program Academies, which include accommodation, special certificates, exclusive side events and networking opportunities, and much more.

The Registration Fee is non-transferable (you cannot transfer it to another person, or to a future edition of the Youth Assembly) and, except as provided below, it is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the Participant for any circumstances and reasons whatsoever.  These circumstances and reasons may include, but are not to be limited to, medical conditions, family conditions, impossibility to travel due to Covid restrictions or any other government restriction, issues related to visa applications, etc.  Upon submitting application forms and paying the Registration Fee, AFS reviews, processes, and may accept those applications.  In return for this service, accepted applicants may not request a refund or credit or dispute the charges before, during, and after the YA Program, except for receiving partial refunds of the Registration Fee as listed below

Note: Written Cancellation Notice has to be provided as follows: write an email to [email protected] with the subject “Cancel Registration”, informing  your full name, registration ID, and email address used in your application. We will also ask you to briefly describe the reason for canceling the reservation if you agree to share that with us (optional).

The Registration Fee is non-transferable (you cannot transfer it to another person, or to a future edition of the Youth Assembly) and, except as provided below, it is non-refundable in the event of cancellation by the Participant for any circumstances and reasons whatsoever.  These circumstances and reasons may include, but are not to be limited to, medical conditions, family conditions, impossibility to travel due to Covid restrictions or any other government restriction, issues related to visa applications, etc.  Upon submitting application forms and paying the Registration Fee, AFS reviews, processes, and may accept those applications.  In return for this service, accepted applicants may not request a refund or credit or dispute the charges before, during, and after the YA Program, except for receiving partial refunds of the Registration Fee as listed below:

Note: Written Cancellation Notice has to be provided as follows: write an email to [email protected] with the subject “Cancel Registration”, informing  your full name, registration ID, and email address used in your application. We will also ask you to briefly describe the reason for canceling the reservation if you agree to share that with us (optional).

Upon application acceptance, you will receive a formal admission email, which you will need to present to the AFS Youth Assembly Representative during the event check-in (before the conference formally starts). Please expect to receive updates from time to time regarding the check-in information and conference agenda, as well as many exciting opportunities for the participants. In case you are not getting any updates, please check your spam box and/or reach out to us at [email protected].

If you have applied for a visa, please notify us first about its status on or before June 28, 2024. You will receive your formal admission email once you have confirmed your visa status.

For the Conference-only option, an administration fee of $350 per person (early-bird rate till December 31, 2023) is due upon applying. 

Please note that the fee will increase to $425.00 for regular registration starting on January 1, 2024 – April 1, 2024. The fee will increase to $500 during the late registration period from April 2 – June 28, 2024. The fee is non-refundable and non-transferrable under any circumstances and for any reason.

Applicants are advised to apply as early as possible to avoid paying a higher fee. All applicants admitted during this time will be Delegates of the Youth Assembly (except in cases where they are admitted as observers instead). 

All events at the AFS Youth Assembly are carried out in English. Additionally, all applications must be submitted in English.

To be considered eligible for a Youth Assembly scholarship, applicants must be between 18 – 32 years old at the time of the program start date.

No! If you are applying for a scholarship, you only need to apply using this typeform. We advise you to not create a regular individual application on our portal so you are not added to our regular applicants list and start receiving communications that are not meant for you, which may cause confusion.

Scholarships for the Youth Assembly Academies cover the program registration fees, which gives you access to everything listed as included in the program, plus a travel stipend in the form of a reimbursement for your transportation costs.

In case you are selected for a scholarship, AFS will provide you with an official scholarship offer letter, including details to support your U.S. visa application. However, we are not able to provide further assistance in visa acquisition as we do not have control over visa issuance, and acceptance to the AFS Youth Assembly does not guarantee the issuance of a visa or admission into the United States. You are responsible for making your travel arrangements, including obtaining a visa if needed.

The deadline to apply for a Youth Assembly scholarship is December 15, 2023.

Results for the Youth Assembly scholarships application process will be announced on January 25, 2024.

Yes. In case you are not selected for a Youth Assembly scholarship but would still like to proceed with a regular registration, we will provide you with a discount code so you may benefit from the early bird rate for a longer period.

No. Unfortunately, there are no scholarships available for the Conference-Only registration type.

Yes, there are scholarships available for all 2024 Youth Assembly Program Academies. The deadline to apply is December 15, 2023.

Scholarships for the Youth Assembly Academies cover the program registration fees, which gives you access to everything listed as included in the program, plus a travel stipend in the form of a reimbursement for your transportation costs.

Youth Assembly Scholarships are available for the International Affairs Academy, Changemakers Academy, Climate Entrepreneurship Academy and Global Educators Workshop. To learn more about who can apply for each opportunity, you may check this page.

In case you are not selected for a Youth Assembly scholarship, you may benefit from a discounted rate when joining a delegation group such as the one organized by our official ambassadors. Other than that, you might find value in this Guide to Grassroots Fundraising.

Upon submitting your scholarship application, you will receive an automated email from Typeform with your application details and confirmation of submission.

Unfortunately not. We have received an overwhelming number of applications and can no longer accept new ones for the 2024 AFS Youth Assembly.

No. In case you are a scholarship winner but cannot attend the Youth Assembly session you have applied for, your spot cannot be guaranteed for the following year.

Transportation is provided only between the program venues. No airport transfers are available, and you are responsible for arriving at the check-in location at the day and time indicated in your admission letter.