"As youth in the environmental movement, we noticed how many youth led initiatives and projects were working toward the same goal, but were separated by location, age range, methodology or other factors. These barriers to cooperative effort stifle our progress as a youth movement and make it harder to achieve our collective goals. Youth as a demographic have the greatest power to affect environmental change, but lack the resources, skills and support to do so. We believe this problem stems from the lack of an open platform for young people to freely collaborate, meet, share ideas, and gain support  in the environmental community. 

                Youth.ify emerged from a strong desire to create such a space for passionate young people from around the world to meet, exchange ideas and make a difference together. Youth.ify's goal is really to provide a space for anyone interested in environmental work, regardless of experience. We are a global community of youth from every continent except Antarctica, and our mission is really to provide a platform for connection, collaboration and support for young environmentalists. 

                We were founded in August 2020, and in just 6 months, we’ve grown to include over 120 members from over 20 different countries plugged into our digital hub, and we’re not done yet. We have big plans for 2021, including an international youth summit that puts power in the hands of young people. Visit our website and follow our social media pages to learn more and stay up to date!"

2. How the organization works? How are you composed and who are the organizers?

                To give youth the tools they need to make a difference, Youth.ify has fostered an active digital community and open space for collaboration over Slack (connecting driven youth from countries spanning every continent except Antarctica), hosting virtual networking events that allow passionate young people to meet and build connections with their peers, and running monthly virtual workshops that teach real-life skills (such as creating a resume, writing for press/media, creating a social media presence, speaking with legislators, etc.). 

        Apurva Iyengar, our founder, leads a Board of Directors in our 5 teams: Engagement, Communications, Creative & Design, Partnerships, and Research. Each director leads their team with projects providing new and exciting resources to our members and improving our current programs.

3. How many youngs do you have engaged with the Youth.ify and from which places around the world?

                Over 120 young people are directly involved in our platform, from a myriad of countries ranging from Ghana to Colombia to the UK to India. We also have over 400 followers across our social media channels who are plugged into our work and resources. Our platform has grown to engage more than 115 youth in over 20 countries around the world and is expanding every day.

4. What activities do you realize and what projects you have or want to implement?

                Youth.ify is a platform for youth from around the world to share ideas, opportunities and build relationships with their peers. We regularly host action-oriented workshops, networking sessions and other virtual events that engage and empower Gen Z changemakers. Our past workshops have been focused on Landing Environmental Internships and Climate Communications. This July, we plan to host an international youth summit that will connect and empower over 250 youth environmental activists from around the world. The Summit aims to invert the traditional structure of summits in the past (adult professionals speaking on stage and youth listening and learning), and instead invite youth speakers to the stage to present about their ideas and projects and professional mentors to listen and learn from them. The Summit will also include a line-up of workshop sessions led by inspiring youth changemakers, Ideation & Brainstorming sessions, a Shark-Tank style pitch contest for environmental projects with prizes from sustainable brands, networking sessions with mentors and other youth, and fun, social activities to round out each day! Attendees will be organized into groups of their peers to serve as a support group before, during and after the summit. Each group will be led by a Youth.ify Team Member and allow attendees to socialize and share their experience through the event.