Giving Compass' Take:

• With the rise of global challenges, young people are becoming more and more motivated to act on important issues and make a change. Here, the United Nations Foundation speaks with 13 year-old advocate Askadeline Malines about her experience with the NYC Junior Ambassadors Program and why she is dedicated to making a better future for her community.

• How can donors support youth leaders and their initiatives? In what ways will their passion inspire us to do better on advancing solutions to today's toughest challenges?

• Read more on the power of investing in youth-led social change.

Today’s youth generation is the largest the world has ever seen. There are 1.8 billion young people between the ages of 10 and 24. And, they will soon be responsible for a world with rising global challenges like hunger, climate change, and conflict.

It’s challenges like these that are motivating young people around the world to take action. Not only are they raising their voices, they are also stepping up in their communities and showing that with optimism and determination, global change is possible.

One of these young people is Askadeline Malines. Askadeline is 13, plays the guitar, and loves to visit her family in the Dominican Republic. She is also passionate about fighting for gender equality, standing up for immigrants’ rights, and working to tackle climate change and poverty in her Bronx community. Askedeline is an alumnus of the NYC Junior Ambassadors Program.

An initiative of the Mayor’s Office for International Affairs, the Junior Ambassadors Program connects seventh grade classrooms across New York City to the United Nations and empowers students to see themselves as global citizens. Students learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and lead projects in their communities to help achieve them.

As a Junior Ambassador, Askadeline has given speeches at the UN, organized a carnival to promote gender equality in her neighborhood, and encouraged her fellow classmates to strive for change through the SDGs.

Read the full article about young leaders and the Global Goals by Genelle Adrien at the United Nations Foundation.