Communities unite. Youth rise. Futures change.

When the Youth Ready program came to Nicol’s school, it immediately sparked her curiosity. For a little while, she’d been nurturing a small business of her own, creating delicate “eternal flowers” by hand—but she wasn’t sure how to help it grow. When she learned what Youth Ready had to offer, she saw possibility. Nicol, a sponsored child, quickly realized this was the chance to take her passion to the next level.

Since 2017, Youth Ready has been World Vision’s flagship youth program, opening doors for young people—like Nicol—across the globe. Funded by the Barrett Family Foundation and led by World Vision Canada in partnership with ten country offices—Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania—the initiative aims to remove barriers that keep youth from continuing their education, finding employment and launching sustainable businesses.

What began as Phase 1 in Honduras and El Salvador, grew momentum—expanding in 2020 to another five countries in Latin America for Phase 2. By 2024, Youth Ready crossed continents, bringing hope and opportunity to youth in Rwanda, Kenya and Tanzania. Today, it’s a global commitment to empower the next generation.

At the heart of it all

At its core, Youth Ready rests on three core pillars: Youth Social Agency, Economic Empowerment and Mental Health & Psychological Wellbeing. Through this framework, youth gain access to education, secure employment and cultivate entrepreneurial skills to start and grow their own businesses. They learn to lead, speak up and believe in their own potential.

Reimagining what's possible

In 2024, World Vision partnered with Limestone Analytics and Johns Hopkins University to measure the impact of Youth Ready. The findings were clear: it costs roughly $950 to train a youth, while benefits average $646. For us, this wasn’t just a number, but a clear challenge to innovate ways to reduce costs and increase benefits to help create stronger outcomes together. Part of that included prioritizing collaboration with partners and ensure the program is integrated into Field Office programs.

In the last two years, the program focused on strengthening local ownership and sustainability. It wasn’t about doing more with less, but about doing better, together. Field offices partnered with 227 organizations—government agencies, private sector groups, universities, churches and community and youth volunteers—to share costs and boost registrations.

Youth Ready methodology was transferred to local partners in six counties, from municipal governments in Honduras to universities in Peru and faith-based organizations in Bolivia.

What happened next

By rethinking how we work, we gave youth a stronger voice in reshaping their futures and the results speak for themselves. In FY24 to mid-FY25, Phase 3 reached 17,151 youth with $4.78M— three times more than Phase 2, which reached 12,508 youth over four years with $10.7M. Lower costs, greater efficiency and more lives impacted.

Numbers only tell a part of the story. The real impact is in voices like Isaac López, Human Talent Manager at BSMART in Ecuador, who joined our Gender Approach and Social Inclusion Workshop: “Seeing the enthusiasm, creativity and commitment of these young people was deeply motivating. I am convinced that spaces like this make a real difference. We will continue to support this beautiful project."

Young people now lead with confidence, skills and vision. Through the Youth Ready Leaders Manifesto, they position themselves as agents of change in their families, communities and countries—advocating for opportunities in higher education, employment, entrepreneurship, mental health, financial services and climate action.

So, what exactly is the Youth Ready Leaders Manifesto? It’s the result of a powerful collaboration. Youth Ready alumni came together to form the Global Youth Alliance (GYA), a youth-led network where they continue to lead and make a difference after completing the program. In August 2025, our Youth Ready program partnered with GYA to host the Global Youth Summit in Colombia. There, young leaders from Latin America and Africa worked side by side to craft the manifesto—a declaration that youth are not just program participants, but true partners and agents of change calling for reforms in policies, education, and both public and private systems. These young people gain the tools, confidence and support they need to lead and shape solutions to transform their communities.

Looking ahead

For Nicol and thousands like her, Youth Ready isn’t just a program, but a promise. A promise that their dreams matter and that when communities come together, futures can change. Hope, once ignited, can light up the world.

“I would love for Youth Ready to reach the countryside and rural areas, where these opportunities rarely arrive,” she notes. “So others can be motivated and realize they have something valuable to contribute to this world.”

Written by Christina Cook in collaboration with Lemlem Kebede, Grant Manager, Programs & Policy and Alirio Zelaya, Project Officer, Programs & Policy.