500 young leaders become A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors

Five hundred young people from across the world have been named as A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors.

The young leaders from more than 80 countries have the passion and dedication to be part of the global education solution.

A World at School has established the Global Youth Ambassador programme in an effort to build and strengthen the emerging youth movement for global education.

The ambassadors will campaign in their schools, communities and countries for action to get every child into school and learning.

The inaugural group of 500 includes Shazia Ramzan and Kainat Riaz, who were students in the Swat Valley in Pakistan when they were injured on their school bus in the attack targeted at Malala Yousafzai.

Unable to continue their studies safely, both girls are now completing their education in the UK. Shazia and Kainat are thrilled to join hundreds of others in becoming Global Youth Ambassadors for A World at School.

An enthusiastic Chernor Bah, A World at School youth co-ordinator

An additional 500 youth campaigners from Pakistan will join the programme in the coming months.

The A World at School Global Youth Ambassador programme was launched at the 2015 Global Education Countdown Summit with United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon.

Chernor Bah, A World at School youth co-ordinator, said: “Young people are already in the forefront of the campaign to get every child into school and learning.

“The GYA initiative harnesses that power, connects amazing young advocates around the world with each other, equips them with the tools and resources that will help them be even more effective and provides platforms to amplify their collective power.

“We are excited by the breadth of the advocates in the programme. For the first time, we have in this movement, committed, dynamic young people dedicated to education from Africa, Asia, Europe and the Americas – from folks who have started their own organisation to those who just want to do more.

A World at School founder Sarah Brown with Kainat Riaz and Shazia Ramzan

“The youth ambassadors will provide an energy and an irresistible urgency to the campaign to get every child in school and learning.”

A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors will have access to an extensive youth advocacy toolkit which has been developed in a partnership with A World at School, Plan and the Youth Advocacy Group of the Global Education First Initiative.

It is full of ideas and examples which A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors will be able to use to advocate effectively for the right to an education. You can download the toolkit here.

There will be youth takeovers of parliaments in many countries starting in June, including a takeover of the African Union on Day of the African Child.

Our A World at School Global Youth Ambassadors will make their voices heard in their communities by organising events, participating in campaigns, writing letters to the editor, running petition drives and taking part in other campaign activities.

They will make their voices heard globally by writing blogs and news stories and sharing photographs and videos from events and projects for the A World at School website and social media channels.

They also will take part in online forums and discussions with young people, including monthly Google+ Hangouts hosted by A World at School.