The Charter for Compassion Global Youth Conference 2024 held virtually on October 17-18, was a remarkable display of youth power, unity, and advocacy. With the theme Youth for Compassionate Advocacy & Actions, we had over 500 registrations bringing together changemakers from across the world.
As the Global Youth Strategist for the Charter, I had the privilege of witnessing the energy, passion, and depth of dialogue throughout the conference. Participants from every corner of the globe engaged in action-oriented conversations, grounded in empathy, resilience, and a shared vision for a compassionate future.
If you missed any part of the conference or want to relive the inspiring moments, you can watch the recordings on our YouTube channel. We invite you to watch these powerful discussions, share them with your communities, and continue the conversation.
Inspiring Leadership and Action
Our keynote speaker was Ziyaan Virji, a young entrepreneur and founder of Leaders of Today, a platform that has impacted over half a million people worldwide. Ziyaan’s speech centred around his own personal journey of creating sustainable social ventures grounded in compassion, serving as an important reminder of how mobilizing communities can ignite transformative change and inspired attendees to push forward with their own projects.
Maung Hla Myint a youth leader and human rights advocate for the Rohingya community was our Youth Spotlight Speaker. Dialling in from a Rohingya refugee camp where he resides, Maung delivered a powerful message urging attendees to embrace compassionate leadership in their advocacy for global justice, offering a poignant perspective of the strength that can be found in collective empathy.
Panels: Global Responses to Challenges
The conference featured four impactful panels designed to inspire and equip participants with practical skills.
The United Youth Leaders of the Future panel showcased diverse young student leaders from across the globe highlighting projects deeply rooted in empathy and a commitment to addressing today’s pressing issues.
The Leading the Climate Movement panel brought together youth leaders at the forefront of environmental advocacy, who shared strategies for engaging policymakers, mobilizing grassroots efforts, and creating long-term solutions to environmental degradation.
Youth Catalyzing Change - Driving Inclusive & Peaceful Societies featured the perspectives of young advocates on the importance of youth leadership in promoting peace, justice, and human rights, particularly in alignment with the UN’s SDG 16. These stories of conflict resolution and peacebuilding brought to light the solutions youth are developing to confront the global imbalance of peace today.
The final panel, Strengthening Youth Engagement for Compassionate Advocacy, underscored the interconnected nature of global advocacy efforts. The creativity and resilience of these young leaders, whose work is already making a significant impact in their communities, was truly inspiring.
Youth-Led Sessions and Capacity-Building Workshops: A Space for Growth
The interactive Youth Led Sessions and Capacity Building Workshops provided hands-on learning opportunities for participants, offering tools to deepen their understanding of compassionate leadership, advocacy techniques, and sustainable movement building. With 15 offerings, attendees had the chance to collaborate, share experiences, and gain practical knowledge.
Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with participants appreciating the opportunity to engage directly with both young advocates and seasoned experts, fostering a strong sense of community throughout the conference.
Building Global Connections
One of the conference’s most successful outcomes was the global connections we built. With over 500 registrations from across continents, the event became a melting pot of cultures, ideas, and experiences. Attendees had the chance to hear diverse perspectives from conference presenters around the world, and engaged deeply with one another, building relationships that will likely extend beyond the conference itself. These cross-border conversations enabled attendees to take lessons from different parts of the world back to their local contexts.
The energy was palpable, with youth from different time zones collaborating, sharing, and inspiring each other toward collective action.
Looking Forward: A Call to Action
In my address to attendees, I issued a call to action, urging participants to rise as changemakers in response to the global injustices we face today. The interconnectedness of struggles for freedom and equality - from the genocide in Palestine to the atrocities in Syria, Afghanistan, Tigray, Sudan, the Congo, and Ukraine, as well as the genocides of the Rohingya and Uyghur communities, among many others ravaged by conflict - highlights the urgent need for compassion as a radical and transformative force that requires our strength and courage to confront injustice and work toward a more just and peaceful world.
As we reflect on the success of this conference, it is clear that over two days, young leaders demonstrated that they are not waiting for permission to create change - they are already leading the way, driven by compassion, empathy, and a deep commitment to justice.
In her closing remarks, Marilyn Turkovich, Executive Director of the Charter for Compassion, not only celebrated the incredible efforts of youth participants, but also reminded us that our work does not stop here. I could not agree more, the connections made, knowledge shared, and energy generated will continue to fuel compassionate action worldwide. We are confident that this is just the beginning of many more global initiatives that will strengthen youth-led advocacy.
