Youthwise: The OECD's Youth Advisory Board

As part of Youthwise, members: 

• bring their generation's perspectives, insights, and ideas to the OECD
• gain a greater understanding of key policy issues that affect their generation
• take part in closed-door meetings and consultations, engaging on a range of topics and themes, with OECD experts and external stakeholders
• have the opportunity to speak at events and participate in webinars, providing interventions on behalf of Youthwise
• create and (co-)author documents, articles, and videos to share Youthwise views
• join interactive workshops with other youth organisations and initiatives, meeting youth leaders from around the world
• network and gain a better understanding of how international policy-making functions. 

Youthwise activities principally take place online, though members may be invited to in-person events. A high level of attendance and participation is expected from all members. Youthwise members are not remunerated for their participation. 

Applicants should be:

• between 18 and 30 years of age
• a national of an OECD Member country
• fluent in English
• highly interested in national and international debates on building an inclusive future through the green and digital transitions
• able to be diplomatic, understanding and open to different ideas and perspectives when discussing potentially divisive topics
• neither affiliated with the OECD and subsidiaries; with member country governments, government agencies or parliaments, including as an elected official at any point; with delegations to the OECD; or have a relative who is currently OECD-affiliated
• available to participate in the Youthwise programme from July 2025 until June 2027.

An inter-generational, cross-directorate OECD jury reviews applications to select a diverse, representative group of young people. 

21 July

Youthwise member Nirajit Syamal participated in the OECD webinar, "Beyond the rankings: Why PISA matters in a changing world," ahead of the launch of the PISA 2025 results. Bringing a youth perspective to the discussion, Nirajit reflected on why education remains essential in a rapidly changing world shaped by artificial intelligence, climate change, changing labour markets and misinformation. Highlighting the importance of developing critical thinking and judgement alongside knowledge, Nirajit remarked, "AI can give my generation answers in seconds. What it can't give us is judgement," and concluded that "the next decade belongs to young people who can question answers, not just answer questions."

Watch the replay here. 

13 June

Youthwise members Hanna Agbanrin, Hamza Ghoumrassi and Alexander Zsolt Németh participated in the Youth World Summit 2026 in Paris, France, organised by the Center for International Policy and Sustainability (CIPS). The summit brought together young leaders, students, professionals, and change-makers to discuss, learn and collaborate on youth policy, leadership and sustainable development.

As speakers in the high-level panel discussion “Policy Dialogue on Youth Leadership in an Era of Global Uncertainty,” Youthwise members explored global challenges and the importance of including young people in decision making to foster social justice, educational equity and inclusive innovation. 

27-28 May

Youthwise members Tanya Marwaha, Kristjan Väriskoo and Loukas Kontakos-Menenakos participated in the OECD Global Forum on Local Development 2026 Annual Meeting in Maastricht, Netherlands. The Forum brought together policymakers, local leaders, businesses, social economy actors and practitioners to explore how places can navigate economic transformation, shifting labour markets and changing global value chains while creating stronger local economies, better jobs and more inclusive communities.

Through their participation in the sessions “From Local Action to Global Opportunity: Empowering Young Entrepreneurs to Scale Across Borders” and “Leading Local Change in Turbulent Times,” Tanya, Kristjan and Loukas brought youth perspectives to discussions on entrepreneurship, local leadership, cross-border mobility and economic opportunity. They highlighted the importance of including young people in decision making, fostering intergenerational collaboration and ensuring that local development strategies respond to the aspirations and realities of younger generations.

6 March

Youthwise member Tanya Marwaha participated in the OECD Education for Inclusive Societies Policy Forum, contributing to the panel discussion on “The future of inclusive education”. Bringing a student perspective to a diverse panel of policymakers, researchers and practitioners, Tanya reflected on what makes students with special education needs feel genuinely included and supported in schools. She emphasised the importance of moving beyond access to ensure meaningful participation, saying, “inclusion is the objective and belonging is the outcome”. 

16 March

Youthwise members Alexander Zsolt Németh, Katlego Khoza and Mia Kraknes participated in the launch of Global Money Week 2026. As part of the panel “Smart Money Talks: A dialogue between policymakers and youth on financial education and well-being,” they shared their perspectives on the importance of conversations about money and the role of financial education in empowering young people to make informed decisions. This annual global awareness campaign co-ordinated by the OECD International Network on Financial Education (OECD/INFE) aims to empower children and young people with the financial knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours necessary to make sound financial decisions and ultimately achieve financial well-being and financial resilience.

Youthwise members also wrote blog posts to mark Global Money Week and discuss what financial well-being means to them.

• Mia Kraknes: Why open conversations about money matter for young people
• Rachel Ooi: Striking a balance between saving and spending
• Tanya Marwaha: Why young people need honest financial conversations, not just advice

23-24 March

Youthwise members Nirajit Syamal and Beatriz Moutinho contributed to the 2026 OECD Digital Education Outlook conference, which brought together leading experts, policymakers, educators and youth voices to explore the effective, safe and equitable use of generative AI in education. As part of the sessions “Insights for the effective use of GenAI in education” and “Young people and generative AI”, Nirajit and Beatriz joined a multistakeholder dialogue to discuss the most effective, safe and equitable uses of generative AI in education, highlighting young people’s expectations, concerns and lived experiences in AI learning environments.

Watch the replays:

• Nirajit Syamal: OECD Insights for the effective use of GenAI in education + Q&A
• Beatriz Moutinho: Young people and generative AI

24 March

Youthwise member Hanna Agbanrin participated in the 2026 OECD Regular Dialogue on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which brought together governments and international organisations to reflect on progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Hanna shared a youth perspective on progress and remaining gaps, calling for more inclusive and forward-looking approaches to accelerate action towards 2030 and beyond. Her intervention reinforced the importance of youth voices in shaping sustainable development pathways and policy discussions, as well as the role of Youthwise as a trusted mechanism for harnessing intergenerational insights.

19 January

Tanya Marwaha participated in the launch of the OECD Digital Education Outlook 2026, examining the latest global research and effective uses of generative AI in education. Alongside, representatives from the UK Department for Education and Ceibal, Uruguay’s digital technology center for education innovation, Tanya presented her insights in the panel discussion “How do we make the best pedagogical/educational use of GenAI tools?”, moderated by Director for Education and Skills Andreas Schleicher. When asked about how young people relate to the policy discussions on AI in education, here's what Tanya had to say:

“I think for young people, the most important thing is around equal access to GenAI […] that's where AI literacy actually becomes the most important thing which all generations are talking about. For young people it should be about equal access regardless of their background, regardless of their learning needs, to be able to have the skill set, the toolkit to use AI."

30 October - 3 November

Tanya Marwaha and Dareen Zayed attended a conference on “Reimagining Education: Global Citizenship, Pluralism, and Purpose in the 21st Century” organised by the Salzburg Global in Austria. The programme formulates policy, practice, and partnership recommendations that can inform broader educational change and support the post-2030 global development agenda.

10-13 November

María Paz Garrido attended the OECD 3rd LACRP Ministerial Summit on Governance. Promoting integrity, improving public services and rebuilding citizen trust were at the core of the ministerial programme. María Paz was a panellist in a side event on Youth Perspective on Public Governance alongside the Paraguay Youth Minister, the President of the Chamber of Deputies of Paraguay and two OECD experts. She also contribute to the preparation of a Youth Statement.

24-26 November

Lenka Marčanová and Nirajit Syamal attended the OECD 8th Global Forum on the Future of Education and Skills 2040 in Bratislava, Slovak Republic. The forum discussed Curriculum Transformation in the Era of AI: changing ‘What to Learn’ and ‘How to Teach.’ Lenka and Nirajit supported in-person and online discussions and acted as moderators for sessions on integrating AI into learning in a meaningful, responsible and empowering way.

19 October

The 2025 cohort were invited to give feedback on the draft framework, “Empowering Learners for the Age of AI: An AI Literacy Framework for Primary and Secondary Education”. Launched by The European Commission and the OECD, with support from Code.org and international experts, the framework outlines responsible AI policies for primary and secondary education settings. By participating in the public consultation, Youthwise 2025 contributed valuable insights that will help shape both the content and format of the official framework.

30 October

Youthwise Members Beatriz Moutinho and Nirajit Syamal attended a conference on “How Bulgaria's accession to the OECD works for the success of young people: innovation in education and youth entrepreneurship," organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Burgas, Bulgaria. The one-day event brought together government, academia, business, civil society and young people to discuss how OECD membership can support quality and skills-based education, digital transformation and youth entrepreneurship. Beatriz intervened in the panel on Education for the Future, highlighting inclusive digital transformation, lifelong learning and lessons from international education initiatives, while Nirajit contributed to the panel on Skills and Youth Entrepreneurship, focusing on career development, employability and entrepreneurship culture among young people. Beatrix and Nirajit shared their work on education in their respective NGOs, Semear Futuro and Careerview.

8 September

The new members of Youthwise, the OECD’s Youth Advisory Board, had their inaugural meeting at the OECD headquarters in Paris. They exchanged with OECD experts and with the partner of this initiative, TUI Care Foundation, on many topics such as AI, education, sustainable tourism and climate change.

22 September

Youthwise member Hanna Agbanrin participated to the launch of the OECD report, To Have and Have Not, How to Bridge the Gap in Opportunities, together with the OECD Secretary-General Mathias Cormann, the French Commissioner for Strategy and Planning, Clément Beaune, the Director of the OECD WISE Centre, Romina Boarini and Professor of Inequality Studies and Director of the LSE International Inequalities Institute, Francisco Ferreira. Hanna took part in the panel, Bridging the gap in opportunities: Where are the main challenges and what are the solutions?

12 August

This year's International Youth Day was organised under the theme, “Local Youth Actions for the SDGs and Beyond.” In their first blog, Youthwise shared personal reflections on how they are translating global goals into meaningful local solutions, reminding us that youth engagement is not a luxury, but a cornerstone of real progress.

8-11 July

María Camila Páez attended the OECD Local Development Forum 2025 Annual Meeting “Global inspirations, local transformations” in Baranquilla, Colombia. She spoke on a panel about creating learning and job opportunities for young people, and wrote a blog about unlocking youth potential.