“Young people are not only the leaders of tomorrow, they are the partners of today.”
– Kofi Annan, Former UN Secretary-General
Around the world, young leaders are rising; they are not just participating but leading movements and bringing change. From grassroots initiatives tackling climate change to launching tech solutions and startups, youth across the world are tackling some of today’s biggest challenges. Today’s generation is more connected, informed, and passionate than ever before. What they need now are platforms, mentorship, and tools that nurture their energy and vision into lasting impact.
Recognizing this powerful momentum and the potential of youth, Global Peace Foundation (GPF), since its inception, has championed youth leadership rooted in service, peace, and innovation. Through international conferences, forums, grassroots projects, and transformative training, GPF empowers youths not just to step into leadership, but to lead with purpose, character, and impact—for their communities, countries, and the world at large. As a part of the blog series leading up to the International Youth Day, this time we look at moral and innovative leadership and practical ways for youths to integrate it into their lives, communities, and beyond.
One of GPF’s core focuses is Moral and Leadership, which calls upon individuals to be leaders and live with purpose guided by the universal principles and values while creatively addressing challenges with practical solutions. The leadership is guided by the Global Peace Values Framework, which emphasizes:
- Living for the Greater Good (Motivation)
- Dream Big (Vision)
- Ownership (Investment)
- Teamwork (Expansion)
This has been a guiding light for many young volunteers and leaders with GPF over the years. These young leaders have developed into responsible global citizens. With this in mind, let’s examine five ways youth can be moral and innovative leaders, taking examples from GPF initiatives around the world.
1. Lead with Purpose and Principles: Leadership begins with knowing your motivation—the reason you lead. For moral and innovative leaders, the greatest motivation is living for the greater good. For example, in GPF Nepal, through the program Project Saksham, youth have taken leadership to deliver values-based education sessions to students. The sessions include values such as humility, responsibility, empathy, and inclusion.
Action Tip: Reflect on your core values and ask: “What issues matter most to me and how can I make a difference?”
2. Create Innovative Solutions to Real Problems: While character and values provide the base for leadership, innovation drives change. Youths have the potential to channel innovation to solve problems. Take GPF Kenya, for instance, which provided high school students with entrepreneurship labs within their schools through its program Leap Hubs. These hubs acted as innovation incubators where students received training in business planning, design thinking, and digital skills to apply in the real world. As a collaboration between Daystar University, one team developed eco-briquettes from agricultural waste, and another team created an app to help local farmers track weather patterns and improve crop yields.
Action Tip: Identify a problem in your community. What simple, creative solution could help solve it? Start with what you have.
3. Bridge Divides Through Service Volunteering: In a world of rising conflicts and differences, youths have a vital role as bridge-builders. GPF’s mission is to build One Family under God, and leadership means recognizing our shared dignity across differences. Through youth volunteering programs, GPF has engaged young leaders in meaningful service while building mutual understanding across communities. In Mindanao, Philippines, where religious tensions have historically divided communities, GPF Philippines brought together Muslim and Christian youth for service projects together for community clean-ups, educational outreach, and interfaith dialogues. Initiatives such as these have turned shared challenges into opportunities for unity and trust-building.
Action Tip: Join or start a service project with people from different backgrounds. Listen, learn, and lead with empathy.
4. Let Service Shape your Leadership: Service is not just a tool for helping others—it’s a powerful way to build leadership from the inside out. It develops essential values as humility, teamwork, and compassion—the essentials for a moral and innovative leader. In January 2025, GPF Cambodia hosted a two-day program, the One Book One Love project under GPF Cambodia’s Youth Development Program. The participating youth led storytelling sessions with 370 primary school children, decorated their libraries, and organized group activities, leaving both the children and themselves inspired and connected. These shared moments reinforced character, compassion, and a deep sense of unity in service.
Action Tip: Choose a Cause—literacy, environmental care, mentorship—and organize or join a service project in your area. Service transforms communities and shapes leaders from the heart.
5. Act Local, Think Global: Moral and Innovative leaders understand that solving local challenges can inspire solutions globally. True leadership begins in your community, but its impact can reach across the globe. GPF youth initiatives highlight how local action can connect to global transformation. What begins as small, community-based projects grows into regional or international movements. For instance, alumni from GPF’s Global Peace Volunteers program in Latin America have launched environmental and education campaigns in their towns, then shared their models through international forums, inspiring youths to adapt and replicate them. Whether it’s launching a recycling drive, a peace club, or a digital awareness campaign, small actions—when rooted in values and shared with others—can create ripples far beyond their origin.
Action Tip: Document your local project. Share your story online or at a youth forum. You never know you’ll inspire across borders.
With Moral and Innovative Leadership as your guide, you already have what it takes to build a more peaceful, just, and hopeful world.
As Dr. Hyun Jin Preston Moon, Founder and Chairman of GPF, reminds us:
“Dream Big, But don’t dream a small dream; dream the biggest dream. And that dream is One Family Under God.”
The challenges we face today demand leaders who are principled, compassionate, and bold: leaders who can dream big and act with purpose. As International Youth Day gets closer, remember: you don’t need a title to be a leader. Start with your values. Act where you are and Dream big.
