As part of our activities for World Refugee Day (June 20), the REC is launching “Stories that Stay: Digital Human Library by REC”—a global platform to amplify the voices and lived experiences of refugee and displaced youth.

We warmly invite you to share your story, particularly your experiences with education, challenges, resilience, and the moments that have shaped your journey. Selected stories will be featured on the online platform and will also contribute to REC’s advocacy on Education in Emergencies (EiE), helping inform global policy and decision-making.

You can share your story in different formats and languages: Writing, Audio, Video or Photo

Deadline: May 25, 2026

Top 3 stories will receive a $50 CAD gift card

Submit your story here: https://forms.gle/XTqpEasTzm6grFRn7 

This unique leadership opportunity is for youth who are interested in energy, sustainability, and leadership. If you self‑identify as a girl, woman, or gender‑diverse youth ages 14–24 and live in Alberta, this opportunity is for you!

Through this Seat Share, you’ll take part in a day‑long, in‑person experience at the Cenovus headquarters in Calgary in October 2026. You’ll spend the day alongside Cenovus leaders, learning about their leadership journeys, responsible energy development, and career pathways in the energy sector. You’ll also have space to ask questions, share your perspectives, build confidence, and amplify youth voices in shaping the future of energy.

🔗 Apply now:  Girls Belong Here Seat Share with Cenovus Energy 2026 -  Application Form – Fill out form 

All program-related expenses are fully covered, including travel and accommodation. Spots are limited, and applications are open from May 8–May 24, 2026.

You’re still eligible to apply even if you’ve previously participated in Girls Belong Here or other Plan Canada youth programs (e.g. Eureka Fellowship, The Power Within) ☺️

Around the world, girls and young advocates are organizing communities, leading movements, and reshaping conversations on gender justice. However, too often, they are still treated as “future leaders” instead of the political actors they already are.

That is what made the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality, launched at Women Deliver 2026, so significant.

The Declaration reflects a broader shift taking place across global advocacy spaces: from symbolic inclusion to meaningful participation, from top-down leadership to co-leadership, and from speaking about girls to trusting girls to lead.

For advocates around the world, particularly in Canada, that shift matters.

On April 29, 2026, the Adolescent Girls Manifesto was launched in Narrm (Melbourne) at Girls Deliver. Written by adolescent girls under the slogan “Our Moment, Our Power, Our Future,” the Manifesto affirms that girls are rights-holders, leaders, and decision-makers—and that their rights are non-negotiable.

Together, these documents point toward a growing reality: the future of gender equality is already being shaped by adolescent girls and young people.

From participatory engagement to girl-led leadership

For years, advocacy spaces have emphasized the importance of “including youth voices.” But many young advocates know the gap between being heard and having real influence.

Being invited into the room is not the same as being trusted with decision-making power.

Across the world, young advocates are already leading conversations on climate justice, sexual and reproductive health and rights, education, disability justice, online safety, and mental health. They are organizing campaigns, building communities, and reshaping public discourse in real time.

The question now is whether institutions and organizations are willing to move beyond tokenism and genuinely invest in girl-led leadership—and advocates are holding them accountable for that commitment. To date, 10 countries, including Canada, and more than 200 organizations have committed to the Declaration.

Why this matters in Canada

Canada is often viewed as a global leader on gender equality. But young advocates here still face major challenges, including gender-based violence, racism, online harassment, climate anxiety, barriers to reproductive healthcare, and the ongoing impacts of colonialism—particularly for Indigenous girls and young women.

At the same time, young people across the country are already driving change by:

• organizing in schools and universities;

• building digital campaigns;

• advocating for policy reform;

• using storytelling as activism;

• supporting peers through mutual care and solidarity.

The Melbourne Declaration is a reminder that this work matters globally, not just locally.

What comes next

The Melbourne Declaration and the Adolescent Girls Manifesto point toward the same reality: girls and young advocates are no longer asking for symbolic inclusion. They are calling for co-leadership, structural accountability, and sustained investment in youth-led change.

The next era of gender equality will not be built only in conference halls or international declarations. It is already being built by young advocates organizing in classrooms, communities, digital spaces, grassroots movements, and local campaigns around the world.

The future of girls’ rights advocacy is not waiting in the distance. It is already unfolding now, with all of us at the center of it.

Ready to take part in this?

• Explore Plan International’s opportunities for youth in Canada advocating for change: https://plancanada.ca/en-ca/get-involved/youth-opportunities

• Read the Adolescent Girls Manifesto: https://womendeliver.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Girls-Deliver-Manifesto-En-041326.pdf

• Endorse the Melbourne Declaration for Gender Equality: https://womendeliver.org/wd2026/melbourne-declaration-for-gender-equality/

We’re here because we care deeply. But caring deeply without caring for yourself is not sustainable.

I learned this from the session on “Self-care, Burnout, and Managing Stress in Advocacy” led by Ahmad Nisar and Rachael Burns at Women Deliver 2026. Tools and reflections, especially relevant to young advocates, were shared to help us navigate emotionally demanding work, and here are the most useful ones.

1. Start with your body (1 minute)

Stress lives in your body before your brain names it. Acknowledging it is the first step to managing it.

So, close your eyes. Scan slowly from head to toe. Don’t change anything, just notice. Where do you feel tight? Hot? Empty?

2. Name your stress without blaming yourself

Simply write down what triggered those feelings: tight deadlines, late emails, group chat fights, feeling like you must respond to everything.

When we name the situation, not our weakness, we move from shame to problem-solving.

3. Swap your “burnout lens”

Sometimes, we are our own harshest judges. We tend to see exhaustion through a moral lens (It’s my fault) or a medical lens (I’m broken).

This time, try the human rights lens instead:

“I am capable. I have dignity. What support do I deserve?”

That small shift gives you power back.

4. Stop accepting “just don’t burn out”.

When someone says that, they’re often putting all the responsibility on you. Instead, ask real, helpful questions, such as:

• What additional support would help right now?

• What can wait until tomorrow?

• What boring task can I do for you? (Email, dishes, calendar invite, etc.)

• Do you need more time?

These questions turn vague worry into actual help.

5. Make choices, and own them.

You have the right to make your own choices about your time, boundaries, and energy—even if others disagree. Even if there’s risk. Even if it looks “lazy” to someone else.

Try making one small choice today about your rest or pace that only you understand.

6. Use art to release stress (badly)

Creativity is a universal language. It releases what words can’t. And it reminds you to have fun, which is actually part of advocacy.

You don’t need to be an artist. Draw a scribble. Sing one line of an old song. Dance for 30 seconds.

7. Give yourself the grace you give everyone else

“You’re working for the community. But you are the community.”

– Ahmad Nisar, Facilitator, Orygen Global Youth Mental Health Advocacy Fellowship

You would never call a fellow advocate weak for resting. So don’t say it to yourself.

Give grace to yourself, just like you give grace to everyone.

One last thing

Change does not come from comfort. But discomfort doesn’t have to mean destruction. You can be “comfortably uncomfortable”—held by your values, your tools, and your people.

We do the work. Then we rest, recover, and return.

That is part of the work too.

As part of their commitment to authentically representing young people, YDC delegates have launched a youth advocacy consultation survey (EN / FR) for youth ages 18–30, across Canada and Canadians abroad. This is a chance for young people to share their insights, priorities, and lived experiences and help shape the issues that matter most to them.

The input gathered will directly inform the delegates’ policy priorities and contribute to the final youth communiqué, developed alongside youth delegates from other G7 and G20 countries and formally presented to world leaders—ensuring youth voices are heard where global decisions are made.

✨ If you’re a young person ages 18–30, we encourage you to take a few minutes to fill out the survey and share your voice!

👉 Follow their journey and learn more about the delegates here:
https://statics.teams.cdn.office.net/evergreen-assets/safelinks/2/atp-safelinks.html

The competition is free to enter for young people aged 11-25, and the deadline is May 15th. There are two youth submission categories. Youth can submit a creative piece (e.g., a painting or poem), or they can submit an essay, demonstrating deep understanding, clarity, and empathy. 

This is a great opportunity for youth to advocate for issues they are passionate about. Join HART to bring human rights to light.

The HART Prize for Human Rights is a global creative and essay competition. The brief is simple: submit a clear, thoughtful piece about a forgotten conflict or a human rights issue that does not receive mainstream attention. This is an opportunity for inspired youth to have their voices heard. 

The competition is free to enter for young people aged 11-25, and the deadline is May 15th. There are two youth submission categories. Youth can submit a creative piece (e.g., a painting or poem), or they can submit an essay, demonstrating deep understanding, clarity, and empathy. 

This is a great opportunity for youth to share their perspectives on humanitarian crises happening all over the world. Please join HART on bringing human rights to light.

https://www.hart-uk.org/prize/

Through this program, up to CAD $5,000 is available to help bring student ideas to life—from podcasts and GSA libraries to Pride murals, queer proms, conferences, and more.

Projects supported through True Voices aim to:

• Uplift and empower 2SLGBTQ+ youth

• Center meaningful queer voices

• Create more inclusive and affirming school spaces

This opportunity is open to students eager to lead meaningful, youth‑driven change in their school communities.

📅 Application deadline: Saturday, May 2, 2026
🗓️ Project period: September 2026 – June 2027

🔗 Learn more about the True Voices Grant Program: True Voices Youth Grants - It Gets Better Canada
🎥 Watch the community info session recording for application tips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=EaSzMz7qXdJ7DcAi&v=4E17g7oINE4&feature=youtu.be

What you can do (totally optional):

✅ Take the Global Youth Survey on your own

✅ Share your views individually or with peers (school, community group, youth org)

✅ Help influence global decisions about education, learning, and youth futures

Key links (you participate directly):

Global Youth Survey (open until Sept 20, 2026):

https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/articles/education-beyond-2030-global-youth-and-student-consultations-shape-future-education-agenda [unesco.org]

Optional guidance if you want to talk it through with others (includes age‑specific guides):

https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/articles/education-beyond-2030-global-youth-and-student-consultations-shape-future-education-agenda [unesco.org]https://www.unesco.org/sdg4education2030/en/articles/education-beyond-2030-global-youth-and-student-consultations-shape-future-education-agenda