Global Impact: Youth Volunteers Journey to International Summit









Youth volunteers from around the world meet to connect & inspire







On October 18-19, 2024, Virginia Beach was abuzz as youth changemakers gathered for Summit 2024, Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) Headquarters. With the theme “Lighting the Way,” the event brought together over 170 attendees from all over North America, celebrating the power of youth-driven change.








We’re incredibly proud of our team of Josh, Lucy, Jeanne and Kingston. All four received the 100-in-One Award for completing 100+ volunteer hours this year. Josh and Lucy earned the prestigious Ethic of Service Award, while Lucy was also named Volunteer of the Year for her impressive 393 hours of service.

Connor Lang, a Youth Central YVC alum, also returned as part of the YVC HQ Alumni panel, sharing how his volunteer experience has shaped his real-world success.





Summit 2024 was a celebration of service, leadership, and the lasting impact of youth volunteers. We’re so proud of our team for representing Youth Central with such dedication and excellence!

Here’s what stood out for our youth delegates:

Lucy





The 2024 Summit was an enriching experience that provided me with the tools towards networking, teamwork, leadership, self growth and empowerment. Summit created a space for me to feel recognized in what I have accomplished, and foster a plan for what I want to achieve within YVC going forward. One of these achievements was the surprise of being awarded as youth volunteer of the year, which I am extremely grateful for.

I am walking away from Summit with an experience that has helped me develop into someone who can handle challenges with perceptive problem solving skills, and built a mindset based in learning and progress, not perfection. 

Jeanne

Attending the YVC Summit was an incredibly rewarding and unique experience.  I learned a lot about the details of interpersonal connection, the impact of youth on society, and the effects of impactful leadership.

I had the opportunity to learn about how different geographical locations shaped the kind of service opportunities offered to volunteers. Overall, the Summit 2024 Virginia gave me a new appreciation for the sheer magnitude of the impact of youth leadership.

Josh

Participating In Summit 2024 was an extremely rewarding and enjoyable experience I’ll never forget. Summit taught me many different things – how fun morning yoga can be especially with the right people, strategies to cope with stress, and how to craft a clear and compelling story. I made new friends from across Canada (Airdrie), the U.S.A, and Uganda and those are experiences I’ll never forget. All in all Summit 2024 was an amazing experience and I hope to be given the opportunity to participate again!

Kingston

Summit was an irreplaceable experience. Workshops aimed to equip us with the skills and awareness to better operate in the service field such as a Poverty Simulation. Participants were placed in the roles of low-income family situations facing the struggle of potential poverty to test how we would act when placed in such a scenario. It was a truly eye-opening experience that allowed you to gain empathy and acknowledgement firsthand.