Youth Assembly
Regional
consultations
and sessions
North America
The World Food Forum (WFF) Youth Assembly in North America serves as a strategic, youth-led platform dedicated to identifying, prioritizing and addressing the unique challenges within the continent’s agrifood systems. Our mission is to empower young people as key stakeholders in agrifood systems transformation, ensuring their perspectives inform regional policymaking processes.
For the 2026-2027 biennium, the Assembly is pursuing a logical progression that bridges regional advocacy with in-depth analytical work. This process begins with a comprehensive consultative phase, including a survey and dialogues to formulate the Regional Youth Statement for North America. Following the formulation and publication of the Statement, the Assembly is embarking on an advocacy campaign, working to present the statement at key regional conferences. The Assembly will then transition into a strategic phase of policy mapping and case study synthesis. This evolution ensures that youth priorities are not only heard but also supported by rigorous analysis to facilitate their practical integration into institutional frameworks.
Timeline
2026
March
- Disseminate a regional survey to capture diverse youth perspectives on emerging trends, policy gaps and shifts in regional priorities
April
- Host a virtual consultation to present preliminary survey findings and gather insights on emerging trends, policy gaps and shifts in regional priorities.
May
- Present the Regional Youth Recommendations at key conferences throughout the region.
June
- Launch a targeted regional call for case studies to identify and document successful youth-led policy interventions and institutional engagement examples across Africa.
August
- Undertake policy mapping exercises and consultations to validate findings and assess the alignment between existing policy instruments and youth-led recommendations.
October
- Host an intergenerational policy dialogue at the WFF flagship event, bringing together young leaders, high level officials, parliamentarians and technical experts to present case study findings. examine factors for policy integration and discuss practical pathways for policy uptake within institutional frameworks.
Previous engagements
- 2021: Launching the Youth Action Compendium
In 2021, the Youth Assembly launched the Youth Action Compendium, highlighting youth demands in agrifood systems with a focus on FAO’s four betters: better production, better nutrition, a better environment and a better life.
- 2022: Laying the foundation
In 2022, the North America region initiated the development of its Youth Action Regional Compendium, analyzing over 30 youth-led documents and holding virtual consultations and surveys. Key policy priority areas for the region included smallholder farmer support, sustainable technologies and resilient agrifood systems through inclusive policies, local food markets and school feeding programmes.
- 2023: Identifying challenges and calls to action
In 2023, the focus shifted to school nutrition, emphasizing raising awareness and integrating nutrition education into school programs.
- 2024: Narrowing the focus
By 2024, the focus turned to food waste reduction in post-secondary settings, advocating for a circular food system and highlighting the need for greater youth engagement and Indigenous inclusion, setting the stage for the Global Youth Action Plan (GYAP) 2025-2026.
- 2025: Implementing the GYAP
In the GYAP, the North America region identified two major action items that focused on enhancing knowledge on the food waste hierarchy and establishing an Indigenous Advisory Circle. In 2025, the focus turned to manifesting these items through a series of workshops and a food waste resource guide.
Key regional documents
Global Youth Action Plan (GYAP) 2025–2026
The strategic roadmap that guided regional priorities and implementation strategies during the 2025 cycle
Youth Action Regional Compendium 2022
A summary of policy priorities and actionable recommendations derived from regional youth manifestos and surveys
Read more about the other Regional Consultations
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