By Amanda Gregorio, Project Analyst at Infinis. National Youth Councilor (CONJUVE), occupying the Health seat as a civil society representative. She was appointed as a delegate for the Global Health and Food Security track at the Youth 20 (Y20) Summit USA, the official youth engagement group of the G20.

Policies will never be able to respond satisfactorily to social demands if they do not involve, in their formulation, the people who deal with the problems they seek to solve. And when we talk about the future, this becomes even more evident: it makes no sense to decide on tomorrow without listening to those who will live it for the longest. That’s why, on this International Youth Day, I want to propose a shift in perspective. Instead of seeing us only as “the leaders of tomorrow,” how about recognizing that we are already leaders today? We are already in schools, in communities, in organizations, in health services, in collectives, and in decision-making spaces. We already have questions, ideas, concerns, and dreams that can—and must—help transform the present.

Being young means living through a phase of discovery, formation, building bonds, and also a certain courage to imagine that things can be different. It is when we create relationships with the community, understand our local area better, and begin to perceive which issues mobilize us. I believe deeply in this potential. Not because young people have all the answers (we don’t!), but because we carry experiences and perspectives that other generations cannot reproduce for us. And when our voices are left out, policies also lose the chance to understand an essential part of reality. In Brazil, the Youth Statute, established in 2013, recognizes this role by guaranteeing, among other rights, social and political participation and the involvement of young people in the formulation, execution, and evaluation of public policies.

I am increasingly certain of the power of youth when I see experiences such as RAP da Saúde in Rio de Janeiro, where young people act as health promoters in their communities; Adocs – Adolescent Health Communicators in Fortaleza; Ecoa, which trains young people to promote mental health and advocacy; CRIA in Santa Luzia do Itanhy (SE), which works with adolescents and new leaders; or Serenas, which was born from the dream of young women to create safer environments for girls and women. What inspires me most about these initiatives is not just the impact they generate, but the message they carry: when space, trust, and opportunity are offered, young people do not wait for someone else to change the world for them. They start changing it.

That is why opportunity matters so much. An opportunity can be the first invitation to participate in a meeting, present an idea, build a campaign, or represent a community. It may seem small to those on the outside, but for those who receive that space, it can completely change how they see their own place in the world. Participating also teaches. It teaches how to listen, argue, negotiate, build together, and take responsibility. Leadership does not begin when someone gains a title or reaches a certain age. Often, it begins the moment someone looks at a young person and says: “your voice matters here.”

And perhaps that is where we also need to challenge older generations a bit. There is that “adult pro max” who believes that, because they have lived longer, they must constantly guide, teach, correct, and show the way. And of course, experience matters. I myself learn a lot from those who came before me. However, I believe the relationship between generations becomes much richer when the exchange happens both ways. When an adult can listen to a young person’s idea without immediately responding that it won’t work. When they ask before explaining. When they accept that they might still have something to learn about the world that is changing before their eyes.

So, on this International Youth Day, my invitation is less about celebrating youth and more about making space for it. Ask a young person what they would change in the place where they live. What future they would like to build. What problem no one else seems to be seeing. And truly listen, without immediately turning the conversation into advice. We, the youth, still have much to learn from those who came before, but we also have much to contribute now. The future is being built at this very moment. And we are already here.