We are excited to invite you to express your candidacy for a position on the 5Rights Youth Council! This is your opportunity to be a leading voice for children and young people worldwide in shaping the future of a rights-respecting online world.
What is the Youth Council about?
The Youth Council will be
- Connecting with a diverse group of children and young people from all around the world.
- Amplifying youth voices: You’ll participate in global discussion on children’s rights in the digital environment, online safety, privacy, and other critical issues
- Leading, advocating, and building capacity: You’ll work closely with the 5Rights team, other youth organisations, and international bodies to build capacity on children’s rights in the digital environment.
- Participating in selected policy consultations and representing youth perspectives in relevant high-level discussions and events by serving as a representative group of children and young people to 5Rights.
What’s the main objective/ mandate/ task?
The Youth Council plays an important role in helping shape 5Rights’ work. Together, we focus on three key areas:
Governance
You will take part in four meetings each year with the 5Rights Leadership team to discuss priorities, review ongoing work, and share your views to inform our direction.
Consultation
You will help test ideas, review findings, and give feedback on policies and projects, so that our work reflects what young people actually need.
Representation
You may have opportunities to represent your peers’ perspectives, for example by speaking at events, contributing to discussions, or helping share our work more widely.
How long will you be involved?
The Youth Council mandate will run for one year, starting in June 2026. You can once apply for a second term.
How often do you meet and what time? Will it be in person or online?
As a member of the Youth Council, you are expected to actively engage in key moments throughout the year. This includes:
- Attending the first induction meeting in June
- Participating in Governance meetings. These meetings will take place in advance of the quarterly 5Rights Board meetings, giving you the opportunity to share your view and inform direction. The specific dates will be announced in advance, but they will take place in July, October, January, and April.
- These meetings will be held virtually most probably on a Saturday adjusting as many time zones as possible. The dates will be announced in good time.
In addition, there will be:
- Optional meetings focused on capacity-building and educational development to support your growth in this role.
- Occasional speaking and representation opportunities, depending on availability and interest. These will be most of the time online or occasionally in-person.
Who are we looking for?
We are looking for enthusiastic young people aged 13 to 20 based all around the world who are interested in supporting 5Rights mission to build the digital world children and young people deserve.
How does the application and selection process will look like?
To run for a seat on the Youth Council, please complete the candidacy form below by 3 May 2026. You also have the option to share a 1-minute video where you introduce yourself and explain why you want to be a 5Rights Youth Council member. The seats are determined on a regional, age and gender basis. We also ensure we have a balanced representation of representatives of Youth Organisations and interested individuals.
The steps to apply:
- Fill out the candidacy form with your personal details and availability.
- Optionally share a 1-minute video with the YEP team introducing yourself and explaining why you would be a great representative on the Youth Council.
Once the candidates have submitted their candidacy, the selection committee (a team out of current Youth Council members and 5Rights staff) will go through all applications and work to designate a diverse Youth Council.
Please submit your candidacy by 3 May 2026. For any questions, please contact the 5Rights Youth Engagement Team at yep@5rightsfoundation.com.