Youth Programming

Fall 2026 Youth Leadership Summit

The Youth Leadership Summit is a three-day development program for undergraduate college students from a variety of disciplines who are dedicated to addressing issues impacting Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities. The Spring 2026 summit will be a hybrid program and will bring student leaders to Washington, DC for two days of advocacy training and leadership development workshops focused on racial equity. The Summit provides a unique opportunity for young advocates from across the country to network and learn together.     

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.   

Priority Deadline: July 2 

Final Deadline: July 10 

The Youth Leadership Summit will kick off virtually on Tuesday, September 8 from 2 – 5 PM EST and will continue in person in Washington, DC from Monday, September 21 – Wednesday, September 23. Advancing Justice – AAJC will cover travel and hotel costs for students that take part in the YLS program. Applicants should expect to travel to DC on Monday, September 21 and take part in programming the same afternoon. If you have any questions, please reach out to Joy De Guzman - Sutardji at jsutardji@advancingjustice-aajc.org.    

Submit your application now! 

How to Apply

• Applicants must be current students enrolled in a 2 or 4-year college/university, from any major or discipline.  
• Especially encouraged to apply are students with leadership positions in AANHPI campus/community-based organizations or organizations focusing on racial justice, civil rights, immigration, voting, anti-hate, technology, telecommunications, and media diversity. 
• Applicants should be active members in their community and demonstrate this in their essay and resume content.  
• Applicants must apply via the form and submit their resume to jsutardji@advancingjustice-aajc.org 
• All Applicants must submit two references. 
• Finalists may be contacted for a short interview. 

Youth Leadership Summit: Rising Young AAPI Leaders Convene to Advance Civil Rights

Since 2014, Advancing Justice — AAJC has convened prominent college students for its multi-day leadership development program that focuses on advocacy, communications, and civic engagement around policy issues impacting our communities from college campuses to Capitol Hill. 

We are proud to host students from around the country with ancestry in Tibet, Korea, China, Pakistan, Vietnam, India, and the Philippines.

Through interactive workshops, hands-on trainings, and discussions with leaders on Capitol Hill, participants build advocacy and communication skills while gaining a deeper understanding of how they can impact policy decisions.

Over the years, we have had the privilege of convening exemplary young advocates from diverse communities and who span all regions of the country.

Read about our Spring 2024 Youth Leadership Summit class and alumni projects.

The Summit was such an eye-opening and inspiring experience that I am extremely grateful to have participated in. From attending and engaging in legislative meetings with senate offices to interactive workshops and presentations on AAJC’s current projects, I developed a strong understanding of how having AAPI representation, strong alliances with BIPOC partners and political power is vital to make policy change positive and lasting. 

-Mika Chan, Seattle University

Being able to interface directly with staffers on the Hill for issues I cared about was incredibly rewarding and is an experience I’ll take away for my future advocacy in the realm of health equity. Attending this year’s Summit has been truly fulfilling during this life-changing pandemic: the skills and knowledge I’ve gained here will undoubtedly serve as the foundation for my future advocacy serving the Asian/American community and beyond.

-Nelson Lin, Brown University 

“The Youth Leadership Summit has given me the opportunity to participate in civic engagement at the capitol—something that I didn’t think I would be able to do in my life. I was able to represent my state and learn so many tools that I could use in advocacy.” 

- Amy Tran, Arizona State University 

“This program has a diverse set of youth who come from institutions, backgrounds, and heritages that made me learn so much about Asian American advocacy among college youth. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to network and learn from professionals in the field of government, public policy, advocacy, and Asian American leadership. You gave us this opportunity to share our opportunity to share our stories and issues that matter to us to staff persons for senators and representatives a part of Capitol Hill. I’m excited to go back to campus after learning about immigration, voting, AI, education, and more and share this knowledge with my community.” 

- Angelynn Jimenez, University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) 

“The Youth Leadership Summit gave me crucial insight and confidence into a scale of advocacy that I have never gotten to learn about before. Learning how our community's interests are furthered on a federal policy level was really interesting and made me feel empowered to go back and bolster civic engagement from the AANHPI community on my own campus.” 

- Kedhar Bartlett, University of California, Berkeley 

“The Youth Leadership Summit was an amazing opportunity that allowed me to meet with representatives from my Senate and other congressional offices. The preparation for meetings, discussions on current issues, and the opportunity to meet like minded students who are passionate about AAPI communities allowed me to learn more about issues we are facing nation wide and in other states. It helped me learn how to talk about these issues with representatives, how to think more the nuances about various topics, and learned about the experiences of AAPI staffers in our government. It was an amazing opportunity to learn how other students are advocating on their campuses, what ideas they have, and how I can be more of a leader in my community.” 

- David Hoang, University of California, San Diego

The Youth Leadership Summit is made possible through the generous support of State Farm and FedEx.