Youth Leadership Program
Youth Leadership Program
Young people shaping the future of Atlantic Canada
The ASI Youth Leadership Program brings together young people ages 18–25 from across Atlantic Canada to learn, connect, build confidence, and explore what leadership can look like in real life.
You don’t need a leadership title or years of experience. You just need curiosity, ideas, and a willingness to participate.
About The Program
Leadership isn’t always about having a title
The ASI Youth Leadership Program creates space for young people to learn, ask big questions, share their experiences, and explore how they can make a difference in their communities.
YLP participants aren’t there simply to listen while adults talk about the future. They are encouraged to speak up, challenge ideas, bring their creativity, share their lived experiences, and help shape the conversations happening at ASI.
It’s a place to learn, laugh, connect, and discover what leadership can look like in everyday life.
What Happens At YLP?
Learning. Connecting. Creating. Doing.
YLP is designed to be interactive, creative, social, and hands-on. Participants take part in workshops, conversations, creative activities, advocacy exercises, leadership development, nature-based learning, social activities, and plenty of opportunities to meet other young people from across Atlantic Canada. And no — it definitely isn’t four days of PowerPoints and sitting in chairs.
Small-Group conversations
Creative activities
Advocacy exercises
Nature-based learning
Leadership development
Social activities
Learning By Doing
Turn ideas into action.
At YLP, participants don’t just talk about advocacy — they practise it. Youth have opportunities to build practical skills in storytelling, communication, public speaking, collaboration, critical thinking, and turning a big idea into something actionable. There is room to experiment, be creative, ask questions, make mistakes, and learn from people who may have completely different experiences or perspectives.
- STORYTELLING
- COMMUNICATION
- PUBLIC SPEAKING
- COLLABORATION
- CRITICAL THINKING
- TAKING ACTION
Your Lived Experience Matters
You don’t need a résumé to make a difference
One of the biggest messages behind YLP is simple: you already have something valuable to contribute.
You don’t need a fancy title, a huge résumé, or years of experience.
Your experiences matter.
Your community knowledge matters.
Your questions matter.
And your ideas about the future matter.
YLP creates space for young people to bring those perspectives into conversations about mental health, climate change, policy, community development, wellbeing, and the future of Atlantic Canada.
More Than A Workshop
Come for the program. Leave with a community
YLP brings together young people from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Many participants arrive not knowing anyone. Then something happens.
New friendships form. Conversations continue over meals. Hallway chats turn into big ideas. Inside jokes appear. People discover shared experiences — and sometimes very different ones.
There is plenty of meaningful learning, but there is also room for fun, creativity, nature, food, laughter, and simply being young people together.
YLP is about building connections that can continue long after the program ends.
Your voice belongs here
Part of something bigger
After the dedicated Youth Leadership Program, participants become part of the broader Atlantic Summer Institute.
That means opportunities to engage directly with community leaders, researchers, health professionals, advocates, educators, policy-makers, Elders, and other changemakers.
Youth perspectives can be part of panels, workshops, discussions, presentations, and informal conversations throughout ASI.
We’re not creating a youth table off to the side.
We’re creating opportunities for youth voices to be part of the larger conversation about the future of Atlantic Canada.
What Can You Leave YLP With?
More than you came with
New Connections
Build friendships and connections with young people from across Atlantic Canada.
Practical Skills
Develop tools for advocacy, communication, collaboration, and leadership.
Advocacy exercises
Feel more comfortable sharing your ideas, asking questions, and speaking up.
New Perspectives
Experience conversations and learning across generations and communities.
New Ideas
Take inspiration and practical approaches back to your own community.
A Growing Network
Connect with people and organizations doing meaningful work across Atlantic Canada.
Who Should Apply?
YLP could be for you
Anyone from ages 18-25 years old from anywhere in Atlantic Canada who is ready to learn! You might be involved in student leadership. You might care about mental health. You might be passionate about climate action. You might have lived experience you want to turn into advocacy. You might simply be the person in your friend group who is always saying, “Okay but why does the system work like this??” That counts too! If you care about your community, are curious about making change, and are willing to show up and participate, YLP is for you.
Youth Voices
Hear YLP through the eyes of young people
What happens when young people are not just invited into the room, but trusted to contribute? We want future participants to hear about YLP from the people who experienced it.
What surprised you about YLP?
What did you learn?
What moment stayed with you?
Aug 18-20, 2026
Ready to bring your voice to the conversation?
Whether you already think of yourself as a leader or you’re still figuring out what leadership means to you, there’s a place for you at YLP.