GYAN France About us

In 1996 17-year-old Benjamin Quinto participated in a small discussion and networking session of international NGOs at the United Nations Secretariat in New York City, USA. He was inspired to meet a room of people whose lives were dedicated to global problem solving. At the same time, however, he was shocked to learn that few young people were involved. He read the UN Charter, observed its call for the participation of young people, and set out to create a Global Youth Assembly within the UN. After three years of consultation with UN bureaucrats, international organizations, and youth from all over the world he concluded that the UN could not create a youth assembly without demand from its member states. He also concluded that young people around the world needed to get better organized to warrant the creation of such an assembly.

In July of 1999, Quinto organized a “United Youth Conference” with 20 young people from 12 different countries. Together they founded the Global Youth ACTION Network to encourage collaboration and help maximize the collective impact of youth activism all around the world. GYAN hired full-time staff and set up its global headquarters in January of 2000 becoming the only international youth organization with an office near the UN Secretariat in New York City, USA.

Today GYAN has merged its online community with TakingITGlobal.org (and Nation1.net) becoming the most active site on the Internet for young social leaders. GYAN acts as an incubator of global partnerships among organizations as well as an information distributor and conference organizer. It has 300 member organizations and partnerships with national youth networks in nearly 180 countries, making it one of the largest networks of youth networks in the world. The Network is best known for organizing two international projects: The International Youth in Action Award and Global Youth Service Day. GYSD is the world’s largest celebration of youth volunteerism and is developed in partnership with Youth Service America (A USA based national youth organization), six UN agencies, and twenty other international youth organizations.