The 2026 GEM Youth Report “Lead with Youth” shows that while governments increasingly invite young people into education debates, meaningful influence over decisions remains the exception rather than the rule.
Drawing on surveys of 93 governments and 101 youth and student organisations worldwide, it finds that only one in three countries have formal bodies requiring youth or student engagement in education decision-making, though three in four have held consultations with young people in the past three years. Many youth organisations report being consulted but not truly heard: a majority say their feedback rarely changes final policies, and fewer than one in three feel frequently engaged; only one in five feel genuinely valued as partners.
The report documents how youth leadership is emerging in schools, universities, civil society, social movements and digital spaces, from student councils and unions to national youth councils and protest movements that have reshaped education reform agendas. It proposes the first global indicator to monitor youth participation in education law and policymaking and calls for stronger legal guarantees, institutional mechanisms, resources, and political will to move from symbolic consultation to shared decision-making with youth, especially as the world approaches the 2030 SDG deadline and designs the next global education agenda.