Youth Leadership Academy 2026 Application

AKFC's Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) is a fully funded 5-day in-person program that aims to equip young leaders with the knowledge, skills, and tools necessary to actively engage with global issues, promote sustainable development, and foster global citizenship. The academy will provide a collaborative learning environment where participants explore global challenges, leadership skills, and strategies for effective engagement.     

When: July 27-31, 2026  

• Arrivals: July 26 
• Full-day programming: July 27-31 
• Departures: August 1 

Where: York University, Toronto, Canada. 

Deadline to apply: February 21, 2026 

To apply, you must meet the following eligibility criteria:  

• Be between 16 and 18 years old by July 27, 2026. 
• Be a resident of Canada and able to travel to Toronto for the full duration of the Academy (July 27-31). 
• Demonstrate a strong interest in global citizenship, sustainable development, and addressing the SDGs at the community or international level. 
• Have leadership experience (formal or informal) OR show strong potential and motivation to grow as a leader in their community. 
• Be willing to actively participate in all five days of programming and contribute to group learning and collaboration. 
• Be comfortable communicating in English, as all programming will be conducted primarily in English.
• Be returning to high school in September 2026. 
• Commit to implementing an action project during the 2026-2027 school year.

Note: We recommend preparing all required documents in advance and saving your responses in a separate document before filling out the form to avoid any lost progress.        

Student Forms: 

• Student media release for the YLA 
• A letter of support is required as part of the application process. This may be provided by be a teacher, a sports coach, work supervisor, etc.

Evaluation

All eligible applications will be evaluated using this rubric.

We value the authenticity and individuality of each application. To ensure a fair assessment process, we request that you complete your application form without using any external assistance, including AI tools. All eligible applications received will be evaluated without the use of AI. 

Please note your responses to questions will only be used to assess the quality of your application and eligibility for the Academy. Final selection decisions will be based on a holistic review process that includes application form scores as well as considerations of regional representation and demographic diversity.

You will need to create and/or login to your Submittable account to submit your application. Please note you must click the submit button to fill in the initial form, and then click save and continue to move forward to the application form.