One of the main ways they participate is through youth councils: representative bodies that work alongside SOS Children’s Villages staff and leadership to ensure young people’s lived experience helps shape the programmes and policies that affect them — not only within the organization, but also in the communities where they live, study, and work.

From supporting young entrepreneurs in Africa, to advocating care leaver rights in Latin America, to educating peers on mental health and sexuality in Europe, youth councils are turning their ideas into action.

Dana, 21, a youth represenative from Romania, describes how their council launched youth hubs and tackled the lack of sexual education by running peer-led workshops and advocating in the Romanian Parliament.

Hussein, 25, co-founder of the national youth council at SOS Children’s Villages in Jordan, shared how his council engages with the organization’s board, pushing for improvements in youth employment and helping select the national ombudsperson.

“When youth councils thrive, they’re not just advisors. They’re co-architects of the future,” said Hussein, speaking at the recent SOS Children’s Villages 2025 General Assembly. “The question isn’t if young people are ready to lead. It’s whether the world is ready to follow."

Hussein and Dana were among the nearly dozen young people who took the stage the General Assembly earlier this year to emphasize the importance of youth participation in all areas where decisions about children and young people are made.

Structures that empower

Across SOS Children’s Villages worldwide, young people lead more than 400 local youth councils and 89 national youth councils.

In Romania, for examples, each SOS Children’s Village has a local youth council, where children begin participating as early as age 10, explained Dana, a member of the National Council. Representatives from these councils form the National Youth Council, which is composed of 50% youth and 50 staff, with a trained facilitator to ensure balanced dialogue.

Youth-led advocacy in Romania has produced real change. “Last year was amazing — we finally managed to tackle an issue that is really important for young people: the lack of sex education,” Dana told the General Assembly. After receiving training from an NGO, youth council members returned to their villages and led peer-to-peer workshops on sexual health.

“It felt powerful to support young people on this key topic,” she said. Their work reached national level when they presented in the Romanian Parliament, calling for proper sex education in schools and stronger support for youth rights. “Standing there and speaking up felt like, ‘Yes, we can make change.’”

The youth council also pushed for the creation of Youth Hubs in each of the four Children’s Villages in Romania — dedicated spaces where young people can meet, learn, and lead. “By the end of the year, we launched the hubs,” said Dana. “We’re not just being heard — people are actually listening.

Benin: Where youth share power

Those who question giving young people decision making power should look at the example of SOS Children’s Villages in Benin. There, young people play a direct role in governance of the national organization.

Benin’s National Director Salimane Issifou describes a well-structured youth council system, where children elect representatives at every level—from individual programmes to the national board. These representatives not only attend the local General Assembly but also hold more than 14% of the votes. One young person even serves as treasurer on the national board.

“Young people in (SOS Children’s Villages ) Benin help shape decisions on budgets, programme changes, and strategic partnerships,” Issifou said.

One of their most impactful initiatives has been the creation of a youth-led FM radio station — the first of its kind run by children and young people who have grown up in alternative care. The station reaches a 100 km radius, and young broadcasters use it to promote education, health, safeguarding, and youth employability.

Another youth-driven initiative emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic, when young people challenged the national director to help them secure job opportunities. This led to a partnership with a tech training firm and remote work placements with companies in the US. “Today, 146 young people have been trained in coding, digital marketing, and business English — and are earning income as freelancers,” Issifou said. “They’re now making $34,000 collectively each month.”

For Issifou, the benefits of youth participation are clear: “When you share power with young people, your life is easier, your work is easier. Everyone takes responsibility. That’s when you see real change.”