Global Health Explorers (GHE)
YOUNG VOICES • GHE

Your Voice. Your Future.

Global health is not something young people should merely study. It is something they can question, investigate, contribute to — and help shape.

Young Voices is GHE's pathway from curiosity to participation, from investigation to responsible action, and from contribution to leadership. You do not have to wait to become an expert to start making a difference.

Explore the Young Voices Pathway → Start a Mini-Proposal
GHE VOICE LEARN • QUESTION • CONTRIBUTE
EXPLORE
INVESTIGATE
ACT
CONNECT
WHY YOUNG VOICES MATTER

The challenges ahead require young minds.

Climate change, infectious diseases, chronic conditions, mental health, inequity and the Sustainable Development Goals are interconnected. Understanding those connections is the beginning of meaningful participation.

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01 • PLANET

Climate & Planetary Health

Explore how climate, ecosystems, food, water and human health influence one another.

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02 • HEALTH

Infectious Diseases & Pandemics

Learn how outbreaks emerge, how evidence guides responses and why preparedness matters.

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03 • EQUITY

Social Determinants of Health

Understand how where people live, learn, work and grow can shape health and opportunity.

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
04 • GLOBAL AGENDA

Sustainable Development Goals

The SDGs connect health with equity, education, climate, environment, peace and sustainable development — giving young people a shared framework for understanding and acting on global challenges.

Explore GHE Learning Pathways →
TWO JOURNEYS

From discovering yourself to discovering your place in the world.

GHE brings together two complementary journeys: a journey of belonging and a journey of learning.

JOURNEY 01

Your World Gets Bigger

SELF → FAMILY & PEERS → COMMUNITY → COUNTRY → WORLD

1 SELF Know yourself
2 FAMILY Learn from others
3 PEERS Share perspectives
4 COMMUNITY See local realities
5 COUNTRY Understand systems
6 WORLD Think globally
7 CONNECTION Act together
JOURNEY 02

Your Questions Become Action

EXPLORE → LEARN → THINK → CONNECT → REFLECT → ACT

01

Explore

Start with curiosity. Ask questions about health and the world around you.

02

Learn

Find reliable evidence and build the knowledge needed to understand the issue.

03

Think

Analyse evidence, challenge assumptions and consider different perspectives.

04

Connect

Link your question to people, communities, systems, SDGs and the wider world.

05

Reflect & Act

Decide what responsible action could make a meaningful difference.

BE A RESPONSIBLE INVESTIGATOR

Curiosity is powerful. Evidence makes it responsible.

GHE encourages young people to investigate real questions — while respecting people, evidence, privacy, uncertainty and the limits of their own knowledge.

You do not need to be a professional researcher. You do need to ask good questions, use credible evidence and be honest about what you know and what you do not know.

Explore Research with GHE →
GHE INVESTIGATOR CODE 05
01
Ask Begin with a meaningful question.
02
Evidence Look for trustworthy and relevant evidence.
03
Respect Protect dignity, privacy and lived experience.
04
Question Recognize uncertainty, bias and competing explanations.
05
Share Communicate findings clearly and responsibly.
YOUR CONTRIBUTION

You can contribute before you have a title.

GHE recognizes many forms of meaningful contribution. Your contribution may begin with a question, an idea, a piece of evidence, a conversation or a small action.

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Ask Questions

Identify health questions that matter to you, your school, your community or the wider world.

Explore Research →
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Work with Evidence

Learn how data can help reveal patterns, inequalities and opportunities for action.

Explore GHBDC →
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Take Action

Responsible action can happen at home, in school, in your community or through wider initiatives. It does not require a leadership title.

Explore Pathways →
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Help Build GHE

Young people can also help improve the platform, suggest ideas and contribute to its future.

Help Build GHE →
FROM QUESTION TO IDEA

Your question can become a mini-proposal.

GHE's Mini-Proposal Builder helps young people move from curiosity toward a focused, feasible and evidence-informed idea.

01
Start with something you genuinely care about.

A good proposal begins with a meaningful question, not with the desire to sound impressive.

01

Identify the Question

What health issue are you curious about?

Make it specific enough to investigate.
02

Understand the Problem

What does existing evidence tell us?

Look beyond assumptions and first impressions.
03

Identify Who Is Affected

Whose health, opportunity or experience is involved?

Consider equity, lived experience and social determinants.
04

Develop an Idea

What could reasonably be explored or improved?

Keep the idea realistic, ethical and purposeful.
05

Consider Evidence & Impact

What evidence would support your approach?

Think about feasibility, outcomes and unintended effects.
FIND YOUR PATH

There is more than one way to participate.

Choose the pathway that fits where you are now. You can move between pathways as your interests and experience develop.

01
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Research

Investigate questions, explore evidence and develop responsible research thinking.

Explore Research → 02
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Mini-Proposal

Turn a meaningful question into a structured, evidence-informed idea.

Build Your Proposal → 03
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Leadership

Develop the capabilities needed to work with others, achieve results and help shape systems.

Explore Leadership → 04
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Find Your Place

Tell GHE about your interests, skills and ideas and explore where you might contribute.

Express Interest → 05
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Help Build GHE

Suggest improvements, test ideas and help shape the platform itself.

Contribute to GHE → 06
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Recognition

Discover ways GHE can recognize meaningful learning, contribution and achievement.

See Recognition →
BEYOND GHE

Young people are already shaping global health.

GHE encourages young people to learn about established mechanisms for meaningful participation — locally, nationally and internationally.

UN

UN Youth Office

Explore the United Nations Core Principles for Meaningful Youth Participation — including inclusive partnerships, sustained engagement, accountability and feedback.

Explore UN Youth Participation → WHO

WHO Youth Council

Learn how the World Health Organization engages young people as partners in global health, including through its Youth Council.

Explore WHO Youth Engagement → UNESCO

UNESCO Meaningful Youth Engagement

UNESCO provides tools and approaches for institutions to understand, support and meaningfully engage young people.

Explore UNESCO → UNICEF

UNICEF Youth Engagement

Explore youth engagement, participatory research, foresight and opportunities for young people to contribute to shaping their futures.

Explore UNICEF Innocenti → GLOBAL FUND

Global Fund Youth Engagement

Explore how young people have been engaged in advocacy and dialogue around global health, HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

Explore Global Fund Youth Work → UNEP

Young Champions of the Earth

Explore UNEP's global platform recognizing young environmental changemakers and innovative ideas for a healthier planet.

Explore UNEP Young Champions →
A note about external opportunities

Eligibility, age requirements, application periods and participation mechanisms vary by organization and may change over time. Always check the official source before applying or participating.

MEANINGFUL PARTICIPATION

Your voice should matter — not merely be heard.

GHE supports participation that is informed, respectful, inclusive, safe and connected to meaningful opportunities for contribution.

01

Be Informed

Learn enough about an issue to contribute thoughtfully and recognize the limits of your knowledge.

02

Be Respectful

Listen to different experiences and perspectives, especially when they challenge your assumptions.

03

Be Inclusive

Consider whose voices are present, whose may be missing and what barriers may affect participation.

04

Be Responsible

Protect dignity, privacy and safety, and think about the possible consequences of your actions.

CONNECT WITH GHE

Your Young Voices journey can connect to the whole GHE ecosystem.

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Learn

Explore GHE's global health learning pathways.

Learning Pathways → 📊

Investigate

Explore data, evidence and the Global Health Big Data Challenge.

Explore GHBDC → 👩‍🏫

Learn Together

Connect your learning with teachers, parents and other supporters.

Teachers & Parents → 🌎

Connect Beyond

Discover the wider organizations and partners that help make the GHE ecosystem possible.

Meet GHE Partners →
YOUNG VOICES

Your voice can become a question. An idea. An action.

You do not have to wait for permission to begin learning, asking better questions and contributing responsibly.

Explore what matters to you. Learn from evidence and from people. Think critically and connect the dots. Reflect before you act. Then do something meaningful.
Find Your Place in GHE → Explore Recognition

Think Global. Act Local. Do It Now.
Learning Global Health Today. Leading Tomorrow.