July 2026

By: Justin Powell One of the privileges of Youthlinc’s work is the opportunity to learn from communities around the world—not simply about their history, but about what their experiences can teach us about our own communities. Recently, I traveled with a group of students through Bosnia and Herzegovina, a country still living with the legacy of a devastating war that ended thirty years ago. Like many Americans, I arrived with only a basic understanding of the conflict. I knew

By: Justin Powell One of the most common things we hear from students after returning from a Youthlinc experience is that they no longer see people the same way. They return talking less about projects and more about relationships. Less about what they accomplished and more about the people they met. Less about differences and more about the humanity they discovered in others—and sometimes in themselves. At Youthlinc, we often measure success through service hours, participat

By: Jessica Hardiman Before boarding a plane, receiving a passport stamp, or stepping into a new culture, RootEd Global students spent the year actively engaging in meaningful service within their own communities. As part of their program, students were asked to complete local service hours before traveling abroad. This year, students collectively contributed an impressive 962 hours of service across Utah through environmental initiatives, fundraising efforts, community event

By: Allie Sherman I have never flown internationally before. I can still remember the way my heart was beating as I saw the Eiffel Tower from outside the airplane’s window, thousands of feet above the ground. When we climbed off the plane in Rabat, the ocean breeze called to me: “let’s have an adventure.” I closed my eyes and soaked in the feeling you get from being somewhere strange and new. When I opened them, I saw three soldiers walking on the tarmac. The two on the ends