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 there had been a

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, participation, leadership de

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 events, moving assistance,

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 carried automatic

Packing for your first Youthlinc trip can be daunting. The unknown can make it hard to determine what to pack. In your team manual, there will be a packing list that is a great resource, but I personally have been on 4 service trips with Youthlinc and have learned a few tips and tricks for packing through experience. Pack at least a couple of outfits and your essentials in your carry-on. On my first humanitarian trip to Kenya, my luggage was lost for 8 days! Not only did I

Walking the streets of Phnom Penn, fresh off grueling travel days, with unknown scents in the air and a cacophony of sounds from cars and bikes swerving past me was uncomfortable. The little restaurant we got to, with menus of mysterious items I never knew I never knew, felt intimidating and bizarre. Had I been alone, I might have felt overwhelmed, but, in a group of 20 people feeling the exact same things, all I could feel was excitement. If I could give advice to all first-

HSER KUE Hser Kue was born in Ban Ma Lak (Mae La) refugee camp in Thailand. Her parents had fled Burma to escape the violence against the Karen people and raised their family in the refugee camp before being resettled in Utah. Attending school in English and being immersed in a new culture were challenges for Hser Kue growing up, but as other Karen families moved to Utah, she helped them with their English and assisted them in adjusting to their new lives. She was inspired by

One of my favorite parts of the year is reading through applications for the Utah Young Humanitarian Award. Every application tells a different story. Some students are organizing food drives. Others are mentoring younger students, supporting refugee families, advocating for mental health, or finding creative ways to address challenges in their communities. By the end of the review process, I always walk away with the same feeling: hope. This year was no different. Youthlinc

My experience as a Youthlinc humanitarian has been nothing short of transformative. Arguably, the most impactful part has been my journey through leadership. My first trip was to the beautiful island of Fiji when I was a junior in high school. Holding the title of Youthlinc first-year humanitarian carried a heavy importance to me -I had big shoes to fill. During the preparation process, I was placed on the education committee, which was thrilling. I got to see and delegate

The other day, I found a blog entry my mother wrote in 2010. It’s titled “In Her World”, and it recounts a brief conversation between us. I had no idea that this exchange would take on a new meaning for me 16 years down the road. In Her World Sunday, October 31, 2010 She has her own world. I’ve suspected it for some time, and today she verbally confirmed. Recently, we've had lots of discussions regarding things her two-year-old sister doesn’t understand simply because of her

Each year, Youthlinc participants step into experiences that stretch them in meaningful and lasting ways. From navigating new cultures and languages to living in unfamiliar environments, the international portion of the Service Year is designed to push participants beyond their comfort zones and ultimately, help them grow into lifelong humanitarians. But growth doesn’t happen without challenge. Over the years, we’ve recognized a consistent theme: alongside excitement and purp

Real Life, one of Youthlinc’s core programs, is an after-school peer-to-peer mentoring program that supports refugee and immigrant youth across Salt Lake County. Founded in 2010, the program was created to address a gap in services for refugee teens and has since grown to serve more than 500 youth annually across multiple sites. Through partnerships with schools and community organizations, Real Life provides a comprehensive curriculum that includes financial literacy, academ

Editor’s Note At Youthlinc, we believe that the most meaningful way to understand our world is through the lived experiences of others. The following reflection is written by a member of our Real Life team, who works closely with refugee and immigrant youth here in Utah. Real Life exists to support students as they navigate education, identity, and belonging-often while carrying stories that are complex, painful, and deeply human. We share this piece because it reflects the h

By: Izzy Larson We live in a world where it is so common to always be seeking the next “new” or “better” version of what we have. We are so focused on the materialistic things in life that make us feel more important, and in a society that is so focused on external validation and extrinsic values it is hard not to be materialistic. While traveling and experiencing new places and new cultures, I have struggled to understand the reason that the people I am meeting are so happy

By: Josh Anderson In 2022, I had the opportunity to go on my first Youthlinc Service Year program to Kenya. When I first signed up, I felt hesitant and unsure about my place in the program and the impact it would have on either me or the communities we worked with. Humanitarian work broadly was something I was not familiar with, and I had doubts about what would come out of the experience. Little did I understand at the time just how incredibly transformational the experien

By: Rivi Bero The biggest thing I have learned from my service journey is that opportunities are waiting for you- you just need to show up! Throughout my high school career, I’ve been fortunate to attend a private Catholic school strongly rooted in community service, with community service as a fundamental graduation requirement. For many, this may seem unnecessary, time-consuming, or even impossible due to the large number of hours that can look intimidating to the eye.

By: Justin Powell This July, Youthlinc will take its first team to Colombia, but this story didn’t begin this year. It began with relationship. Over the past several years, Youthlinc has had the privilege of hosting three extraordinary Colombian leaders through the U.S. State Department’s Young Leaders of the Americas Initiative (YLAI): Sebastián, María, and most recently, Juan Pablo. Each fellow left a lasting imprint on our organization, and each helped lay the groundwork f

By: Matthew Cordner The Youthlinc Service Year experience is one that will truly change your life, but how much you gain depends on how much you put into it. The Youthlinc service year is about more than just the capstone trip, it’s about serving others and building connections both in your local area and abroad. First, invest yourself fully into your local service. This is where the real change happens. When I was a humanitarian, I would volunteer twice a week at the Springv

By: Eva Mora When I first signed on to do my first Youthlinc trip, I had no idea where I was going, what I was doing or even why. I had no real why. I signed on late in 2023 to the Cambodia 2024 team and no idea how much it would change my life. That same year I became a student body officer at my school. The fundraiser my school hosted each year brought me 40 hours of service in my own community in just a month. It was the most service I had done in a long time, and I realiz

By: Justin Powell On February 18, the Youthlinc community gathered for the premiere of Closer Than We Think: A Year That Changes You —and what a night it was! Even with a snowstorm rolling in and roads less than ideal, you showed up. That simple act says more than any speech could. It speaks to the strength of this community and the shared belief that our mission matters. At Youthlinc, we talk often about creating lifetime humanitarians. The premiere was a living example of t