About Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL)
Launched in July 2024, YTL is building a strong network of youth champions from the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan.
Who Are Young Trilateral Leaders?
The YTL community consists of young leaders 18–35 from the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan who are interested in working with peers from across the Indo-Pacific region to address key global challenges.
The Young Trilateral Leaders (YTL) Network was officially launched in July 2024 at the U.S.-ROK-Japan Global Leadership Youth Summit in Busan.
YTL is building a strong network of trilateral youth champions from the United States, Republic of Korea, and Japan who work across borders to tackle some of the Indo-Pacific’s biggest security, economic, and civic engagement challenges.
As the State Department’s principal trilateral youth program, YTL fosters a community of emerging trilateral leaders through workshops, trainings, grants and other programs designed to bring our three countries even closer together.
What YTL Includes
- Annual Youth Summit (rotating between the U.S., Republic of Korea, and Japan)
- Regional workshops in ROK and Japan focused on annual themes
- Trilateral Teacher Training workshops
- Opportunities to partner with other youth programs focused on trilateral cooperation
The first inaugural YTL Summit was held in Busan, Republic of Korea from July 11–13, 2024 with 50 delegates, including 15 each from the United States, ROK, and Japan, and five participants representing Southeast Asia and the Pacific Islands’ youth networks.
Throughout the summit, delegates had the chance to both hear from experts as well as work with peers from across the Indo-Pacific region to discuss and propose solutions to some of the most pressing global challenges facing the world today.