Generation Change Community of Practice (GCCoP)

Generation Change Background

The Generation Change Fellows Program was designed by Alison and Brie in 2014. Initially a U.S. State Department program to foster the next generation of leaders in communities across the globe, the program was transferred to USIP in 2013. Manal Omar and Aubrey Cox Ottenstein led an assessment to understand the programming and in its impact at the State Department from 2010-2013. Based on the assessment and conversations with youth leaders who had participated in the program with State, Alison and Brie co-designed a new program to meet the expressed needs of young people to support them in implementing community-led efforts to manage conflicts and build peace. The reimagined program focused on prejudice reduction, conflict management, and leadership skills development. Over 10 years, the program expanded from 9 pilot countries to 41 countries with 450 Fellows across Latin America, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Three of those programs took place in Dharamsala, India, alongside dialogues with the youth leaders and the Dalai Lama.

Generation Change 2.0 - A Community of Practice

In 2026, Peace Direct became the fiscal sponsor of GCCoP to support an ongoing community of practice for past Generation Change Fellows. Led by an advisory group of Fellows, along with Alison and Brie, the Generation Change Community of Practice is a space for Fellows to continue to engage with and learn from one another. GCCoP conducts research on issues related to youth, peace, and security and provides ongoing training and mentorship to support the work of former Fellows in building the world they want to live in.

Research on Funding for Youth-led Programming

CCCoP is currently researching the experience of youth with funders, asking: What are the problematic and the promising practices and how might the resource landscape change to engage youth and their worldbuilding work?

Fellows

Coming soon - a directory of Fellows funders can engage with.