Global Youth Decision Lab helps young people create a better and more educated world. We find problems and strengths in education systems, one school and one country at a time. We tackle the highest staked aspect of a high schooler: choosing a college and a future path.
Better understanding where education can support young people more effectively—from individual classrooms to entire countries—and to turn those insights into practical ideas that help students build more confident futures.
We think globally so every education system can improve locally. By comparing education across countries, cultures, and communities, we transform shared insights into stronger schools and safer, more educated societies.
We transform students’ experiences into meaningful data, identify the patterns behind their challenges and strengths, and use those findings to help shape a more educated and promising future for young people.
We seek the power of every single individual. Students are not the subject of our research — they are its co-authors and its direct recipients.
“A student… advocating for students”
GYDL began with a question I could not ignore: why are young people expected to make one of the most important decisions of their lives before they have been given the tools to truly understand themselves?
The idea had been growing quietly in my mind for several months, but it became clear in June 2026. One week later, I began reaching out to people whose experience could help strengthen the concept and give it the academic and scientific foundation it needed. Together with our pilot schools and collaborators, we started shaping what I hope will become a trusted and meaningful resource for students and their families.
Partner schools play an active role in developing GYDL’s research and methodology. They receive early access to the findings and give their students a practical decision-making framework grounded in psychology, evidence, and real student experiences.
