Mahima Turhi is pictured here at the Asia and Pacific Alliance of YMCAs Executive Committee meeting in April 2025 in Penang, Malaysia, with World YMCA Secretary General Carlos Sanvee and APAY General Secretary Nam Boo Won.
Freshly graduated from YMCA’s Change Agent Cohort 5.0 programme, Mahima Turhi is already making additional strides in global leadership.
As Vice President of YMCA India and Chairperson of the National Youth Work Committee, Mahima has joined the UNICEF Generation Unlimited (GenU) Youth Centrality Taskforce. This youth-led group, which held its inaugural meeting in late March, is dedicated to placing young people at the heart of decision-making in international development.
Mahima got to know more about GenU at the YMCA Accelerator Summit in Mombasa. From there, Rehana Merali Merchant, World YMCA’s Pillar Lead for Meaningful Work, introduced her to the taskforce and helped open the door to this new opportunity.
“I was inspired to join the task force because I felt that this would give me the opportunity to put my experiences and efforts into action,” said Mahima. “It’s a valuable learning experience and an ideal way to contribute ideas, processes, and initiatives that address societal and environmental needs and drive meaningful change.”
Centering young people in global change
The taskforce is focused on strengthening meaningful and inclusive youth engagement by developing the Youth Centrality Repository. This global resource aims to support and elevate youth participation in decision-making and programme design. In addition, it aims to shift the focus from youth engagement to youth centrality, helping organisations bridge gaps and embed young people more fully in their structures and strategies.
Mahima’s contributions will include reviewing and refining learning briefs and guidance materials. “It’s important that my contributions are reflective and relevant for young people, sustainable and effective for the environment, and that they inspire aspiration while addressing real-world challenges,” she said. “I will also advocate for the repository and ensure its accessibility to young people, empowering them to co-create solutions.”
She described the taskforce’s first meeting as “intellectually enriching,” and a reminder that young people must be at the centre of designing programmes and investing in inclusion. The introduction to the Youth Centrality Theory of Change underscored the role young people play in shaping long-lasting impact.
Next steps
In the coming months, the taskforce will work together on a series of learning briefs focused on key strategies for youth in governance, meaningful consultations, communications skills, engaging youth with disabilities, and youth-led programme advocacy.
Mahima joins 23 other young leaders under the age of 30, representing 20 countries and 13 partner organisations. Members commit to a one-year term, with the possibility of extending their involvement based on interest and engagement.
“We’ve had a wonderful onboarding session with the taskforce members, and it was incredible to witness their enthusiasm and commitment to the youth centrality agenda and its criticality in international development now more than ever before,” said Najib Mattar, Generation Unlimited Youth Engagement Consultant.
“We look forward to co-creating the prospective knowledge repository, building upon shared collective best practices in youth centrality that will contribute to changing the narrative of how we engage young people.”