PRESS RELEASE: International Youth Foundation to Ring Nasdaq Opening Bell on International Youth Day, August 12
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[BALTIMORE] – The International Youth Foundation (IYF) is honored to announce that it will ring the Nasdaq opening bell on International Youth Day, August 12, 2024. This event highlights IYF’s nearly 35-year commitment to empowering young people and driving digital innovation for sustainable development. The ceremony will be livestreamed at 9:30 AM EDT, allowing supporters worldwide to join in the celebration. The event can be watched live here.
This year’s theme, "From Clicks to Progress: Youth Digital Pathways for Sustainable Development," underscores the vital role digitalization plays in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For Christina Sass, who joined IYF as President and CEO in the spring of 2024, this theme is particularly resonant.
Prior to joining IYF, Christina co-founded Andela, an on-ramp to the digital economy for thousands of young technologists across Africa who are now full-time team members in growing tech companies around the world. Today, Andela is the world’s largest private talent marketplace with over 150,000 technologists operating in over 130 countries. She and her cofounders saw firsthand how digital skills can unlock lifelong career paths for young people and she is continuing that work through IYF.
"Ringing the Nasdaq bell on International Youth Day is a tremendous honor for IYF. It is a testament to 35 years of unlocking the potential of youth worldwide and a call to action for others to join us in meeting this critical moment for youth when digital skills are absolutely essential to development," said Christina Sass, President and CEO of IYF.
For nearly 35 years, IYF has connected young people with opportunities to transform their lives. Key initiatives include empowering young people to take control of their futures, providing skills and resources for better job prospects, and creating environments that support youth development. IYF’s unique assets include collaborative strategies, youth-informed digital solutions, experiential life skills curricula, workforce development programs, social entrepreneurship networks, and tools for gender equity and social inclusion.
“As we celebrate International Youth Day, this moment at Nasdaq symbolizes our ongoing commitment to empowering young people globally,” said IYF Board Chair Joseph M. Matalon, Chairman of ICD Group Holdings. “Our work is more critical than ever, and this recognition helps to shine a light on the transformative potential of youth," he added.
Stay connected and join IYF in celebrating the power of youth and digital innovation on August 12!
For media inquiries, please contact Arpine Baghdasarian, IYF Director of Communications and Marketing, or +1-410-951-2314.
About IYF
The International Youth Foundation® (IYF®) stands by, for, and with young people. Founded in 1990 through a generous grant from the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, IYF is a global nonprofit with programs directly benefiting 8.1 million young people and operations spanning 100 countries so far. Together with local community-based organizations and a network of corporate, foundation, and multilateral partners, we connect young people with opportunities to transform their lives. We believe that educated, employed, engaged young people possess the power to solve the world’s toughest problems, and we focus our youth development efforts on three linked objectives: unlocking agency, driving economic opportunity, and making systems more inclusive. Our vision is to see young people inspired and equipped to realize the future they want. The International Youth Foundation: Transforming Lives, Together. To learn more about the International Youth Foundation, please join us at iyfglobal.org.