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Youth Employment, Dignity, and Lasting Change
A Conversation with IYF CEO Christina Sass
At the heart of inclusive economic growth is a simple idea: every young person deserves the opportunity to build a meaningful future.
For IYF President and CEO Christina Sass, creating those opportunities has been the focus of her career. On a recent episode of The Public Service Project podcast, Christina joined host Cait Dallaire for a wide-ranging conversation about youth employment, dignity, and the power of investing in young people’s potential.
The Public Service Project, hosted by Cait Dallaire, highlights leaders driving positive social impact through public service and innovation. In the episode, “On Dignity and the Rising Tide with Christina Sass,” Christina reflects on the experiences that inspired her lifelong commitment to expanding economic opportunity for youth. Drawing on more than two decades of leadership in global youth development, she shares insights on skills development, workforce readiness, and creating pathways to meaningful employment around the world.
Throughout the conversation, Christina explores how organizations, employers, and communities can work together to address youth unemployment and prepare the next generation to thrive in a rapidly changing labor market. She also discusses why investing in youth employment and career-connected learning is critical to building more inclusive and resilient economies.
She goes on to underscore the importance of collaboration across sectors to ensure young people are not only prepared for work, but supported in building long-term, sustainable careers. Achieving this requires intentional partnership between education systems, employers, and organizations working in youth development to create more connected pathways to opportunity. Importantly, she also highlights how strengthening youth pathways to employment ultimately benefits communities, employers, and economies alike.
Listen to the full episode to hear Christina’s insights on youth development, economic opportunity, and IYF’s mission to equip young people with the skills and support they need to succeed in work and life.