Youth Leadership Summit

Enhancing youth collaboration across the Pacific-Australia region

Every year, we bring together young leaders from across Australia and the Pacific to build their leadership skills, understand our shared challenges and harness their potential for increased youth collaboration.

Learn More

The Pacific-Australia Youth Association Inc. (PAYA) hosts its flagship Youth Leadership Summit (YLS) each November, bringing together young leaders from across the Pacific and Australia to learn from one another, build practical leadership skills, and develop ideas that can make a positive difference in their communities.

The Summit is designed for young people aged 18 to 40 and is held in a different Pacific Island country or territory each year. By rotating locations, the program creates opportunities for participants to experience different cultures, engage with local issues, and strengthen regional connections.

The first Youth Leadership Summit was held in Nouméa, New Caledonia, in 2022 and brought together 30 young leaders from seven Pacific Island countries and territories. In 2023, the Summit moved to Tonga, welcoming 46 young leaders from ten Pacific Island countries and territories to explore the themes of Skills, Security and Sport.

The 2024 Summit was hosted in Nauru and focused on Entrepreneurship, Sustainability, Governance, Education, Faith, Sport, Health and Culture. Delegates worked in teams to develop community-focused projects, including the winning Teenpreneur Club initiative, which continues to receive support beyond the Summit.

Most recently, PAYA hosted the 2025 Youth Leadership Summit in Honiara, Solomon Islands. The four-day program brought together 35 participants, including 20 local delegates, 8 international delegates and 7 volunteers from Australia, New Zealand, Nauru, Papua New Guinea, Bougainville, West Papua and Solomon Islands. The program combined leadership workshops, panel discussions, cultural activities, site visits and team-based project work. Participant feedback highlighted increased confidence, stronger leadership skills, new friendships and a greater understanding of how young people can work together across borders to address common challenges.

A core part of every Summit is the Group Project Challenge, where delegates work in multicultural teams to identify issues facing Pacific communities and develop practical solutions. The process encourages teamwork, problem-solving, communication and project design skills while building lasting connections between participants.

PAYA is now preparing for the fifth edition of the Youth Leadership Summit, which will be held in November 2026. Building on the success of the previous four Summits, the 2026 program will continue to create opportunities for young people from across the region to connect, learn and contribute to a stronger Pacific future.

Delegate Testimonials

"Without this program, I would still doubt my potential. After the summit, I feel confident in myself and believe I can achieve my goals. This experience has been truly inspiring and life-changing."

Honiara 2025
"Being part of PAYA was beyond empowering. I left the summit feeling enabled and reassured that youth all around the pacific are making waves and are active agents of positive and sustainable change.”

Nauru 2024
"My experience attending the Youth Leadership Summit in Nuku'alofa was truly amazing. The summit brought together young, talented leaders from across the Australia-Pacific region, and provided us with an opportunity to connect and share our experiences and ideas."

Nuku’alofa 2023
“I feel extremely grateful to have been a part of PAYA Youth Leadership Summit 2024 and I hope for opportunities to return in the future. It was a great opportunity to connect with the vast cultural knowledge that was present and to empower each other to make a change in our communities.”

Nauru 2024
"Engaging with these young people has given me a second chance to be brave, stand up and do something to help our youth. It also gave me the opportunity to learn, listen, exchange ideas and build networks with other young people."

Honiara 2025
"Do it! If you want to immerse yourself in the Pacific while engaging with delegates from all over the region then this is the Summit for you!"

Nuku’alofa 2023
"Overall the summit was great, interesting, and very educational. I learned a lot through the summit, which now put me in a better place to expand my reach and do more in the youth development space through my line of work. Big thank you to the PAYA core team for putting up this magnificent event. God bless everyone."

Nuku’alofa 2023
"Join The Youth Leadership Summit. It's a great opportunity to immerse yourself in a unique experience of personal growth, cultural exchange, and community building, while connecting with inspiring young leaders from across the region."

Nouméa 2022
"Hearing the stories of PAYA leaders gave me hope that despite the struggles I go through now, I can also find success and make a positive difference in my community."

Honiara 2025
"I had an incredible time during PAYA’s first ever Inaugural Youth Leadership Summit in Noumea. Not only did I get to make amazing connections with likeminded youths from all over the Pacific. I was also grateful for the discussion sessions PAYA organised with SPC and the Province Sud where we get to hear and discuss with fellow high achieving Pacific Islanders."

Nouméa 2022
"Participating in an event of this magnitude has made me aware of the opportunities that exist in our environment in all areas of development. This summit's goal is to bring together young people … to meet and learn about other cultures and territories. I express my gratitude and appreciation to the entire PAYA Summit team."

Nouméa 2022
"Many thanks to all of you! You've motivated me to become a young leader in my community, and to inspire other young people to do the same. At first I didn't know anyone, but I came home with 42 more friends. I'm so grateful. Malo ‘aupito, Ofa atu"

Nuku’alofa 2023
"It was an absolutely amazing experience, I loved every minute of it. All the activities were so well-thought out and I got so much out of it."

Nouméa 2022
"I realized that as an islander, there is a world of connections, experiences and projects right there, waiting to happen. I can't wait to keep exploring!"

Nuku’alofa 2023
"The PAYA conference is wonderful opportunity for those looking to dip their toes into working cross-culturally in the Pacific. I encourage those interested in Pacific work to apply, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because we need to play a larger role in the Pacific."

Nouméa 2022
"PAYA feels like family to me. Even though it was only four days, we worked together, cared for each other and built genuine connections.""

Honiara 2025
"The Youth Leadership Summit held in Nuku'alofa, Tonga in 2023, organized by PAYA, was an incredibly inspiring experience. I had the chance to connect with like-minded individuals from across the Australia-Pacific region and develop my leadership skills in a supportive environment. I am eagerly looking forward to seeing what PAYA has in store for their future events!"

Nuku’alofa 2023
“It was inspiring to see how the local team created such a youthful, engaging and informative summit that covered so many topics relevant to the pacific. The balance of indoor activities/sessions and outdoor activities was good. Although we covered a lot of important things during the sessions I never ended the day feeling drained. Having youth from different disciplines as well made it a more enriching experience to learn what each youth is doing back in their countries.”

Nauru 2024
"The Summit enlightened me on how international youth organisations work and gave me the knowledge and confidence I need to implement projects that will benefit youth in my country."

Honiara 2025
"The 2022 Summit brought together some of the best and brightest youth leaders from across the Pacific region. In attending, I gained unique insights, learned new skills, and created life-long friendships. I would strongly recommend applying for the Summit in 2023."

Nouméa 2022

Interested in YLS 2026?

Find Out More

Youth Leadership Summit

Enhancing youth collaboration across the Pacific-Australia region

Every year, we bring together young leaders from across Australia and the Pacific to build their leadership skills, understand our shared challenges and harness their potential for increased youth collaboration.

Learn More

"Without this program, I would still doubt my potential. After the summit, I feel confident in myself and believe I can achieve my goals. This experience has been truly inspiring and life-changing."

"Being part of PAYA was beyond empowering. I left the summit feeling enabled and reassured that youth all around the pacific are making waves and are active agents of positive and sustainable change.”

"My experience attending the Youth Leadership Summit in Nuku'alofa was truly amazing. The summit brought together young, talented leaders from across the Australia-Pacific region, and provided us with an opportunity to connect and share our experiences and ideas."

“I feel extremely grateful to have been a part of PAYA Youth Leadership Summit 2024 and I hope for opportunities to return in the future. It was a great opportunity to connect with the vast cultural knowledge that was present and to empower each other to make a change in our communities.”

"Engaging with these young people has given me a second chance to be brave, stand up and do something to help our youth. It also gave me the opportunity to learn, listen, exchange ideas and build networks with other young people."

"Do it! If you want to immerse yourself in the Pacific while engaging with delegates from all over the region then this is the Summit for you!"

"Join The Youth Leadership Summit. It's a great opportunity to immerse yourself in a unique experience of personal growth, cultural exchange, and community building, while connecting with inspiring young leaders from across the region."

"Hearing the stories of PAYA leaders gave me hope that despite the struggles I go through now, I can also find success and make a positive difference in my community."

"Many thanks to all of you! You've motivated me to become a young leader in my community, and to inspire other young people to do the same. At first I didn't know anyone, but I came home with 42 more friends. I'm so grateful. Malo ‘aupito, Ofa atu"

"It was an absolutely amazing experience, I loved every minute of it. All the activities were so well-thought out and I got so much out of it."

"I realized that as an islander, there is a world of connections, experiences and projects right there, waiting to happen. I can't wait to keep exploring!"

"The PAYA conference is wonderful opportunity for those looking to dip their toes into working cross-culturally in the Pacific. I encourage those interested in Pacific work to apply, especially Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people because we need to play a larger role in the Pacific."

"PAYA feels like family to me. Even though it was only four days, we worked together, cared for each other and built genuine connections.""

"The Summit enlightened me on how international youth organisations work and gave me the knowledge and confidence I need to implement projects that will benefit youth in my country."

"The 2022 Summit brought together some of the best and brightest youth leaders from across the Pacific region. In attending, I gained unique insights, learned new skills, and created life-long friendships. I would strongly recommend applying for the Summit in 2023."

Interested in YLS 2026?