From values to impact strengthening youth leadership for equitable and sustainable public health action
1
Young WFPHA, Geneva, Switzerland
Popul. Med. 2026;8(Supplement Supplement 1):A3519
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION:
Youth-led innovation is increasingly recognised as a driver of equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. Hackathons and challenge-based formats are widely used to mobilise youth engagement, yet their contribution to lasting public health impact is often questioned. This organised session, led by the Young World Federation of Public Health Associations, critically examines the role of hackathons as a tool for youth-led public health innovation and demonstrates, through practical evidence, how such approaches can support system-relevant and equity-oriented solutions.
METHODS:
The session is structured as a panel and interactive workshop focused on shared experience, reflection, and evidence rather than project implementation. It presents a youth-led innovation methodology based on challenge-driven collaboration, systems thinking, and explicit attention to equity and sustainability. To ground the discussion in practice, the session draws on an international public health hackathon currently conducted outside the congress context. This hackathon involves a pool of 250 youth-led teams from more than 30 countries and is implemented with collaboration from partner organisations including the e-Health Innovation Center, Young AI Leaders Madrid Hub, Young AI Leaders Linz Hub, Africa Health Innovator’s Network, Lovable, and ElevenLabs.
RESULTS:
During the session, selected winning teams from the ongoing hackathon will present their work. These presentations illustrate the public health challenges addressed, the solutions developed, and the conditions under which youth-led innovation can move beyond ideation toward relevance, scalability, and policy alignment. Participants will gain insight into both the potential and the limitations of hackathons as a public health innovation tool.
CONCLUSIONS:
By combining critical reflection with real-world examples, this session demonstrates how intentionally designed youth-led hackathons can contribute to equitable and sustainable public health action. It supports informed discussion on the role of youth innovation in advancing health without borders and strengthening future public health leadership.
Youth-led innovation is increasingly recognised as a driver of equity, inclusion, and sustainability in public health. Hackathons and challenge-based formats are widely used to mobilise youth engagement, yet their contribution to lasting public health impact is often questioned. This organised session, led by the Young World Federation of Public Health Associations, critically examines the role of hackathons as a tool for youth-led public health innovation and demonstrates, through practical evidence, how such approaches can support system-relevant and equity-oriented solutions.
METHODS:
The session is structured as a panel and interactive workshop focused on shared experience, reflection, and evidence rather than project implementation. It presents a youth-led innovation methodology based on challenge-driven collaboration, systems thinking, and explicit attention to equity and sustainability. To ground the discussion in practice, the session draws on an international public health hackathon currently conducted outside the congress context. This hackathon involves a pool of 250 youth-led teams from more than 30 countries and is implemented with collaboration from partner organisations including the e-Health Innovation Center, Young AI Leaders Madrid Hub, Young AI Leaders Linz Hub, Africa Health Innovator’s Network, Lovable, and ElevenLabs.
RESULTS:
During the session, selected winning teams from the ongoing hackathon will present their work. These presentations illustrate the public health challenges addressed, the solutions developed, and the conditions under which youth-led innovation can move beyond ideation toward relevance, scalability, and policy alignment. Participants will gain insight into both the potential and the limitations of hackathons as a public health innovation tool.
CONCLUSIONS:
By combining critical reflection with real-world examples, this session demonstrates how intentionally designed youth-led hackathons can contribute to equitable and sustainable public health action. It supports informed discussion on the role of youth innovation in advancing health without borders and strengthening future public health leadership.
| eISSN: | 2654-1459 |
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