INTRODUCTION:
In armed conflict, climate disasters, pandemics, and political instability, youth are often the first responders—creating grassroots solutions when formal systems fail. Yet youth leadership remains underrecognized in preparedness, response, and recovery frameworks.

METHODS:
This presentation synthesizes youth-led public health response models from Gaza, Sudan, Pakistan, and Haiti. It draws on participatory emergency approaches and cross-regional learning, examining interventions in surveillance, mental health support, risk communication, and climate-health adaptation.

RESULTS:
Youth-led models demonstrate rapid mobilization, community trust, and innovation under constraints. Examples include community-based surveillance and referral pathways, psychosocial support initiatives, and climate-resilience health actions. Findings suggest youth leadership can be institutionalized through structured funding mechanisms, technical mentorship, and representation within humanitarian coordination and national preparedness systems. Persistent challenges include lack of formal authority, limited access to decision-making, and safety risks in conflict settings.

CONCLUSIONS:
Global public health systems must move from tokenistic inclusion toward formalized youth leadership pathways. Embedding youth as co-designers and decision-makers strengthens emergency preparedness and accelerates equity-driven, locally grounded response.