We work toward three outcomes: next-gen voices elevated in the global policy discourse, so that youth perspectives become a standard input in research, institutions, and multilateral processes; the research-to-policy gap closed inside governments, with evidence-based analysis reaching decision-makers directly and host institutions building embedded research capacity that outlasts each fellowship; and policy ideas translated into ground-level action, as youth innovators move from idea to implementation and create a documented evidence base for what works at the local level.
To achieve these outcomes, MESA operates through three interconnected pillars: Influence, Activate, and Innovate. Influence builds MESA's intellectual credibility and public reach — producing the research, commentary, and platforms that put next-gen policy thinking into circulation, through policy briefs, the fellowship program, the Next Vanguard podcast, a digital platform, and conferences and events. Activation places policy experts directly inside emerging market governments, closing the gap between research production and policy uptake, through the NEXUS program, embedded policy experts, partnerships with host country universities, and policy prize competitions. Innovation funds and connects local youth innovators with the capital and networks to turn policy ideas into civic action on the ground, through the Impact Generator fund, youth-led pilots, and civic innovation funding.
Together, Influence, Activate and Innovate form a complete pathway: generating ideas, embedding expertise where decisions are made and turning promising policies into tangible outcomes for communities around the world.
Activities
Outcomes
End Goal
A mature global
policy ecosystem
where next-
generation leaders
from the Global
South shape major
institutional
decisions worldwide,
with MESA as the
defining platform
that identifies,
develops, and
connects them.
WE ARE THE PROOF