The Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) is a youth-led, global network formed from the collective energy and shared vision of young leaders who connected through the World Bank Group Youth Summit (WBGYS) 2025. What began as informal collaboration among virtual delegates quickly evolved into a structured movement aimed at uniting youth-led initiatives across countries and sectors.
GUC was established to address a common challenge faced by young changemakers: working in isolation despite tackling interconnected global issues. By creating a single union, GUC provides a collaborative platform for innovation, knowledge sharing, advocacy, and joint action in areas such as climate justice, sustainable development, human rights, health, education, and humanitarian response.
Today, GUC operates as an online-driven, globally representative organization with national, regional, and thematic leadership, committed to empowering youth to co-create solutions, influence policy, and drive people-centered development worldwide.
ABOUT US
The Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) is an international youth-led movement born out of the powerful inspiration of the World Bank Group Youth Summit 2025, where delegates from around the world united with a shared determination to build a future driven by young leadership, innovation, and collaboration. What began as a moment of inspiration at the summit grew into a long-term vision: to create a global platform that would empower young people for generations and unite changemakers across continents under one coordinated structure.
This vision was championed by Bogere Andrew of Uganda, one of the summit delegates whose commitment and leadership shaped the foundation of the movement. Together with early leaders including Ibrahim Wako Liban (Kenya), Nafula Polyne Wechuli (kenya) Nura Muhammad (Nigeria), Shree Ananya (India), and Fatuma Maulid (Tanzania), and many others across Africa, Asia, Europe, and the Americas, the idea transformed from a simple WhatsApp group into a structured global organization with a strong mission and identity.
Today, the Global Union of Changemakers is officially registered in the Republic of South Africa, where it proudly operates its Headquarters. This milestone marks a historic achievement for a movement that started with no funding, no office, and no formal structure—just passion, unity, and shared purpose. The South African registration represents our first legal foundation and serves as the administrative, operational, and strategic hub of our global activities. From here, we coordinate international programs, build global partnerships, manage leadership structures, and drive our long-term vision of establishing GUC chapters in every region of the world.
Building on this success, GUC has launched its next phase of expansion—official registration in Kenya before the end of 2025. This strategic step will strengthen our presence in East Africa, open doors for regional collaborations, increase credibility with donors, and support youth-led projects at the national and continental levels. We also plan to register in additional countries as the organization grows, allowing national chapters to operate locally while remaining connected to our global mission.
While our journey has not been easy, we have made significant achievements that demonstrate the professionalism, seriousness, and global relevance of GUC. One of our greatest accomplishments has been receiving official approval from Google for Nonprofits, granting us access to powerful organizational tools including Google Workspace, which now hosts all our institutional communication. We were also approved by Canva for Nonprofits, enabling us to create professional designs, publications, and communication materials to strengthen our brand and awareness. These approvals reflect the trust that established global organizations already place in our mission and potential.
Furthermore, GUC continues to gain and tend to grow recognition and visibility from major international bodies including the United Nations (UN), the African Union (AU), and the European Union (EU). While still a young organization, our presence in global conversations, online platforms, and youth networks has to attract attention from institutions that shape global policy and development. Our communication channels, initiatives, and growing membership have placed GUC on the path to becoming an officially recognized player among the world’s youth-led and development-focused movements.
As we expand, GUC now welcomes partnerships with all institutions, NGOs, government agencies, private companies, youth networks, and development actors that align with any aspect of our mission or vision. We believe that transformational change requires collaboration, and we are open to working with organizations that share our commitment to youth empowerment, sustainability, equality, innovation, and community development.
Our mission remains rooted in unity, empowerment, and action. We aim to provide young people with opportunities, skills, tools, digital platforms, and collaborative environments that turn their ideas into sustainable solutions. We empower youth to lead meaningful projects, influence systems, build innovations, and create community-driven change. We believe young people are not waiting to lead in the future—they are leading now.
The GUC operates through a structured global leadership system that includes the President, Executive Director, Department Directors, Officers, National Directors, and specialized teams. Although much of our coordination happens through digital platforms, our work spans multiple continents and reaches community-based changemakers in diverse environments. Every leader, regardless of experience level, is given the opportunity to grow, learn, and contribute. We proudly embrace the reality that many of our leaders may have limited experience; at GUC, we believe experience is gained through participation, responsibility, and continuous learning. We empower youth who may have been overlooked or underestimated, and together we transform the invisible into the visible.
Our official GUC Constitution, available publicly online, guides our operations, governance, leadership structure, and foundational principles. It ensures transparency, accountability, and a shared understanding of our direction and values. Through it, we maintain a professional standard while operating with the passion and energy of youth.
Across the world, GUC tend to lead projects in key areas that shape the future of communities. These include Youth Empowerment and Leadership, Education and Awareness, Environment and Sustainability, Climate Action, Health and Well-being, Innovation and Entrepreneurship, Human Rights and Social Justice, Peacebuilding and Mediation, and Community Development. Our projects address real challenges—from environmental degradation to gender inequality, youth unemployment, mental health, food insecurity, and poverty. Each project represents our commitment to making lasting change in the world.
Despite facing financial challenges—operating without stable funding, working across borders, and supporting volunteer-led teams—our passion has never wavered. Our strength lies in unity, determination, and the unstoppable belief that youth have the power to rebuild communities and shape global progress. We are motivated not by resources, but by purpose.
Today, the Global Union of Changemakers continues to grow into one of the most ambitious youth-led global platforms of our generation. We envision a future where every young leader, from every country, has a place to belong, a voice to share, a platform to grow, and opportunities to change the world. We are committed to expanding our legal presence, strengthening partnerships, scaling our programs, and building a legacy movement that will stand for decades.
We are not just an organization.
We are a global movement.
We are a community of young visionaries who believe in possibility despite limitations.
We are the Global Union of Changemakers—creating impact, shaping futures, and building a world where youth lead with courage, unity, and purpose.
As the Global Union of Changemakers advances in structure, recognition, and global participation, our identity continues to evolve around the core belief that youth possess limitless potential when given the right environment to thrive. Beyond our programs and achievements, what truly defines GUC is our culture of courage—a willingness to step forward even when resources are limited, even when experience is lacking, and even when others expect young people to wait their turn. At GUC, we do not wait. We lead.
Our leadership culture is grounded in inclusiveness and shared growth. We recognize that many of our members come from backgrounds where opportunities are scarce, leadership is rare, and space for youth voices is limited. But within GUC, every young person is respected, valued, and empowered. We focus on building capacity, strengthening leadership skills, and providing the mentorship young changemakers need to grow. Our leaders learn by doing, by failing and rising again, by facing real challenges, and by driving real impact in their communities.
To support this growth, GUC is building a strong digital ecosystem anchored in our Google for Nonprofits Workspace. Our official emails, cloud storage, digital communications, and collaboration platforms demonstrate our commitment to professionalism and global coordination. This technology infrastructure allows us to function as a global entity despite geographical distances. Leaders from Nigeria, India, South Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Cameroon, DRC, Europe, the Middle East, the Caribbean, and across Asia and the Americas can collaborate in real time, work on shared documents, plan international projects, and coordinate with teams from anywhere.
Our Canva for Nonprofits approval has also strengthened our communication and branding. With a constantly growing global audience, we produce high-quality graphics, reports, newsletters, and awareness content that elevate our presence and visibility. This demonstrates that youth-led organizations can operate at the same professional standard as long-established institutions when given the right tools.
Beyond internal capacity, the Global Union of Changemakers is increasingly in need of connecting with regional and international bodies. Our interactions, visibility, and engagement with the United Nations (UN), African Union (AU), European Union (EU), and other regional agencies will reflect our emerging presence on the global stage. Although still young, GUC is positioning itself as a future contributor to global development dialogues, youth advisory consultations, and cross-border initiatives. We aim to strengthen these engagements by registering more national chapters, creating government partnerships, and increasing participation in global forums.
Partnerships remain central to our vision. GUC is open to collaborations with institutions, NGOs, corporations, academic institutions, youth councils, and government agencies that share any part of our mission or vision. Whether the partnership is in climate action, youth empowerment, peacebuilding, entrepreneurship, social justice, education, or health, we believe collaboration is the key to sustainable global impact. We aim to create a network of strategic partners that work together to support young leaders, implement community projects, fund innovative ideas, and strengthen capacity across borders. As the Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) continues to expand its vision, leadership strength, and global impact, one central challenge stands at the core of our journey: resources. Like many youth-led and volunteer-driven movements, our greatest limitation is not passion, talent, or commitment; it is the financial and material capacity required to fully implement the initiatives our teams envision, support our leaders globally, and build the professional systems needed to sustain our growth.
This reality has not discouraged us—it has motivated us to think more innovatively, strengthen our internal structures, and position ourselves as a global force ready for partnership, collaboration, and investment. At this stage of our growth, access to resources is the single most important factor that will determine how far, how fast, and how widely our impact can reach. With the right support, we can scale our programs, strengthen our global teams, and transform thousands of ideas into real solutions that uplift communities worldwide.
WHERE WE ARE
Since its formation in 2025 following the World Bank Group Youth Summit (WBGYS) 2025, the Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) has made significant progress in building a solid, legally compliant, and operational global youth-led organization.
1. Institutional and Legal Development
GUC has successfully completed major institutional milestones. The organization is officially registered in South Africa, providing it with a formal legal identity and credibility for international operations. In line with this, GUC has opened an organizational bank account with Standard Bank South Africa, enabling transparent financial management and readiness to receive grants and donations. GUC has also been approved on the United Nations funding portal, positioning the organization to engage with UN-related funding and partnership opportunities.
2. Nonprofit Infrastructure and Digital Capacity
To support efficient global operations, GUC has acquired and activated key nonprofit platforms and tools. These include Google Workspace for Nonprofits, ensuring professional communication and document management; Canva for Nonprofits, strengthening branding, advocacy, and outreach; and TechSoup, enabling access to discounted and donated technology. Together, these systems provide GUC with strong digital and operational capacity despite operating largely online.
3. Leadership, Governance, and Stability
GUC has established a stable, diverse, and functional leadership structure, with clearly defined global, national, and thematic roles across multiple countries. This includes program leads, officers, national directors, and the GUC Executive Council, which supports strategic decision-making, accountability, and good governance. The leadership is active, committed, and youth-driven, ensuring continuity and organizational stability.
4. Strategic Partnerships and Collaboration
GUC has secured multiple strategic partnerships that enhance its credibility and impact. Notably, GUC has a partnership with United for Human Rights, which has offered the entire GUC team free professional training in human rights, strengthening internal capacity and aligning GUC’s work with international human rights standards. Additional partnerships support collaboration, knowledge exchange, and joint programming across regions.
5. Mentorship and Capacity Building
The organization has established a mentorship framework, connecting members with experienced mentors who guide leadership development, project design, advocacy, and organizational growth. This ensures that youth leaders within GUC are not only passionate but also skilled and professionally supported.
6. Program Implementation and Thematic Work
GUC is actively running multiple programs aligned with its core focus areas, including climate justice, human rights, nutrition and food security, volunteerism and humanitarian action, innovation, and sustainable development. These programs are coordinated through thematic officers and country representatives, allowing both global alignment and local relevance.
7. Global Network and Recognition
From a virtual summit connection, GUC has grown into a recognized global youth network, uniting changemakers from different countries under a shared mission. Its inclusion on major platforms, partnerships, and formal registration reflects growing institutional recognition and trust.
So, the Global Union of Changemakers has moved beyond the idea stage into a fully functional, registered, and globally connected youth-led organization, with strong systems, credible partnerships, active programs, and a clear pathway toward long-term impact.
OUR APPROACH
At the Global Union of Changemakers (GUC), we aim to create a powerful global network where youth leaders and changemakers can connect, collaborate, and turn ideas into action. We aim to support youth-led projects by providing guidance, resources, and mentorship so that every initiative has the opportunity to grow, succeed, and make a meaningful difference. We aim to focus on practical, real-world solutions that address pressing challenges in communities, society, and the environment, while amplifying the voices of young changemakers to ensure their work is recognized and celebrated. Through partnerships, knowledge sharing, and sustainable strategies, we aim to build initiatives that not only solve immediate problems but also create long-term impact, leaving a lasting legacy for current and future generations
REGISTRATION
Global Union of Changemakers (GUC)
Registration Number: 2025/854888/08
Registration Date: 31 October 2025
Registered As: Non-Profit Company (NPC)
Status: In Business
Financial Year End: February
Type of MOI: Non-Standard (CoR15.1C)
Registered Office:
10 Jan Smuts Avenue, Golfview, Mahikeng, North West, 2745, Republic of South Africa.
Certificate of Incorporation
The Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) has been officially incorporated under Section 14 of the Companies Act, 2008 of the Republic of South Africa.
This registration confirms our legal standing as a youth-led global nonprofit dedicated to empowering changemakers and advancing sustainable development worldwide.
You can verify this registration with the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) by visiting
and searching for our company using the registration number 2025/854888/08.
Board of Directors
Name Appointment Date Status Address
Thabelo Nkalise Ngwenya 31/10/2025 Active 10 Jan Smuts Avenue, Golfview, Mahikeng, North West
Marten Subramoney Govender 31/10/2025 Active 21 Coppinwood Road, Sunningdale, Cape Town, Western Cape
Sandile Joyisile Mjamba 31/10/2025 Active 31 Old Kimberley Road, Bains Game Lodge, Bloemfontein, Free State
Contact for Legal & Compliance
For compliance or verification inquiries:
Email: kingdomthoughts333@gmail.com
Website: www.cipc.co.za
Contact Center: 086 100 2472
Our Commitment
With this registration, the Global Union of Changemakers (GUC) strengthens its dedication to:
Transparency and accountability
Legal compliance and governance
Youth empowerment and global collaboration
Sustainable, inclusive community impact