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TRI logo

The Global Opportunity Youth Network

A multi-stakeholder initiative committed to creating place-based systems shifts for youth economic opportunity

Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN)

About GOYN:

Global Opportunity Youth Network (GOYN) is a global initiative working to create sustainable economic opportunities for Opportunity Youth (young people aged 15–29 who are out of school, unemployed or underemployed). In India, Transform Rural India (TRI) serves as the Anchor Partner, driving a place-based, multi-stakeholder approach to expand economic opportunities for young people.

Our Geographies

GOYN Rural India initially focuses on two core geographies: Ramgarh Jharkhand, and Barwani, Madhya Pradesh. Through collaboration with government institutions, civil society organisations, private-sector partners, financial institutions and community stakeholders, the initiative works to strengthen local opportunity ecosystems. Building on the learnings and experience from these two geographies, GOYN's approach is also extending beyond its core communities through partnerships and ecosystem engagement across additional districts in Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

The approach goes beyond individual skilling and employment interventions. It focuses on systems change by strengthening local institutions, improving coordination among stakeholders, enabling youth leadership, building market linkages and creating sustainable pathways to employment and entrepreneurship.

The long-term ambition is to build an enabling ecosystem where young people are not merely beneficiaries of development programmes but active participants in shaping their local economies and future opportunities.

Vision is to drive systems change through:

  • Greater collaboration through locally-led coordinating infrastructure
  • Data driven strategies to support long term youth success
  • Increased youth involvement using leading practice design approaches
  • Funding directed to address the most important gaps & scale what works
  • Changing the narrative & perceptions of opportunity youth through data and storytelling
  • Advocacy – public policy engagement, influencing employer practices and priorities

Our Model: Youth Hubs

GOYN's Youth Hubs, also known as WoW Hubs, serve as community-based platforms connecting Opportunity Youth to information, guidance, services and economic opportunities. Embedded within trusted local institutions such as Panchayat Bhawans, SHG Cluster Level Federation offices and educational institutions, the hubs bring essential services closer to young people.

Through a phygital approach combining physical engagement and digital access, the hubs facilitate career guidance and counselling, skilling referrals, entrepreneurship support, access to government schemes and livelihood linkages. Supported by standardised operating procedures, trained community cadres and the Youth Hub Playbook, the model aims to create accessible and sustainable opportunity platforms at the grassroots.

Globally, GOYN works with "Anchor Partners"

Map of GOYN communities around the world with their anchor partners

Impact

Through Youth Hubs, livelihood pathways, youth leadership and ecosystem partnerships, we are enabling young people to access opportunities while influencing local institutions and government systems to make youth development a part of the larger development agenda.

Our Cumulative Impact

  • 58,391Opportunity Youth reached
  • 42,344Youth with improved outcomes
  • 22,537Youth transformed

Our impact extends beyond individual outcomes to building stronger local ecosystems, enabling youth participation in governance, supporting youth-led enterprises and strengthening sustainable pathways to economic opportunity.

Approach

GOYN Rural India follows a place-based, multi-stakeholder approach to strengthen local economic opportunity ecosystems for Opportunity Youth. Anchored by TRI, the model brings together government institutions, private-sector partners, financial institutions, civil society and community stakeholders through district and block-level coordination structures, with Youth Hubs serving as the last-mile platform for engagement and service delivery. Using local ecosystem studies, youth aspirations and market assessments, GOYN identifies opportunities and strengthens pathways to employment, entrepreneurship, skilling and access to finance. Youth participation remains central through Youth Advisory Groups and Youth Development Plans, enabling young people to influence local development priorities and government planning. The approach aims to embed sustainable systems that connect young people to opportunities while strengthening the institutions and markets that support them.

A large group of young people and facilitators cheering with raised fists on a lawn

Multi Stakeholder Advisory Board (MSAB)

The Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MSAG) brings together representatives from diverse sectors to strengthen the local opportunity ecosystem and advance economic opportunities for Opportunity Youth. The group includes district administration and government departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), District Industries Centre (DIC), banks and financial institutions, industry and employers, skilling partners, Self-Help Groups (SHGs), local entrepreneurs, and youth representatives from the GOYN Youth Advisory Group (YAG) and AIP Ambassadors. The platform facilitates collective problem-solving, partnership development, market linkages, access to finance and convergence of resources to support youth employment and entrepreneurship.

Youth Advisory Group

The Youth Advisory Group (YAG) provides a platform for Opportunity Youth to actively participate in shaping local development priorities and influencing decisions that affect their communities. YAG members lead youth engagement, facilitate the Equity Leadership Programme (ELP), identify community challenges and drive youth-led initiatives through platforms such as the Youth Innovation Fund (YIF).

Ramgarh 14

Nishant Kumar
Mala Kumari
Bela Kumari
Suraj Kumar
Sushant Kumar
Pintu Kumar Mahto
Prabha Kumari
Priya Prity
Yuvraj Kumar
Kishu Rani
Suman Kumari
Rekha Devi
Dipti Kumari
Ritik Kumar

Barwani 9

Akanksha Bhandari
Aniska Mkashre
Harshita Kochak
Aman Malviya
Aman Khote
Mahesh Mujalde
Manjula Pawar
Aanchal Pipare
Rupesh Karma

GOYN Rural India Pathways and Enablers

PATHWAYS

I. Promoting mass entrepreneurship

  • Access to a consolidated Directory of Opportunities
  • Business ready training and capacity building
  • Pre and post business set up mentorship support
  • Access to seed capital and innovative financing
  • Access to market

II. Making agriculture aspirational

  • Creating agri-entrepreneurs for local access to agri-services
  • Capacity and asset building for OY to improve agri-practices
  • Supporting OY to build a portfolio of income sources
  • Enabling farm level processing to increase value of produce
  • Building value chains

III. Increasing access to formal employment

  • Access to a consolidated Directory of Opportunities
  • Job ready training and capacity building
  • Pre & post placement mentorship support
  • Access to market of jobs, apprenticeships & internships

IV. Empowering youth to become changemakers

  • Providing OY with a framework & resources to action sustainable, community level change
  • Advocacy with local govt, administration, & other ecosystem stakeholders to shift policy to supplement OY efforts

V. Building a referral network of support services

  • Periodic assessment of Poverty Triggering Indicators
  • Setting up a network of first responders
  • Setting up a network of subject matter expert referral partners
Agency building for OY through career guidance support and transformation training for economic, personal and social wellbeing

Actions on Ground

GOYN translates its place-based approach into action through community-based Youth Hubs (WoW Hubs), employability and entrepreneurship pathways, career guidance, financial inclusion and market linkages. Key initiatives include the Youth Innovation Fund (YIF), Equity Leadership Programme (ELP), Youth Development Plans (YDP), enterprise mentoring and partnerships with government, industry and financial institutions to expand sustainable opportunities for young people.

Migrant returnee initiative

During the pandemic around 10,000 people (info released by the Govt.) had returned to their villages in Ramgarh. The returnees had very less or no access to Govt entitlements and schemes. The initiative was started in October,2020. The initiative was led by the youth fellows, filed mobilisers and our field partners. Through the initiative, 3920 migrant returnees across Ramgarh were surveyed, 3873 applications were filled and 3080 schemes/benefits with a monetary value of around 2.1 Cr

Skilling efforts

With partnership with PAN-IIT, for the first time 202 women OY were registered for a skilling course (ANM course) for the district and also the first time PAN IIT saw such a huge response from Ramgarh and an entrance exam was conducted exclusively for the Ramgarh youth. This is possible due to GOYN model with the presence of youth fellows, youth hubs and field partners and reach in the communities. Before GOYN model- the young women did not had the knowledge about opportunities present as in a rural setting a girl gets married at a very young age (16-17 years) and does not gets the opportunity and is not exposed to the career opportunities which she can pursue. This entrance exam opened new dimensions of opportunities for rural girls

Digital Opportunity

GOYN is expanding digital access and capabilities among Opportunity Youth by integrating digital literacy, cyber safety and practical AI skills into its livelihood pathways. Youth-led initiatives in Ramgarh focus on cyber safety, online fraud awareness and AI literacy, while Barwani initiatives introduce young people to AI tools for employability, resume building and entrepreneurship. The next phase aims to further integrate AI learning through WoW Hubs under the Apna AI initiative.

Career Guidance & Counselling

A digital intervention to promote CG&C for youth uses digital technology to deliver career guidance related knowledge and resources. In the current times this has potential advantages, and it is highly resource effective. Youth today are digitally connected through social media, using the power of this, a programme that delivers CG&C digitally will yield better viewership, engagement, and conversion to digital opportunities. This is particularly interesting for Ramgarh as 50% OY are digitally connected. Based on its experience of having delivered CG&C to over 1 lakh 17 thousand youth across 6 states in India, HHH proposes a digital implementation model for providing youth with guidance and counselling to make informed career choices.

This involves the following:

  1. 1Digital pedagogy
  2. 2Digital interventions or platforms for career-based information
  3. 3Access to individual counselling through a helpline
  4. 4Psychometry assessments using a digital platform
  5. 5Collaborative tools to keep all stakeholders informed and engaged

Project Journey Map

Stage 1

Desk research –evidence based sector selection, Experts,Institutions

Stage 2

Outreach –mobilize 60% youth through institutions; 40% through community mobilization

Online sessions delivery as per schedule

Stage 3

During/post session youth fillout feedback forms to register their queries, regarding career, job readiness, soft skill related queries

Stage 4

Youth given personalised support over phone call/SMS/ WhatsApp

Stage 5

10000 youth provided one-on-one support

Youth receiving personalised one-on-one support provide feedback on the support provided

Goal
  • 100 online sessions completed
  • 100,000 youth equipped with information & resources to become self directed career managers & lifelong learners
  • 10000 youth are provided one – on – one support
100,000 youth continue to be engaged through 100 online sessions

Ecosystem and Partnerships

GOYN approach believes that expanding economic opportunities for young people requires collective action and strong local partnerships. It brings together government departments, Panchayati Raj Institutions, private-sector organisations, financial institutions, industry, skilling partners, civil society organisations, SHGs and youth representatives.

Through multi-stakeholder platforms such as the Multi-Stakeholder Advisory Group (MSAG/MSAB), district and block-level coordination structures and strategic partnerships, GOYN facilitates convergence, resource mobilisation, market linkages and institutional collaboration. These partnerships help integrate youth priorities into existing development systems and strengthen the local opportunity ecosystem.