The Youth Were Never Missing: How Small Civic Behaviors Can Build Future Leaders

Older generations often ask, “Where are the youth?” when they talk about civic participation.

But young people are not necessarily absent. In many communities, they are already participating through smaller, everyday actions: joining volunteer activities, sharing opportunities, helping peers sign up, and inviting friends to take part. These actions may not always look like formal activism or running for office, but they matter. They are early signs of civic identity.

The Gen V Project, short for Generating Volunteers Towards Youth-Led Communities, explored how these small behaviors can become stronger pathways to youth leadership.

In the Philippines, formal youth leadership is often shaped by unequal access to networks, resources, and political families. Many young people care about public service but do not see a clear pathway from volunteering to leadership. This gap is especially important for youth from lower-income communities, gender-diverse youth, and those outside established civic or political circles.

Gen V focused on one specific behavior: peer invitation.

The project worked with “Non-Endorser Volunteers,” or young people who already joined volunteer activities but did not consistently invite others. They were not disengaged. Many were committed and willing to help. But they often lacked confidence, feared rejection, or did not know whom to invite and what to say.

Through a community-led Behavioral Design Sprint, AHA! Behavioral Design® co-created the Gen V Prototype Suite with youth volunteers from Central Luzon, CALABARZON, and Western Visayas. The tools helped volunteers identify likely peers to invite, use simple invitation spiels, share stories about volunteer activities, and reflect on their wins after joining.

The tools were tested with 73 middle- to low-income youth volunteers.

The results were promising. Targeted peer invitation increased from 37% to 92%. Average successful recruits rose from less than one to three peers. Confidence in leading fellow youth increased from 38% to 89%. The study also found that endorsement behaviors strengthened volunteer leadership identity, which was linked to stronger intention to run for local youth leadership roles.

One key lesson stood out: belonging drives youth participation.

Young people are more likely to act when participation feels personal, supported, and socially meaningful. A trusted peer invitation can reduce hesitation. A simple script can make asking easier. A visible story of impact can help a young person see volunteering not only as service, but as a step toward leadership.

For practitioners working on youth civic participation, Gen V offers a practical reminder: do not only design for the final outcome, such as running for office. Design for the earlier moments that make leadership feel possible.

Youth leadership does not always begin with a campaign.

Sometimes, it begins when one young person tells another: “Come with us. You belong here.”