GYEL

What GYEL does

GYEL (Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program) is a selective, application-based educational initiative that delivers virtual leadership and global-affairs programming to middle and high school students worldwide. Founded around 2015 as a multilateral initiative within the UN system and currently led by Executive Director Joanne Jones (a credentialed UN ECOSOC Delegate appointed in 2023), GYEL offers a layered product suite: a four-week Intro to Global Leadership course, the Promising Young Leaders Program for grades 6–8, a two-part High School Program with capstone research or social enterprise projects, and an AI Horizons course on emerging technologies. Instruction is delivered 100% virtually via the TalentLMS learning management system with live lectures, recorded sessions, office hours, and guest speakers drawn from UN diplomats and industry leaders; acceptance is selective at roughly 20%.

The business model is a tiered contribution model rather than fixed tuition. Per-course contributions range from $1 to $5,500, calibrated to household income, with the median family paying approximately 2.5% of annual household income and lower-income families qualifying for need-based subsidies or full waivers; the Intro course is a flat $600 with no assistance available. GYEL operates as a for-profit entity but is governed by UN Coalition Partners holding ECOSOC special consultative status — including OPAD, IAAI, OIJ, Climate Chain Coalition, and Producers Trust — and convenes UN side events (UNEP/UN-Habitat Joint Session, ECOSOC Forum 2025). There is no disclosed external funding, headcount is described only as "dozens" of full-time team members, and stated operations span the USA, Kenya, UK, China, and Singapore under a virtual, direct-to-consumer go-to-market motion.

Name

GYEL

Legal name

Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program

Website

https://gyel.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2015

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

GYEL is a UN-system-affiliated, application-based virtual program that delivers tiered, income-priced leadership and global-affairs curricula to middle and high school students worldwide. Its five-course pathway targets families seeking differentiated credentials for ultra-selective university admissions.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Leadership Education

NAICS

Educational Support Services (611710), Educational Services (611)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Model United Nations (MUN) (EDAMAGAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Leadership, Debate & Model UN Camps (EDAMALAK), Model UN & Parliamentary Procedure Programs (Oratory-Focused) (EDAMAOAG)

Keywords

• Youth leadership programs
• Global citizenship education
• Online leadership courses
• College admissions preparation
• UN affiliated education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Francisco

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tiered Family Contributions: GYEL uses an equitable contribution model where families pay based on household income. High-income families ($200k+) pay full administrative costs while lower-income families receive subsidies. Most families contribute 2.5% of annual household income.
2. Program Tuition (Shared Administrative Cost): Contribution cost per course ranges from $1 to $5,500 depending on family income level and external support. Families earning $100k+ for middle school programs and $200k+ for high school programs are expected to pay full tuition cap.

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

GYEL offers a suite of virtual, application-based leadership education programs for middle and high school students, delivered fully online through TalentLMS. Programs cover global institutions, UN systems, geopolitics, SDGs, climate policy, human rights, ethics, AI/emerging technologies, and leadership preparation, taught by instructors from Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Yale, and Tsinghua, with UN ambassadors and industry guest speakers. Students produce capstone research papers, participate in crisis negotiation simulations, and receive ambassador recommendation letters and certification recognized by top universities including MIT, Harvard, Oxford, Stanford, Yale, and Cornell.

Product overview

GYEL operates as a suite of educational programs for middle and high school students, organized into a progressive pathway. The core offerings include the Intro to Global Leadership (foundational course), Promising Young Leader Program (middle school grades 6-8), Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program High School Part 1 and Part 2 (advanced leadership and research), and AI Horizons (emerging technologies). Programs feature live virtual lectures from instructors with degrees from top universities, guest speakers from UN officials and industry leaders, office hours mentorship, capstone projects, and formal certification. Part 2 offers publication opportunities and Ambassador recommendation letters. Delivery is entirely virtual via the TalentLMS learning management system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program (High School) Part 1 A comprehensive virtual learning program for high school students featuring 12 weekly 3-hour advanced lectures, UN and industry guest speakers, office hours mentorship, and a capstone project. Curriculum covers global institutions, geopolitics, human rights, sustainable development, climate policy, global economics, ethics, global health, and leadership preparation.
• Global Youth Excellence & Leadership Program (High School) Part 2 Advanced leadership program building on Part 1, where students apply knowledge to real-world problems through original research papers (2,500-4,000 words) or social enterprise proposals. Includes modules on policy writing, public diplomacy, crisis negotiation simulations, emerging tech ethics, and fellowship preparation, with publication opportunities and ambassador recommendation letters.
• AI Horizons: Global Youth Leadership in Emerging Technologies A high school-level course exploring AI and emerging technologies across 10 topics including IoT for sustainability, AI for climate/healthcare, AI ethics and bias, AI-powered education, cybersecurity, AI art/creativity, quantum computing, automation, and space exploration.
• Promising Young Leader Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of parents would recommend the program
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and strategic.

• UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025GYEL serves as Deputy Convenor and Principal Partner for UNEP/UN-Habitat Joint Session side events. Collaborative initiative bringing together youth leaders, data specialists, and urban development experts to advance science-driven approaches to SDG localization.
• UN-HabitatflagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Joint UN side event collaboration focusing on sustainable urban development and youth-led innovations. GYEL positioned as Deputy Convenor and Principal Partner.
• OPAD (Organization for Poverty Alleviation and Development)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOPAD holds ECOSOC special consultative status. Ambassador Carlos García serves as Chief Representative to the UN with 25+ years UN system leadership. Partner in GYEL multilateral initiative.
• IAAI (International Association for the Advancement of Innovative Approaches to Global Challenges)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Miroslav Polzer serves as Secretary General. IAAI maintains ECOSOC special consultative status and leads GloCha flagship initiative. Operates at intersection of digital innovation, youth empowerment, and global governance.
• OIJ (Organization of American States - Permanent Observer)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbassador David Xavier Sanchez serves as Ambassador and Permanent Observer to the UN. OIJ's Permanent Observer status at UN General Assembly places it among select entities including EU and WTO.
• Climate Chain CoalitionstrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerUN-backed global network leveraging emerging technologies to support Paris Agreement and SDGs implementation. Dr. Miroslav Polzer serves as Strategic Director.
• Commonwealth of The Bahamas (Permanent Mission to UN)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerAmbassador Stan Oduma Smith serves as Permanent Representative to UN since March 2022. Hosted 'Sustainable Climate Action and Capacity Building for The Water Crisis' conference.
• GloCha (Global Challenges Action Empowerment Consortium)strategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerIAAI's flagship initiative uniting UN agencies, NGOs, academic institutions, and private sector to address SDGs through digital technologies and youth empowerment.
• Producers TruststrategicStrategic or Co-development PartnerKeith Agoada founded Producers Trust, UN partner on climate action and farmer empowerment. Network spans 1,000+ producer groups across 80+ countries. UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration speaker.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• MyDiplomat: Provider of MUN/diplomacy summer institutes and year-round programs for middle and high schoolers; runs International Crisis negotiation simulations similar to GYEL's core feature.
• Best Delegate: Largest dedicated Model UN training and competition resource provider for middle and high school students globally — the most direct overlap with GYEL's UN-system, debate, and crisis-negotiation curriculum.
• AI4ALL: Nonprofit AI-education programs targeted at high school students, with curricula spanning AI ethics, applications, and societal impact — the closest comparable to GYEL's new AI Horizons track.
• Global Leadership Adventures: Service- and leadership-themed travel + virtual programs for high schoolers tied to global issues and SDGs — comparable mission framing for college-bound student leaders.
• Yale Young Global Scholars: Yale University's pre-college summer enrichment program for high-achieving high school students focused on global affairs, leadership, and admissions distinction — directly comparable applicant pool and admissions-outcome pitch.
• Oxbridge Academic Programs: Residential summer enrichment for pre-college students across global affairs, leadership, and STEM — comparable student demographic and admissions-distinction positioning.

Regional players

• Concordia Language Villages: US-anchored immersive enrichment provider (language + global leadership) for youth; comparable long-running enrichment model with global-citizenship framing though focused on language acquisition.

Broad incumbents

• iD Tech: Large-scale operator of STEM and AI summer camps and after-school programs for K-12 — broader incumbent in youth tech enrichment with overlapping AI-curriculum surface area.
• United Nations Association of the USA (UNA-USA): Largest US civil-society organization advancing UN engagement, running Model UN programs nationally — a broader incumbent operating in the same UN-engagement-for-youth category.
• Center for Excellence in Education (RSI): Runs the Research Science Institute (RSI) and other selective pre-college STEM enrichment programs drawing top applicants to elite universities — comparable selectivity and admissions-distinction premise.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@GYEL-Program
• Facebookfacebook.com/gyelprogram
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/gyelprogram
• Instagraminstagram.com/gyel.official

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about GYEL