Join Us at the 2026 International Youth Forum (IYF)

In student life, cognitive challenges appear as difficulty concentrating, decision fatigue, productivity concerns, and uncertainty about the future. These are not abstract concepts. They shape academic performance, motivation, and daily choices.

The forum examines questions such as:

•  Why does sustained focus feel more difficult in today’s digital environment?
   
• Why does stress make small problems feel overwhelming?
   
• Why do we work hard but still feel unproductive?
   
• Why does decision-making feel increasingly stressful?
   
• How do AI, short-form content, social media and gaming influence attention and thinking? 

We explore attention systems, cognitive load, reward mechanisms, learning strategies, and cognitive offloading. In an era of constant stimulation and algorithm-driven content, sustained focus, long-term planning, and independent thinking are being reshaped.

Cognition is discussed as a lived experience that directly affects how young people study, judge, and understand themselves.

Academic expectations and social comparison strongly shape emotional life. Anxiety before exams, stress accumulation, burnout, and fear of failure are common experiences.

The forum addresses questions such as:

• Is it normal to feel nervous before important tasks?
   
• Why does pressure affect performance?
   
• Does managing emotions mean regulating or suppressing them?
   
• How do social media visibility and online comparison affect self-esteem?
   
• Does constant connectivity make emotional rest harder?

We examine how emotions are generated, regulated, and intensified in digital and competitive environments. Emotion is treated as central to identity, resilience, and decision-making. 

Young people develop within peer groups, school systems, and online communities. Social environments influence confidence, behavior, and self-perception.

Key questions include:

• Why is it difficult to speak up in groups?
   
• Why do we constantly compare ourselves to others?
   
• How do school culture and social media amplify pressure?
   
• How can we belong without losing authenticity?

We explore social comparison, group influence, identity formation, and the impact of digital platforms on belief and behavior. 

For many neurodivergent youth, the greatest challenges are often not academic performance, but mental health, social participation, and belonging. Large-scale research has found that 78% of autistic children and adolescents experience at least one co-occurring mental health condition, compared with 14% of their non-autistic peers. Communication differences, social pressures, sensory environments, and the experience of being misunderstood can shape well-being, relationships, and opportunities for participation.

The forum examines questions such as:

• Why are anxiety, loneliness, and emotional distress so common among neurodivergent youth?

• Why can communication feel exhausting even when everyone is trying to connect?

• Why do some young people feel excluded despite being surrounded by peers?

• Why do environments that work well for some students create barriers for others?

• How do AI, gaming, social media, and digital communities shape connection, identity, and belonging?

• The forum explores the relationship between mental health, communication, social participation, and belonging. Rather than viewing neurodiversity as a deficit, we examine how differences in communication, social experience, and environmental fit influence well-being and development.

The forum will also present findings from two youth-led research projects:

• Autism Awareness

• Understanding Communication in School: Interpretation of Communication Across Neurodiverse Minds

Mental health is discussed not simply as an individual issue, but as an experience shaped by relationships, environments, understanding, and inclusion. In a world largely designed around neurotypical norms, the forum asks how neurodivergent youth navigate challenges, build connections, and find belonging.