Across the United States (US), young people are confronting one of the country’s most pervasive barriers to well-being: medical debt. Through Shred the Debt, a youth-led initiative spreading across the Global Shapers Community, local hubs in cities including Chicago, Sacramento and Oakland are partnering with Undue Medical Debt, a non-profit that purchases debt from collection agencies for pennies on the dollar. By leveraging this model, young people are buying and forgiving medical debt for individuals and families at a fraction of its original cost, restoring dignity and financial freedom to those affected. To date, the initiative has erased over $1.7 million in medical debt, offering immediate relief while sparking a national conversation on the link between health, inequality and systemic reform. More than a financial intervention, Shred the Debt is a civic movement – uniting young people around a shared mission of solidarity and social justice. With a goal to expand to 50 US cities, the initiative demonstrates how youth networks can translate empathy into collective action, create scalable impact, and strengthen community trust.CASE STUDY 4. SHRED THE DEBT Youth-led action for health equity and financial justice. Youth action takes many effective forms worldwide. While volunteering remains the most common form of civic participation, the ways young people contribute vary sharply by region. In Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East and North Africa, volunteering and community service are powerful expressions of solidarity. Across North and East Asia, digital organizing and online advocacy are increasingly viewed as effective tools of influence. In Latin America and Europe, voting and civic campaigns drive participation, while in South Asia, social entrepreneurship and values-driven career choices are emerging as central pathways to impact. Across contexts, young people are redefining civic engagement – moving fluidly between activism, enterprise and everyday acts of leadership to build fairer, more resilient societies.Regional differences in social engagement Youth Pulse 2026: Insights from the next generation for a changing world 30