Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI)
An open-source tool to measure and improve youth well-being through meaning.
About YMI
The Youth Meaningfulness Index (YMI) is a global initiative that measures how children and young people experience meaning, purpose, connection, and fulfillment in their everyday lives. Rather than relying only on traditional indicators of well-being, YMI listens directly to youth and amplifies their voices to better understand what helps them thrive. Through research, data, and collaboration, YMI aims to inform policies, programs, and systems that create the conditions for every young person to live a meaningful life.
Read MoreBuilt to Turn Youth Insights Into Action
YMI helps organizations move beyond assumptions by providing structured, measurable, and actionable youth well-being data.
Improve Programmes & Policy
Explore how YMI can inform programme design, evaluation, youth participation, and policy.
YMI Toolkit
Access the YMI Toolkit with the tools and guidance you need to implement YMI.
Apply for YMI Grant
Discover funding opportunities to turn YMI findings into local action.
Take the survey
Add your voice to YMI by taking the Youth Meaningfulness Index survey.
Everything Needed to Measure Youth Meaningfulness
YMI provides a complete ecosystem of tools, frameworks, and outputs designed to support meaningful youth research and implementation.
Everything you need to implement the Youth Meaningfulness Index, including the multilingual survey, implementation guides, safeguarding commitment, and sample reporting resources.
Explore the YMI ToolkitDiscover how the Youth Meaningfulness Index can be used to diagnose challenges, design programmes, monitor progress, evaluate impact, strengthen youth participation, and inform policy across diverse settings.
Explore the Scope of ImplementationFollow the journey of a youth centre from identifying gaps in meaningfulness to designing targeted interventions and measuring real change using the YMI framework.
Read the Case StudyExplore global reports, country reports, research publications, and multimedia resources showcasing evidence and learning from YMI implementations around the world.
Explore YMI Reports
Creating a Better Understanding of Youth Well-Being Worldwide
25,000+
youth engaged
10+
countries
15+
partner organizations
25,000+
youth engaged
10+
countries
15+
partner organizations
See What Meaningful Youth Data Looks Like
YMI transforms complex research into visual insights that help organizations make confident, evidence-based decisions.
Driver Comparison by Gender
Female vs Male score breakdown across Social Connectivity, Purpose, Engagement, and Self-care
Why Meaningfulness Is Essential for Youth Well-Being
Meaningfulness shapes how young people connect with themselves, their communities, and their future. Measuring it helps create stronger support systems and healthier societies.
Beyond Basic Needs
Progress is often measured by what people have. Equally important is how people experience their lives. Meaningfulness complements traditional indicators by capturing the human experiences that enable individuals and communities to flourish.
Elevating Youth Meaningfulness in the Global Mental Health Crisis
Young people’s mental health cannot be understood through basic needs alone. Meaning, purpose, dignity, connection, and agency are essential to resilience and wellbeing, especially in crisis-affected and fragile settings. YMI helps bring young people’s lived experiences into policy and programme design.
Youth Meaningfulness Index 2024–2025
The inaugural YMI Report brings together evidence from children and young people across eight countries, offering new insights into the experiences that shape meaningfulness and how they can inform more effective policy and practice.
“For me, meaningfulness is about recognising the value every young person brings, regardless of their circumstances. YMI creates space for young people to understand what matters to them while encouraging families, communities, and decision-makers to listen to their voices. As a refugee from South Sudan, I have seen how conflict and displacement can make young people feel invisible. That is why I believe meaningfulness is especially important in crisis settings—it helps young people reflect on their strengths, aspirations, and potential, even in difficult circumstances. I also hope YMI continues to reach those who are often left behind by finding creative ways to engage young people with limited access to technology. To me, YMI is more than a survey; it is an opportunity to empower young people, strengthen communities, and ensure that every voice has the chance to shape a more meaningful future.”
Lasu Manas
South Sudan, YMI Youth Council 2025–2026
Partners
Start measuring what truly matters and create evidence-based impact for youth well-being.
Whether you're conducting research, building youth programs, or shaping policy, YMI provides the tools and insights needed to drive meaningful change.
Download the toolkit