What are your “red cards” for youth sports?

Generation 2026 Youth Leadership Council activation in Los Angeles

Generation 2026 Youth Leadership Council members from Los Angeles joined up with Civicate Youth to organize a “red card moments” activation at the StudentsBuild National Summit 2026 in March. Their booth became a real listening space. Students were invited to finish the sentence:

“I give a red card to ____ in youth sports.”

Over the course of the morning their presentation board collected 80+ red card notes on things they would like to see eliminated from youth sports. The issues that youth lifted up included bullying, toxic coaching, pay-to-play barriers, unsafe fields, racism and discrimination, verbal abuse, hazing, and violence.

Each card is a reminder that sport should be safe and rooted in upholding athlete rights.

Youth leadership council member Angel says:

“I appreciated hearing various opinions from teenagers who live all over Los Angeles. This made me realize how diverse and large Los Angeles is, and also that everyone has a different vision for safe sports. We must all work together to foster a community where every single youth in sports feels safe and respected.”

And youth leadership council member Henry says:

“Hearing from the youth revealed a larger impact sports have than I had previously thought. Youth don’t necessarily have to participate in sports to feel a want for change. When they recognize that someone close to them isn’t being given a fair chance they can still be vocal about it.”

The Generation 2026 Youth Leadership Council brings together 32 youth representing FIFA World Cup host cities in Canada, Mexico, and the U.S. to make an impact in their communities and elevate youth perspectives around sports. The initiative is led by the Centre for Sport and Human Rights, in partnership with UNICEF USA and UNICEF Mexico.