Traditionally held at the Casina Pio IV in Vatican City, the 2020 VYS will take on a virtual format due to the constraints of the global pandemic. While we will miss convening within the walls of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and the ability to connect in-person, this virtual format has granted us with the opportunity to reach an even greater audience.

The seventh annual symposium, but first of its kind as a digital space, will create access for those who otherwise may have not be able to participate or attend such a momentous event. The theme, “New Encounters on Humanity's Path Forward: Youth, Education, Nature, and Culture” will frame sessions devoted to the dimensions of youth empowerment and intergenerational leadership with discussions on how COVID-19 presents both an enormous challenge and opportunities for advancing the 2030 Agenda and the SDGs. The global pandemic has caused major hardships for citizens around the world, especially for young people who are grappling with the constraints placed upon their futures, including that of access to education and employment.