Greenheart Global Leaders Conference honored by WYSE Travel Confederation on Sept. 17, 2026, at WYSTC in Bilbao, Spain
CHICAGO, September 18, 2026 — Greenheart International has won the Extraordinary Experience award at the 2026 Global Youth Travel Awards for its Greenheart Global Leaders Conference. The WYSE Travel Confederation announced the winners on September 17, 2026, on the closing evening of the World Youth and Student Travel Conference (WYSTC) in Bilbao, Spain.
Greenheart was one of three finalists in the category, alongside Alliance Abroad and CIEE. The 2026 awards drew 33 finalists across 10 categories.
The Global Leaders Conference is a weeklong program in Washington, D.C. It gathers emerging leaders from more than 20 countries for workshops on social justice, environmental sustainability, and intercultural communication. After the conference, 87% of participants said they felt very comfortable promoting cultural exchange, and 84% felt very empowered to engage with their communities.
The July 2026 conference brought together 38 exchange participants and alumni from Greenheart’s FLEX and YES (formerly) high school exchanges, Summer Work Travel, Intern and Trainee, Teach USA, and Greenheart Travel programs. During the week, participants:
- Ran a pop-up farmers market with Martha’s Table, giving free produce to local residents
- Removed invasive ivy from a witness tree with the National Park Service at the Frederick Douglass National Historic Site
- Cleaned up Kingman Island and logged the trash collected, data park rangers use to inform policy
- Gave speeches at the U.S. Department of State on what they learned and their plans for home
“The Greenheart Global Leaders Conference is much more than an event,” said Kacey Nichols, Outreach Manager at Greenheart International and organizer of the conference. “It is an opportunity for participants, alumni, and staff to come together, build meaningful relationships, and learn from each other’s unique experiences. Being able to witness those connections and moments of growth firsthand is one of the most fulfilling aspects of my role. Winning this award is an incredible honor and reinforces that the effort, dedication, and passion invested in planning and executing the conference are truly worthwhile.”
One participant from Ukraine described the conference as a place to feel “genuinely seen, supported, and connected by a global community.”
Alumni are already putting their plans into action. A former FLEX student has founded a language school in Kazakhstan, and a Teach USA teacher is working to make special education more accessible in their home community.
This is Greenheart’s second Global Youth Travel Award. In 2018, its Greenheart Odyssey youth leadership series, which included the Global Leaders Conference, was named Best Education Abroad Provider at WYSTC in Edinburgh.
“This recognition belongs to our participants and alumni, who show every day that cultural exchange creates leaders,” said Haldis Toppen, Senior Director of Marketing and External Relations at Greenheart International. “When young people from different countries collaborate and share their stories, they go home ready to strengthen their communities. We are proud to be honored by our peers in the global youth travel industry, and we are grateful to the partners who make this work possible.”
About Greenheart International
Greenheart International is a Chicago-based nonprofit that connects people and planet to build global leaders through cultural immersion, volunteer service, and environmental stewardship. Since 1985, Greenheart has facilitated more than 185,000 cultural exchanges, including more than 10,300 participants in 2025 alone. Its work spans several branches:
- Greenheart Exchange brings international participants to the United States through high school exchange, Summer Work Travel, Intern and Trainee, and Teach USA programs, placing them with host families, employers, and schools.
- Greenheart Travel sends Americans abroad on immersion programs that build leadership, personal growth, and global impact.
Learn more at greenheart.org.
About the WYSE Travel Confederation
The WYSE Travel Confederation is a global membership organization for the youth, student, and educational travel industry. Its Global Youth Travel Awards recognize excellence across the sector and are presented each year at WYSTC.
Media contact
Haldis Toppen
Senior Director of Marketing and External Relations, Greenheart International
press@greenheart.org
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