Searching for greater meaning in his life, Benjamin Quinto became involved with a group at the United Nations shortly after High School. Inspired by their work and following extensive research about the institution in 1996, he developed a proposal calling for a permanent United Nations Youth Assembly, and promoted the concept until 1999. His goal of giving young people a voice in efforts to address critical issues facing the planet then evolved into uniting the global youth movement he saw existed already, but was fragmented. Benjamin worked, as founder and Executive Director of the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN), to leverage a critical mass of young people working to create social change. The Network, which he got off the ground with the help of three friends, garnered the interest and participation of millions of young people, connecting thousands of youth organizations in over 180 countries and territories. GYAN had regional offices or national teams in 16 countries in 2005, and continues to work closely with the United Nations, where it maintains Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council. At the end of 2007, Benjamin transitioned out of the leadership role and into consulting and writing, setting up a co-management arrangement with GYAN’s sister group, TakingITGlobal. He remains on the board of GYAN and as an advisor to TakingITGlobal. In his work to empower young people, Benjamin has been Youth Development Director for the ONE DAY Foundation, Associate Director of Foundation of America: Youth In Action, and Communications Director for the 2000 National Youth Conventions in the USA. He consulted with Youth Service America on the launch of Global Youth Service Day (GYSD) in 2000, based on the success of National Youth Service Day in the USA. In two years, GYSD became the world’s largest annual celebration of young volunteers, and he continued to help coordinate it until 2008. Benjamin worked on the launch and strategic partnerships for Chat the Planet, a global 2-way television program for young people on today’s hot topics, broadcast in 17 countries. Since 2007, he has consulted with the We Are Family Foundation on launching Three Dot Dash (• • • —), a global teen leadership initiative, whose inaugural Just Peace Summit in New York in 2008 was covered on CNN, the Today Show, Time For Kids and other major media outlets. 
Benjamin has delivered keynote speeches and workshops at over 75 international conferences, and helped to facilitate meetings and events in 17 countries. He has been a frequent speaker at United Nations Headquarters in New York, and was invited with 12 others to meet with President Clinton at the White House to discuss youth violence in 1999. On the eve of the millennium, he delivered a message of peace to an audience of 50,000 for the televised Dallas 2000 Celebrations. 
Benjamin has been recognized in the International Youth Hall of Fame, included on the Amazing Kids web site of the Kellogg's Cares About Kids Campaign, and profiled on Leadership Online, sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, as well as on Soul City Cafe, an initiative of singer Jewel. His work has been highlighted on NBC, XM Radio, ChannelOne, included in several documentaries and in over half a dozen books. Benjamin resides in Florida, speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Catalan, at varying levels. He enjoys traveling (30 countries so far) and experiencing other cultures, photography, writing, poetry, playing pool, playing and composing music, swimming, skiing, diving, yoga, and creative endeavors that shift consciousness and move people to action. In 2007, he started working on a collection of his photography for a coffee-table “Book of Smiles,” while continuing to work on several research projects and consulting with select clients. He is currently Senior Vice President at Natural-Immunogenics Corp, a company his father started to provide tools for health sovereignty. Contacthttp://www.youthlink.orghttp://www.takingitglobal.orghttp://www.youthlink.orghttp://www.ysa.orghttp://www.gysd.nethttp://www.chattheplanet.comhttp://www.wearefamilyfoundation.orghttp://www.threedotdash.orghttp://www.youthhall.comhttp://www.amazing-kids.comhttp://www.leadershiponlinewkkf.org/emerginghttp://www.soulcitycafe.comhttp://www.bookofsmiles.commailto:benjamin@youthlink.org?subject=email%20subjectshapeimage_2_link_0shapeimage_2_link_1shapeimage_2_link_2shapeimage_2_link_3shapeimage_2_link_4shapeimage_2_link_5shapeimage_2_link_6shapeimage_2_link_7shapeimage_2_link_8shapeimage_2_link_9shapeimage_2_link_10shapeimage_2_link_11shapeimage_2_link_12shapeimage_2_link_13
Photo: Franziska Seel