Benjamin Quinto became involved with a group at the United Nations shortly after High School, searching for greater meaning in his life. Inspired by their mission and following extensive research, he wrote a proposal for a United Nations Youth Assembly, hoping to give young people a voice. Over the next 3 years he promoted the concept, but his vision began evolving as he saw a global youth movement existed already, but was fragmented and under the radar.

Benjamin then launched the Global Youth Action Network (GYAN) with 3 friends in 1999, to connect and leverage a critical mass of young people for social change. The Network grew to connect thousands of youth organizations in 180 countries, reached millions of young people, and worked extensively with the United Nations to increase youth participation, where it maintains Special Consultative Status with the Economic and Social Council. In 2007, Benjamin transitioned out of GYAN’s leadership, setting up a co-management arrangement with it’s sister group, TakingITGlobal. 

In his youth empowerment work, Benjamin was 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), which soon became the world’s largest annual celebration of young volunteers, and which he helped coordinate until 2008. Benjamin also worked on the launch of Chat the Planet, a global 2-way television program for young people on today’s hot topics, broadcast on MTV and in 17 countries, and Three Dot Dash (• • • —), a global teen leadership initiative of We Are Family Foundation, whose inaugural Just Peace Summit 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 to meet 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.

He 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, profiled on Leadership Online, sponsored by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, and Soul City Cafe, an initiative of singer Jewel. His was highlighted on NBC, XMRadio, ChannelOne, in documentaries, and several books.

Benjamin resides in Florida, speaks English, Spanish, French, Portuguese and Catalan, at varying levels. He enjoys traveling (30 countries so far), photography, writing, poetry, playing pool, playing and composing music, swimming, skiing, diving, yoga, and creative endeavors that shift consciousness and move people to positive action.

In 2009, he published a collection of his photography entitled “Book of Smiles,” while also consulting with select clients, and in 2011 is publishing a second book, “Pen & Paper (camera, too)”, a collection of his poetry, photography and art.

He is currently General Manager at Natural-Immunogenics Corp, a company his father started to provide tools for health sovereignty.

Contact