International Youth Day 2026: Circles Kids Share Joy, Resilience in Self-Portraits
- 3 days ago
- 2 min read
Each year, Circles USA celebrates the United Nations’ International Youth Day on August 12 “to recognize efforts of the world’s youth in enhancing global society,” and “to promote ways to engage them in becoming more actively involved in making positive contributions to their communities.”
Circles knows that building community to end poverty starts with uplifting the people who feel the effects of poverty most keenly: children and youths. For this reason, we honor CUSA youth year-round by drawing attention to the growing economic obstacles their families face. And the economic news is sobering: September 2025’s U.S. Census Bureau report (our most up-to-date source) revealed that 13.4% of children, or roughly 10 million kids, live in households with incomes below the federal poverty line. The official poverty rate for children under 18 is 14.3%, excluding government benefits. [Source]
Despite the challenges of navigating poverty, Circles youth continue to light the way for our chapters with hope, joy, resiliency, and creative flair. For International Youth Day 2026, we gave young artists in CUSA chapters nationwide a simple prompt: Draw yourself at Circles, or how Circles makes you feel. The photos and artworks sent back by children in our NWA, Hastings, and Davis County chapters (gallery below) made us laugh, think, and remember why we work alongside families striving to escape poverty. From the Circles USA family (including our kiddos) to yours…happy International Youth Day 2026!
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Building Community to End Poverty in 25 States
