The Global Association of Economics Education (GAEE), a globally recognized nonprofit organization led by students who advocate for the education of economics, entrepreneurship and financial literacy, recently received the Community-Based NGO and CSO Partner status from the UNPP and ECOSOC agencies of the United Nations. It is one of the rare cases since Association internationale des étudiantsen sciences économiques et commerciales (AIESEC), now the world's largest youth-run organization, that the United Nations grants these exclusive statuses for a student-run organization.

GAEE was already granted the 501(c)(3) status from the US Internal Revenue Service and has actively expanded its operations since its establishment in 2017. The organization, which consists of a network of about 1500 members in eight countries, launched an ambitious global expansion plan called "GAEE's Silk Road Plan" that aims to reach 5000+ members across 18 countries by 2021. Its operations have gathered widespread support and been widely reported worldwide, from Reuters, Bloomberg Business, Yahoo! Finance to Gizmodo, London Post, as well as many CBS, ABC, FOX and NBC stations across the United States.

Last month, this nonprofit launched a month-long program known as GAEE's Southeast Asia Month 2019 that gathered the participation of thousands of scholars, policymakers, educators and students in Southeast Asian nations. In Central Vietnam alone, the organization partnered with provincial chapters of the respected Vietnam Union of Science and Technology (VUSTA) to host more than 600 students, teachers and local officials in their movement. All the programs being held simultaneously in three Southeast Asian to "raise awareness of the impacts brought about by the Industry 4.0 and call for reform in the education system in light of these changes," according to the program's architect Le Dong Hai "DoHa" Nguyen, Executive Director of the Global Association of Economics Education. Still being in high school, Nguyen had founded the organization a couple of years ago and is now a Member of the Royal Economic Society and the youngest Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce. "Southeast Asian nations that heavily depend on cheap labour will face significant challenges posed by the latest technological wave in automation. The education system, therefore, has to adapt timely and comprehensively," said Nguyen.

GAEE has employed innovative solutions to advance the effectiveness of its operations across the globe. This nonprofit is known for its utilization of multiple approaches, from TOT (Training of Trainers) conferences for local educators, forums for policymakers and scholars to direct workshops and academic clubs for students, as well as a distant learning model using its revolutionary "GAEE's Home App" - the first economics learning platform for mobile devices.

Student-led nonprofits like the Global Association of Economics Education demonstrate the ability of youth generation to take control of their future and radiate positive social progress to their communities. The global successes of GAEE, along with predecessor organizations like AIESEC, Rethinking Economics or the historical SDS, are excellent examples for nowadays adolescents to follow. "We might be born too late to explore the Earth, too early to explore the Stars, but just in time to explore the limitless power of our youth," said Nguyen.