Why This Is Legitimate
We understand that online platforms asking for money deserve scrutiny. This page exists to answer every reasonable question about who we are, what we do with your money, and how we make decisions.
Who we are
Youth Advance Global (YAG) is an initiative that organizes international technology conferences for young professionals and researchers. We are not a government body, a university, or a Fortune 500 company. We are a team of people who believe that access to global professional networks should not be gated by geography or income.
Our founding team has backgrounds in technology, education, and international development. We operate transparently and are working toward formal registration as a non-profit entity in the jurisdictions where we operate. Until that registration is complete, we state this clearly rather than claiming a status we do not yet hold.
We encourage anyone with concerns about our legitimacy to contact us directly, review our public content, and speak with past participants.
Where the $20 processing fee goes
Every applicant pays a $20 USD processing fee when submitting an application. This is not a conference ticket, a membership fee, or a donation. It is a cost-recovery fee that covers the following:
| Item | What it covers |
|---|---|
| Platform operations | Hosting, database, email services, and security infrastructure that keep the platform running. |
| Application review | Every application is read and scored by human reviewers using a structured rubric. This takes time and effort. |
| Visa documentation | For accepted participants who need visa support, we prepare invitation letters, itineraries, and supporting documents. |
| Fraud prevention | The fee discourages spam applications and helps us verify that applicants are real people with genuine interest. |
| Payment processing | Stripe and PayPal charge transaction fees on every payment. These are absorbed by the processing fee. |
The processing fee does not fund travel, accommodation, or conference venues. Those costs are covered separately through sponsorship funding and institutional partnerships.
How applicants are selected
Every application is reviewed by at least one member of our review committee using a structured scoring rubric. We do not use automated screening, lotteries, or first-come-first-served admission.
The rubric evaluates:
Does the applicant's background align with their chosen track? (1–10)
Is the motivation statement thoughtful, specific, and genuine? (1–10)
Does the applicant have meaningful academic or professional experience? (1–10)
For presenters: is the research abstract original and well-structured? (1–10)
Applicants who score above the cohort threshold are accepted. Those near the threshold may be waitlisted. All decisions are recorded in our system with timestamps, reviewer IDs, and scores.
How sponsorships are awarded
Sponsorship decisions are not arbitrary. They are based on the following criteria, applied consistently to every applicant:
- Financial need: Documented through the sponsorship application form. We ask for a justification statement and, for full sponsorships, proof of financial circumstances.
- Application quality: The strength of the main conference application is factored in. Sponsorship is not separate from merit.
- Geographic diversity: We prioritize candidates from regions that are historically underrepresented at international technology events.
- Available funding: Each cohort has a fixed number of sponsorship slots. When demand exceeds supply, the above criteria determine who receives support.
There is no hidden discretion. Every sponsorship decision is logged with the deciding administrator's ID, the decision timestamp, and internal notes.
Refund policy summary
Before review begins: The $20 processing fee is fully refundable if your application has not yet entered the review stage. You can withdraw your application from your dashboard.
After review begins: The fee is non-refundable once your application has entered review, because the cost of reviewing your application has already been incurred.
Data & privacy commitment
We collect only the data necessary to process your application and deliver our services. We do not sell your data, share it with third parties for marketing, or use it for any purpose beyond the YAG platform.
You can export your data or request account deletion at any time from your account settings. We comply with GDPR principles regardless of your location.
Contact & reporting
If you have concerns about YAG — whether about the application process, a payment, a decision, or the conduct of any team member — we want to hear from you.
Direct email: contact@youthadvanceglobal.org
We aim to respond to all inquiries within 48 hours.
External verification
We are in the process of securing formal registrations and third-party verifications. This section will be updated as those milestones are reached.
- Non-profit registration: In progress
- Partner verifications: Available upon request from listed partners
- Financial audit: Planned for first full year of operations
We believe in earning trust through transparency, not claiming credibility we have not yet fully established. If something on this page raises questions, please contact us.