From VOiCEup Berks, Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading
Pictured above: Athena Worley at the Youth Volunteer Corps Leadership Summit in New Orleans with her awards.
Athena Worley, a senior at Wilson High School and longtime participant in Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading (YVCR) programs, has been named the 2026 Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) International Youth of the Year, the highest annual youth honor presented by the international Youth Volunteer Corps organization.
Worley received the award Saturday, Oct. 3, at the annual YVC Youth Leadership Summit in New Orleans, LA. She was selected from among 9,194 young people who participated in YVC programs around the world last year, including programs throughout the United States and Canada, as well as Uganda and new affiliates across Europe.
YVC Reading is a program of VOiCEup Berks, the local nonprofit organization that provides service-learning and leadership opportunities for young people throughout Berks County.
In addition to being named International Youth of the Year, Worley received YVC’s World Changer Award for completing more than 1,000 hours of service through Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading. Since joining YVCR in 2019, Worley has logged 1,003 hours of service over seven years.
“Receiving the YVC International Youth of the Year Award is an incredible honor, but more importantly, it represents the power of young people to create meaningful change in their communities,” said Worley. “Through my work with Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading and VOiCEup Berks, I have seen firsthand what happens when young people are given the opportunity to use their voices, advocate for what matters, and turn their ideas into action. I hope this recognition inspires others to realize that their voices matter, their service makes a difference, and they have the power to shape a stronger future for their communities.”
Worley’s seven years with YVCR have taken her far beyond simply completing service hours. She has served on local and international Youth Advisory Boards, helped create and lead youth initiatives, and participated in countless community service projects.
She has also devoted nearly 400 hours to Canstructure, YVCR’s annual service-learning competition that combines engineering and construction with a community effort to address hunger. Across seven Canstructure competitions, Worley has helped teams design and build structures from donated canned goods while helping collect thousands of pounds of food for local families. Through the experience, she discovered her interest in construction project management, the career she plans to pursue.
“Athena came to YVC as a young person who wanted to serve, and, over seven years, we have watched her become an extraordinary leader,” said Christi Terefenko, Co-Founder and Executive Director of VOiCEup Berks. “What makes Athena so special isn’t simply the 1,000 hours she has given. It is the way she has learned to recognize a need, find her voice, bring people together, and take action. She leads with authenticity, compassion, and humility, and she has an incredible ability to make people feel heard.”
Most recently, Worley helped lead the Berks County Community Foundation and YVCR’s 2025-2026 Youth Advisory Board capstone project focused on human trafficking. Working with ZOE International and the Berks County Human Trafficking Task Force, she and her peers developed a community workshop to educate local leaders and stakeholders about human trafficking and its impact on young people.
Worley then brought what she learned back to her own school, advocating for human trafficking awareness training for adults. Her efforts helped lead to an anti-trafficking workshop that reached more than 100 members of Wilson High School’s transportation department.
“Athena doesn’t wait for someone else to solve a problem,” Terefenko said. “She sees an opportunity, uses her voice, brings others into the solution, and then carries what she learns back into her school and community. That is exactly what service-learning can do for young people.”
Youth Volunteer Corps is an international network of youth service programs that engages young people in meaningful service-learning experiences and develops their leadership skills. VOiCEup Berks, an official YVC affiliate, has served Berks County youth ages 11 to 18 since 2016 through its YVCR programs.
For Worley, the International Youth of the Year recognition represents both the culmination of seven years of service and a beginning. “I hope this recognition inspires other young people to realize that their voices matter, their service makes a difference, and they have the power to shape a stronger future for their communities,” Worley said.
About VOiCEup Berks
VOiCEup Berks is a Berks County nonprofit organization that mobilizes and empowers young changemakers to shape more equitable communities through service-learning. Through programs including Youth Volunteer Corps of Reading (for youth ages 11 to 18), Generation Impact (for young adults ages 18 to 24), IGNITE in-school curriculum, and other youth leadership initiatives, VOiCEup connects young people with meaningful opportunities to serve, learn, lead, and create positive change in their communities.
About Youth Volunteer Corps
Youth Volunteer Corps (YVC) is an international network of youth service programs that engages young people in meaningful service opportunities while helping them develop leadership and life skills. YVC affiliates operate throughout the United States, Canada, Uganda, and Europe. For more information, visit voiceupberks.org.
