Published in the Medical Journal of Australia’s Future Healthy Countdown 2030 supplement, this article draws from research in our youth-led Cycle 2. Co-authored by Young Associates Mietta Symmons-Joyce, Linh Dang and Charlie Connell-Tobin with the Young and Resilient Research Centre, it explores how learning recognition systems shape young people’s wellbeing, identity and connection – showing how broader recognition can strengthen belonging, confidence and post-school pathways.