Ryan Smith, who initially struggled with reading a sentence until a literacy tutor intervened and sparked his interest in books, said it was this same experience he wanted to emulate for young people.

"I wanted to give back to my local community and l found reading books in my early years as a really positive thing to help me. I hope other kids can discover the joy of reading as l did," Mr Smith said.

The 21-year-old will aim to distribute 2000 books over three months starting from May as part of the World Literacy Foundation's 2022 Youth Ambassador program.

"I plan to do a book drive and collect pre-loved children's books and provide to children in the region who don't own a single book," he said.

Mr Smith will also speak at a Ballarat Rotary club on the importance of literature and the impact reading can have in improving one's quality of life.

World Literacy Foundation chief executive officer Andrew Kay said the program, which comprises of five online training models, was directed towards developing leadership in young people.

"We aspire to to provide leadership development for young people who want to make positive changes in their community and give back to people through community service," Mr Kay said.

Currently, there are 820 people from more than 50 countries involved in the program.

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Mr Smith, in addition to his youth ambassador role, has also been identified as one of the foundation's 'change-makers' who Mr Kay describes as a young person who "brings their passion, experience and time to improve literacy outcomes in their wider community".

Now studying an arts degree at Melbourne University, Mr Smith encourages other youth to become involved with the program for the insight it provided him.

"You can make a living from what you earn, but you make a life from what you give to others," he said.

Mr Kay said the program was also a great way to connect with other young people from across the globe.

"It's a fantastic opportunity to make friends from around the world and discover the personal happiness from doing community service."

For those aged 16-25 who are interested in becoming apart of the World Literacy Foundation's 2022 Youth Ambassador program, click here. Registrations close on May 27.

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