Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge Programme, 2020

The Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge is an opportunity to identify solutions that can have a positive impact around education, skills, training, employment opportunities and empowerment of young people.

The programme providers believe that you are closest to many of these challenges and could have practical ideas for projects and innovations that address them. If you believe you do, then you’re invited to form a team of three young people between the ages of 14 to 24 and submit your idea.

The programme will take place in countries listed below and co-hosted globally by four Generation Unlimited partners – UNICEF, UNDP, Plan International and the World Organization of the Scout Movement, with support from Irish Aid.

Programme Details

• Thematic Areas: Your idea/project/innovation for the youth challenge should address one of the following thematic areas: Equity & Engagement, Education & Training, Employment & Entrepreneurship.
• Number of Awards: Around 20 prizes.
• Target group: Open to the following participating countries: Eastern and Central Europe and Asia (Armenia, Belarus, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan), West and Central Africa (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Niger, Nigeria, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo), Eastern and Southern Africa (Eritrea, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritius, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia), Middle East and North Africa (Algeria, Djibouti, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Sudan, Syria), East Asia and Pacific (Indonesia, Lao PDR, Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands, Kiribati, Federal States of Micronesia, Samoa and Tonga, Philippines, Thailand, Timor L’este, Vietnam), South Asia (Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka), Caribbean, and North America (Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guyana, Haiti, Mexico, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United States of America, Uruguay, Venezuela).

Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge Benefits

Successful applicants will be invited to take part in design workshops. Following these workshops, the five most promising ideas from each country will be selected and awarded USD 1,000 each in funding and provided with mentoring to support the projects’ implementation.

The most promising solutions from each country will be submitted to a global judging process. These projects will receive further funding of up to $20,000, along with a tailored global incubation programme from Generation Unlimited partners to support them to scale.

Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge Eligibility

Application for the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge Program is open for candidates, who meet the following criteria:

• Be aged 14 to 24 (on 23 September 2019);
• Be part of a team of three participants who meet the age criteria;
• Have a good idea/project/innovation which meets the themes of the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge (see below) and can express that idea in written form through the online-form below or postal address;
• Commit to attending a three-day pre-bootcamp training session and, if selected, a three-day bootcamp training session;
• Commit to implementing your idea/project/innovation if selected to receive local seed funding which could last until July 2020; and,
• Commit to longer term implementation of your idea/project/innovation if selected for global seed funding.

Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge Thematic Areas

Here are some guidelines that will help you in preparing idea/project/innovation for the youth challenge and for the chosen area.

Equity & Engagement

• How might we increase the opportunities for marginalized young people to participate in government at local and national levels?
• How might we address issues or prejudice against young people with disabilities to enable them to reach their full potential?
• How can we change perceptions and attitudes among adults (e.g. parents, teachers, etc.) towards meaningful engagement of young people in their communities?

Education & Training

• How can we ensure the most marginalized young people stay in school?
• How can we help build a learner friendly environment?
• How might we reduce the number of adolescent and young girls dropping out of school?
• How can we support building accessible and inclusive learning platforms, so young people with and without disabilities can learn together?

Employment & Entrepreneurship

• How can we support young people to be prepared for the transition to the labor market?
• How can we help young people acquire the skills for meaningful and decent work?
• How can we support young people to utilize entrepreneurship for solving community problems?

Application instructions:

Interested applicants need to apply through their country stream. The application deadline is January 6th, 2020. For more detail on the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge, please visit the official page. To be the first to see latest opportunities, please follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram.