Young Advocates Ghana And Partners Launch The Second Edition Of SDG Innovation Challenge 2021 To Bolster Sustainability In Africa
Aug. 12, 2021, 10:48 a.m.
As the inheritors of this planet, young people have the right and the responsibility to spearhead the sustainable development agenda to support the creation of a new system of development that is grounded in knowledge sharing, cooperation, and inclusion. For young people to assume this responsibility, they must recognize the importance of their role in furthering sustainable development. Just like established leaders in governance, politics and economy must recognize the potential that arises from young people if recognized as agents of sustainable development at the local, national, and global levels.
To make space and opportunity for youth activism, SDG advocacy, and policymaking intersect, the SDG Innovation Challenge was created as a pan-African ideation space for young people to develop and connect practical solution ideas for challenges faced by their local communities at the grassroots level.
By converging talent from diverse sectors and backgrounds, the challenge triggers fresh thinking and builds collaboration capacity as participants learn about the SDGs and work together on developing novel, practical approaches to furthering sustainable development and improving livelihoods from the grassroots level up.
Designed as an online ideation marathon, the SDG Innovation Challenge leverages Design Thinking, Social Innovation, and Global Citizenship as a guiding framework for interaction. The connection to the African Youth SDGs Summit allows successful participants to pivot and elevate their solution idea at Africa’s leading platform for SDG advocacy and youth engagement.
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Following a successful and appraised maiden event in 2020, the organizers of the SDG Innovation Challenge have just announced the re-launch of the initiative with important tweaks and double capacity. Under the theme Youth resilience in Covid-19 era: Pathways to accelerate actions towards achieving SDGs, the organizers will host two consecutive events in mid-October with a capacity of up to 100 participants per event.
Once selected, small teams made of up 4-7 participants will engage throughout the 48 hours of virtual ideation marathon to unpack challenges faced by their local communities and design practical solution ideas to further sustainable development from the grassroots level up. The solution ideas they present will be assessed by an independent panel of judges, and solution ideas with the highest evaluation will have the opportunity to pitch their proposal at the 4th African Youth SDGs Summit.
Award-Winning Packages furthermore include Business Modeling and Registration, Recommendation to Investment Match-Making Opportunities, Access to Business Incubation and Pro-bono Mentorship, and Digital Literacy Tools for Startup Upscale.
The soon-to-be-launched SDG Innovation Fund creates an opportunity for organizations and institutions to crowdsource financial support for suited project ideas that will emerge.
Important dates and deadlines for the SDG Innovation Challenge 2021 are as follows:
6 Sep: Registrations open & Engagement Platform launches
(Candidates must be in interdisciplinary teams of 4-7 when registering. To further cross-sector collaboration and facilitate initial team formation, motivated young people can connect with peers from across the continent via a designated engagement platform early and find their teammates to register participation.)
4 Oct: Registrations close (All registrations will be screened and undergo a pre-selection.)
13 Oct: Confirmation of selected participants / teams & tech onboarding.
18-20 Oct: SDG Innovation Challenge I
21-23 Oct: SDG Innovation Challenge II
(Both events follow the same process, teams will be assigned to Challenge 1 or 2 based on availability and team preference. At the end of the event, teams submit their solution idea, which will be assessed by a judging panel after concluding both challenges.)
2-4 Nov: Award Ceremony at the 4th African Youth SDGs SummitSDG Innovation
(Winning teams can present their project idea at the prestigious summit, where they will also be awarded the Award-Winning package.)
As the organizers of the SDG Innovation Challenge - Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG), The Melton Foundation, GrassRoots Hub Ghana, and TECHFARM Hub - are developing the final aspects of this year’s iteration, they look forward to ample participation and collaboration of motivated young people, organizations, institutions, and governments at the local, regional and global levels to help make this SDG Innovation Challenge a pivotal opportunity for sustainable development and youth empowerment in Africa.
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Verny Joy Author
Verny loves to write poetry, fiction and quotes. Her love for writing landed her in journalism. She loves gadgets and travelling to explore new places.