Bonn, 2 May: During the Global Festival of Action, the Global Schools Program opened the first call for its Global Schools Advocates Program; an initiative aimed at training and empowering youth to teach and spread the Sustainable Development Goals in their local schools and communities.
Schools are the core foundation of our society. Where children acquire the skills, knowledge, values and attitudes towards one another and our planet, that will enable the next generations to tackle our century’s local and global challenges. As a practical framework, the SDGs provide teachers with a structured way of introducing complex local and global issues with specific goals and targets.
To help schools and teachers empower their students and encourage them to prioritize the goals in their lifestyles, behaviors, and professional careers, the Global Schools Program curated and developed a series of tools, free and available to all, including lesson plans for grades 1-12, a library of fun resources and a pledge for schools to join the SDG movement.
Trying to accompany teachers to best implement these resources in their classrooms, Global School introduced in 2017 its Ambassador program, training 57 young leaders from 16 countries to advocate for the inclusion of the SDGs into school settings (click here to read testimonials from the Global Schools Ambassadors). Following the immense interest from volunteers all over the world since the program opened and the success of its first cohort of ambassadors, Global Schools is now scaling its efforts to enable more youth to get involved.
Young leaders interested in becoming Global Schools Advocates may find the terms of reference and requirements for this position here, and must submit an only application through this link by June 1, 2019 (23:59 UTC).
Successful candidates will be invited to undergo a 4-module online training, where they will learn about the 2030 agenda for sustainable development, the SDGs, the role of schools and educators in achieving the SDGs, and develop the communication tools they need to be able to effectively help school officials and teachers to integrate the SDGs in their classrooms. After completing the training, Advocates will be tasked with identifying schools in their communities and developing a communication and outreach plan to approach them and empower them to teach about sustainable development.
For more information about the Global Schools Advocates, media enquiries and interview requests, please contact: [email protected]
For more information on the Global Schools Program visit: globalschoolsprogram.org
Bonn, 4 May: Junior Chamber International (JCI) and the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network Youth (SDSN Youth) are partnering to offer young people the recognition, tools, training and resources needed to scale their SDG-focused projects. 50 youth-led programs—25 for-profit and 25 non-profit—will receive access to powerful training tools, including the Investment Readiness Program (IRP), have their work featured in the 2019 edition of the Youth Solutions Report and be eligible to receive up to USD $5,000 in funding from the Global Youth Empowerment Fund. The joint-initiative was announced at the Global Festival of Action in Bonn, Germany.
Speaking on Saturday to a global crowd of policymakers, social entrepreneurs, researchers and civil society leaders, Sam Loni from SDSN and Christine Albrecht of JCI highlighted the importance of this initiative and called on young innovators from around the world to step forward and apply for the opportunity.
The Global Youth Empowerment Fund, founded by JCI in partnership with the SDG Action Campaign, offers grants and training to youth-led projects that advance the SDGs. The Fund was launched in 2016 and has granted over US $65,000 to 17 youth-led projects in 15 countries over the past three years. This year, the 25 non-profit projects featured in the 2019 Youth Solutions Report will be considered for grants up to USD$5,000.
The Youth Solutions Report showcases transformative, youth-led initiatives addressing the multiple challenges of sustainable development. The report selects, highlights and celebrates groundbreaking solutions from non-profits and social business venture that contribute to SDG advancement. This year, 50 projects will be selected to be featured in the 2019 edition of the report, which will be launched in September during the United Nations General Assembly week in New York City.
The Investment Readiness Program is a 16-week acceleration program that provides young innovators with valuable insights from leading experts in the field, gives access to personalized 1-on-1 mentoring and connects with impact investors. Each week, participants join one live online webinar, complete a component of their investment proposition and receive personal feedback on their materials from an expert in the field. This year, the leadership team from all 50 selected projects will be invited to undergo this program, in an effort to train and support them in the scaling of their programs.
“Young people are already leading the way on the Global Goals,” said JCI Secretary General Arrey Obenson. “With this program, we’re giving them tools, resources and even funding to help scale their projects and create the change our world so desperately needs.”
JCI Secretary General Arrey Obenson and Project Leader of Youth Solutions Program, Dario Piselli, welcomed the opportunity, saying in a joint-statement, “Young people are already leading the way on the Global Goals. We’re excited to join forces to offer meaningful training to help them succeed and funding to help them scale, as well as recognition to tell their stories.”
The 50 winning projects will be announced in September 2019 during United Nations General Assembly week in New York.
Any projects interested in this opportunity can apply here before 1 June 2019.