Call For Applications: Melton Foundation SDG Innovation Challenge 2023

Are you a young African who wants to work with individuals who share your enthusiasm for bringing about positive change at the local level? The SDG Innovation Challenge is the place to be if you are a student, professional, community activist, change-maker, or simply someone interested in making a difference on the continent and around the world.

The SDG Innovation Challenge is a platform for young Africans (18-35 years) to discover cross-border, sustainable solutions to grassroots concerns in order to advance the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) from the ground up. It is designed as a virtual, pan-African collaborative environment. Since 2020, participants have been challenged to use creativity, cooperation, and complicated thinking to solve challenges in a measurable and methodical manner.

Challenge Details

Innovation is a force that sets the engine of sustainable development running, uncovering initiatives that build resilience, contribute to more equitable resource distribution, further inclusion, alleviate environmental stress, and so on! Moreover, they emphasize collaboration and partnerships, in alignment with SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), as a central axis around which their efforts are oriented!

With this background, Melton Foundation presents the SDG Innovation Challenge 2023, which builds upon its precedents to create a bigger space for expanded outreach and broader horizons! Coinciding with the Global Goals Week (15 -23 September) the SDG Innovation Challenge 2023 supports the annual week of action, awareness, and accountability for the Sustainable Development Goals, promising to join hands with over 150 global partners to mobilize, demanding urgency to turn it around for the global goals and supercharge solutions for people and the planet.

Under the theme Mobilizing the African Youth for Sustainable Impact, the SDG Innovation Challenge 2023 converges young talent with three primary goals:

• To trigger fresh thinking by connecting innovators from diverse backgrounds and sectors.
• To develop practical, impact-oriented solution ideas through cross-boundary collaboration.
• To ignite transformative action towards sustainable development and improved livelihoods of communities across Africa.

Eligibility

• Open to young Africans with a passion for creating positive change starting from the local level;
• Be between 18-35 years;
• Applicant must:
  • Share a passion, drive, and commitment to improving livelihoods in your community and beyond.
  • Have a genuine interest in sustainable development and a desire to contribute to advancing the SDGs in your community and beyond.
  • Possess the motivation to engage proactively throughout the event.
  • Be able to work in an interdisciplinary team from different domains and geographies.
  • Have the motivation to extensively ideate throughout the SDG Innovation Challenge and work in an agile hackathon-like environment.
  • Be committed to taking the idea to completion and remain engaged with the cause after the SDG Innovation Challenge.

All project ideas should:

• Have a connection to the overarching theme: Mobilizing African Youth for Sustainable Impact.
• Be able to connect to one or more key themes.
• Contribute to change of mindset and behavior in their community.
• Contribute to a more inclusive society.
• Must demonstrate Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (DEI), Changing Mindsets & Behaviour, Employment, Digital Transformation, Partnerships and Collaborations.

Benefits

There are numerous reasons to participate; here are a few of them:

• Access to an unorthodox, dynamic, and diverse platform of youth activists, organizations, and legislators – Tap into a conducive online space to converge around practical SDG solutions!
• A much-needed opportunity to visualize and implement the SDGs at the grassroots level – Participate in the making of the future and jumpstart your involvement in the sustainable development agenda as an active, passionate global citizen.
• Immense networking potential – Build connections, and be part of a community of practice around eco-systemic, collaborative solutions.
• A space to exercise your global citizenship muscle – Sharpen and hone skills in leadership, innovation, cross-sector collaboration, analytic thinking, interpersonal communication, intercultural communication, and allied areas.
• Sourcing diversity of thought, background, and sector – Collaborate with people from many different domains, including engineering, design, civic policy, social justice reform, project management, finance, education, and many others.

Deadline: August 31, 2023

Click HERE To Apply