Tjera » UNESCO Calls for Youth Driven Action Projects

Description

UNESCO launches a call for projects in order to identify and support 15 action projects (3 by region: Africa; Arab States; Asia and the Pacific; Europe and North America; and Latin America and the Caribbean) which will be “certified” with the label “8th UNESCO Youth Forum” and implemented by, with and for young women and men between October 2013-October 2015. The theme of this 8th edition will be “Youth and Social Inclusion: Civic Engagement, Dialogue and Skills Development”.

Indeed, for the first time in its history, the UNESCO Youth Forum, created in 1999, will not only include strategic recommendations, but it will also select, support and plan innovative and concrete actions that can help achieve positive change for, with and by young women and men on several fields.

The submitted action projects should propose innovative and feasible action for development, by and for youth, tackling youth-related issues. They should contribute to the general theme of the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, under which they should address one of the following seven specific themes, stemming from the youth consultations conducted by UNESCO from February to April 2013:

1. Social Inclusion
2. Civic Engagement and Participation
3. Intercultural Dialogue
4. Social Entrepreneurship & Social Innovation
5. Violence and Conflict Prevention, and Consolidation of Peace
6. Democracy
7. Skills Development

All action projects must aim at promoting several fundamental principles that lie at the core of UNESCO’s mission, namely: human rights, gender equality, culture of peace and sustainable development.

Furthermore, the projects should aim to reach one of the following 3 long-term objectives:

1. Address the policy environment that can impact policy formulation or implementation affecting youth, to strengthen and encourage meaningful youth participation in the formulation, revision or implementation of public policies and programmes affecting youth
2. Focus on capacity development of young women and men, particularly the most vulnerable and marginalized, providing them with diversified learning opportunities to ensure their integration in social, economic and political life
3. Support or further enable youth engagement as citizens and social actors, particularly by vulnerable or marginalized young women and men, or by youth that do not have the opportunities to engage in and lead constructive action in their communities

Eligibility

The call is open to:

• Youth-led organizations, associations or entities
• Young members of youth-focused organizations (18-35 years of age), on behalf of these organizations
• Young entrepreneurs with an established NGO or enterprise, in particular social enterprises

Grants

Each project proposal should be submitted with an estimated budget for the project which can range from 10,000 USD to 500,000 USD. 

Having a project selected by the Forum does not mean that the project will be funded by UNESCO. The “8th UNESCO Youth Forum Label” will serve as a basis for the mobilization of funds by the project initiators/applicants, with the support of UNESCO, the Youth Forum delegates and other partners that may be identified during or after the Forum.

Application

If you are interested, submit your proposals for an innovative action project in your community, country or region by filling in the submission form HERE by 12 August 2013, midnight, Paris time.

After receiving these proposals, an independent international jury will pre-select 45 projects by the end of September 2013 and their initiators will be invited to submit one-minute video describing their project by mid-October 2013. Then, during the 8th UNESCO Youth Forum, the young participants will examine,discuss and choose 15 projects (3 youth-led action projects per the five UNESCO regions).

On 31 October 2013, the 15 projects awarded the “8th UNESCO Youth Forum” label will be announced and presented at the 37th UNESCO General Conference, in November 2013.

In case of any questions contact youth@unesco.org. You can find more information on the official website HERE.