Youth Impact: Because You Matter – For Environmental Sustainability and Climate Action Initiative

Thematic Areas

• The applications submitted should propose innovative youth-led projects that address challenges in the areas of environmental sustainability and climate, within the following thematic areas:
  • Climate change mitigation and adaptation strategies that support local communities: to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and slow global warming.
  • Sustainable food systems: which focus on producing, processing, and consuming food in environmentally and socially responsible ways.
  • Regenerative agricultural practices: to restore ecosystem health and foster the ethical use of world’s resources, enabling social and economic development that is in harmony with the natural environment and local cultural traditions.
  • Packaging sustainability innovations: Focus on creating environmentally friendly packaging solutions.

Funding Information

• Grant of USD 8,500 each.

Program Specifications

• Co-design of the capacity strengthening programme [1 month]: for the project, to define the grantees’ priorities and needs for capacity strengthening, considering UNESCO’s and Nestlé’s experience and expertise, as well as those of their partners. During this phase, collaboration with other partners will also be sought.
• Full-immersion training [2 weeks]: focusing on project management, the value of youthled action and social entrepreneurship, and the role that the young grantees can play in advancing Agenda 2030. This training will also familiarize grantees with UNESCO’s core values and work, as well as with Nestlé’s actions in support of youth. The training will take place either online or on-site.
• Online contextualized trainings [during 6 months]: in line with the priority issues in the country or region where the young changemakers implement their initiatives, to be organized with the support of local partners. The aim is to help the young grantees successfully tackle the challenges they can encounter while implementing their projects.
• Monthly online trainings and gatherings [during 6 months]: including thematic trainings to address specific needs identified during the co-designing phase (e.g. transformational leadership, project communication and branding, financial planning and time management, building alliances and networking), as well as taking stock of the overall advancement of project implementation through peer-to-peer exchange, support and collaboration in addressing any challenges encountered.
• One-to-one mentoring/coaching [during 6 months]: whereby each grantee will benefit from the advice and support of an assigned mentor – identified from Nestlé – who will accompany them throughout the completion of their initiative and in the initial follow-up phase, for an overall period of 6 months with the advantages of an intergenerational approach.

Eligibility Criteria

• The Initiative’s primary and direct beneficiaries are young individuals, youth-led organizations, enterprises, associations, or networks who:
  • Are identified as “youth” in their respective countries or, in lack of a national definition, within the age range of 18-30 years old from the beginning to the end of the Initiative.
  • Identify as women, men or as people of diverse gender identities.
  • Engage in activism and change making initiatives, entrepreneurialism, either individually or as members of entities/associations.
  • Youth-led organizations, enterprises, associations and networks seeking impact at grassroots level, with regional, national, local scope, or chapters of international organizations, and based in the country where their proposal will be implemented.

Ineligibility Criteria

• Young people who work at UNESCO or Nestlé will not be able to apply.

For more information, visit UNESCO.