he International Baccalaureate (IB), a global leader in international education, is launching the Global Youth Action Fund, an award open to all students ages 12 to 19 who have a project or idea they believe will make an impact in their community. Through the fund, the IB aims to support students who have created and built projects and initiatives that have a social impact on their community.
The Global Youth Action Fund will be open to students, or student groups, aged 12 to 19 and the deadline to apply for the grant will be open from 9 May to 20 June. Students do not need to be enrolled at an IB World School but must be enrolled in a secondary school. The grant funding will shine a light on the impressive work young people are doing around the globe, both at IB World Schools and beyond.
“We want to create and offer opportunities which foster independent learning to all young people around the world. We know young people are concerned about the local and global challenges affecting their future, and we want to enable them to transfer that concern to agency and action to make the world a better place”, said Mr. Olli-Pekka Heinonen, Director General of the IB.
The Global Youth Action Fund is part of the IB’s commitment to elevate, empower and support youth voices and as a pathway to action for the Festival of Hope. Learn more about the IB’s other pathways to action on the Festival of Hope website.
Each project must be aimed to support one of the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and will be reviewed on the following selection criteria:
- Impact – Does the project demonstrate a clear positive impact on one of the SDG goals? Preferences will be given to projects with the most impact.
- Stage of project – What stage of development is the project in (idea, in-development, scaling, established)? Preference will be given to projects that are further along in the development process and have the possibility of scaling.
- Collaboration – Does the project involve or have the capacity to involve other students? Preference will be given to projects that get more young people involved whenever possible.
- School support – Applications will require one teacher recommendation form. Preferences will be given to students who have a teacher recommendation that demonstrates their support of the project in addition to their confidence in the students involved.
Finalists will receive mentorship and online training on social entrepreneurship along with up to 3,000 USD grant funding depending on project needs, to transform or develop further their powerful idea.
The Global Youth Action Fund will expand the impact of the Dr Siva Kumari MYP Student Innovators Grant, which was launched in 2019 and helped kick start 88 MYP student projects around the world.
Applications for the IB’s Global Youth Action Fund are open from 9 May to 20 June. For more information, please visit the IB website for details to apply.
