Apply Now: 1 Million Youth Actions Challenge (1MYAC) – Funding for Youth-Led Climate and Sustainability Projects

Description

Youth between 15 and 24 years outdated symbolize 16% of the world’s inhabitants, and but youth are too usually excluded from decision-making processes that can have a big impression on their futures. However, the inclusion of youth is important for the implementation of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Indeed, extra and extra younger individuals are committing to a sustainable future by way of advocacy, lobbying, volunteering, or involvement in group or civil society organizations. Their actions are a method to realize progress on the SDGs. Although younger individuals are actors of change, they usually lack the technical and monetary means to make their undertaking concepts occur. According to a latest study by the Climate Works Foundation, funds giving to youth-led local weather justice initiatives are extraordinarily restricted — accounting for just 0.76% of climate mitigation funding from the world’s largest local weather foundations throughout the three monetary years 2019, 2020, and 2021. Young individuals are seen as “high risk” by potential funders due to their lack of expertise, regardless of their distinctive progressive capacities and sturdy will to behave. It is essential to boost entry to funding for younger individuals and assist their efforts by rising entry to technical assist and steerage. (United Nations, 2020)

1 Million Youth Actions Challenge (1MYAC) : An initiative to mobilize younger individuals world wide!

Launched in September 2021 by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) and at present carried out by the International Secretariat for Water (ISW), 1MYAC is a good alternative to advertise youth engagement for the implementation of SDGs. The problem goals at mobilizing youth from all around the world to implement concrete actions for a extra sustainable future.

1MYAC focuses on the next 4 SDGs to handle each local weather change and the depletion of pure assets worldwide: SDG 6 on ‘clean water and sanitation’, SDG 12 on ‘responsible consumption and production’, SDG 13 on ‘climate action’ and SDG 15 on ‘life on land’.

1MYAC at present proposes (*1*) to be carried out by youth in relation to the 4 focused SDGs. These commonplace actions had been developed by youth, for youth and with youth to function inspiration and to permit for peer-to-peer accountability concerning implementation and follow-up. The final goal is to succeed in 1.000.000 youth actions.

Following the profitable implementation of the eleven projects supported and funded by way of the 2 earlier 1MYAC name for proposals in 2023 and 2024, the ISW and the SDC are launching the Third 1MYAC Call to Action with one most important goal in thoughts: encouraging and supporting youth-led actions of the 1MYAC group on the 4 1MYAC’s centered SDGs to impression their communities at grassroots & native ranges.

This name for tasks on the Youth for Water and Climate Platform is made doable because of the first assist of the SDC, and with extra assist of the Agence de l’Eau Artois-Picardie.

 

Objective

The most important goal of this name for tasks is to assist the implementation of youth-led initiatives associated to scrub water and sanitation, accountable consumption and manufacturing, local weather motion & biodiversity and to boost the younger leaders’ capacities as actors of change within the water and local weather sector.

Themes

The name for tasks will probably be structured round 4 most important themes which might be in step with the 4 SDGs focused by 1MYAC : clear water and sanitation, accountable consumption and manufacturing, local weather motion & life on land.

The 1MYAC Ambassadors have chosen to focus this name for tasks on eight 1MYAC Standard Actions. The second name to motion will thus prioritize tasks that align with or incorporate the next 1MYAC Standard Actions:

• SDG 6 – Clean water and sanitation : 1) Test and present clear water for your group; 2) Organise a river / coastal / lake or canal clean-up; 3) Build sanitation services and/or associated options
• SDG 12 – Responsible consumption and manufacturing :  1) Recycle plastics into constructing bricks or others merchandise; 2) Produce an area fertilizer
• SDG 13 – Climate motion : 1) Reforestation incl. mangroves; 2) Create an artwork piece / occasion / workshop
• SDG 15 – Life on land : 1) Cultivate a fruit / vegetable group backyard 2) Set-up a composter and a home / refuge for birds, bugs, bees …

This yr a particular focus will probably be in direction of tasks associated to Disaster Risk Reduction and combat towards Plastic Pollution !

However, tasks that display vital innovation / creativity past these commonplace actions are additionally welcomed and inspired, supplied they deal with a number of of the SDGs listed above.

 

Eligibility

To be eligible, members and their tasks should fulfill the next necessities:

• As this name goals to acknowledge efforts and additional assist energetic members of the 1MYAC group who’ve demonstrated their engagement and involvement, the applicant will need to have accomplished not less than one 1MYAC Standard Action previous to the submission of the undertaking. *

If you’ve by no means accomplished a 1MYAC motion, we encourage you to take action now! You can select amongst the 67 actions introduced on the 1MYAC platform equivalent to setting-up a composter, planting mangroves, recovering plastic waste from rivers and far more.

To be relevant for this name, the applicant will need to have created a profile, decide to an motion, show and confirm it on the 1MYAC Platform (here’s how to register your action). Make positive your motion has been validated by the 1MYAC workforce.

*To be admissible you have to full and confirm an motion earlier than the twentieth of August 2025.

• The undertaking have to be totally youth-led (10 to 30 years outdated) and should embrace youth throughout all undertaking cycle;
• The undertaking should deal with not less than one of many 4 SDGs addressed by 1MYAC;
• The undertaking have to be submitted both in German, Spanish, French, or English;
• The undertaking could be a new or ongoing undertaking.

The following standards will probably be thought-about as an added worth within the evaluation of the undertaking :

• Projects from low- and middle-income nations;
• Projects benefitting deprived teams (kids, aged, migrants and refugees, individuals with disabilities…);
• Projects developed by and/for members of minorities and indigenous teams;
• Projects led by younger ladies and tasks concentrating on ladies and ladies;
• Project Leader demonstrates his skill to steer the undertaking inside their group;
• Project carried on (conceived, led and carried out) by a 1MYAC ambassador.

 

How to apply ?

1) Prepare a brief undertaking presentation video (max. 3 min) by which you shall replicate upon the next questions:

• Reflect in your earlier 1MYAC’s expertise: What have you ever achieved to this point? (max 30s)
• 1MYAC Ambassador: Specify if you’re already an envoy or not. If so, what have you ever achieved as far as an envoy? (max 30s)
• Relevance: How related is the difficulty within the chosen group? How sensible is the implementation of the undertaking? Does the undertaking seem significant by way of points to be addressed and might obtain actual change?
• Youth inclusion and management: Is the undertaking conceived, led, and carried out by younger individuals? Is youth participation included throughout all features of the undertaking?
• Impact: How has/will the undertaking assist want on the native stage? How many individuals will your undertaking impression?
• Innovation: Does the undertaking have ‘thinking outside the box’ components? Is the undertaking multidisciplinary in nature?
• Local partnership and multi-stakeholder integration: Does the undertaking contemplate stakeholders and actors involvement?
• Finance: Is the undertaking financially possible?
• Sustainability: How sustainable is the undertaking and its skill for future adaptation? Is it doable to upscale or replicate the undertaking?
• Implementation: Does the implementation plan seem credible and tailored to the ambitions set out for the undertaking? Does the implementation plan respect native public well being guidelines and laws?

2) Upload your video on YouTube

To facilitate the video transmission, we ask that you just add your presentation video on YouTube. This video might be non-public (unlisted). Only individuals who have the hyperlink to the video will have the ability to see it. It doesn’t seem in any public space of YouTube equivalent to search outcomes, your channel, or the navigation web page.

For extra data on find out how to add your video on YouTube, click here.

3) Visit the Youth for Water and Climate platform to submit your project online. Follow the “submit a project” and ensure to reply all questions!

In the Team and Project leaders sections of the application type, we need to know slightly bit extra about you!

 

Selection criterias

A workforce of reviewers and an intergenerational jury will assessment the undertaking proposals. The proposals will probably be assessed and scored based on a scoring grid primarily based on the next standards:

• Relevance of the undertaking (35 %)
  • Project leaders are from low- and middle-income nations and/or the undertaking targets minorities and indigenous communities;
  • The undertaking is led by younger ladies and/or concentrating on ladies and ladies;
  • Goals and aims are outlined clearly;
  • Proposals comprise explanations of the state of affairs that must be modified, and why and reveals how the undertaking would contribute to the wanted change;
  • The undertaking is related for the chosen group;
• Feasibility (20 %)
  • The undertaking is financially possible;
  • The undertaking has an implementation plan and seems credible and tailored to the ambitions set out for the undertaking;
  • The undertaking led companions with different establishments, stakeholders, and many others. to implement the undertaking;
• Impact (20 %)
  • The undertaking plans for stakeholders and actors involvement;
  • The impression of the undertaking (e.g. stronger group cohesion, switch of know-how, data) is bold and reasonable;
  • The variety of individuals that can profit from the undertaking.
• Youth inclusion and management (10 %)
  • Youth participation is included throughout the undertaking life cycle;
  • Youth main the undertaking seem to have capability to steer it (prior expertise, analytical capability).
• 1MYAC energetic involvement (5 %)
  • The applicant has contributed actively to the 1MYAC group and has contributed to the general aim of reaching 1,000,000 youth-led actions.
• Creativity (5 %)
  • The undertaking is artistic, progressive, “outside of the box”.
• Sustainability (5 %)
  • The undertaking is sustainable and identifies concrete avenues for upscaling and replicability.

Please discuss with the LEARN part of the web site to seek out out extra about what makes undertaking proposals sturdy.

 

Webinars

If you need to be taught extra about this name for proposals or to ask your questions, be part of one in every of our 3 webinars (Montreal time) !

• July 22sd, 9 am (UTC-4) – English : click on here to register
• July twenty fifth, 12 pm (UTC-4) – Spanish : click on here to register
• August fifth, 1 pm (UTC-4) – French : click on here to register

Available on ISW YouTube channel.

 

Contact data

Should you want extra data please contact: Noémie Plumier (Elle/she), ISW Project Officer 1MYAC at 1myac.data@gmail.com

Timeline

Submission deadline – August fifteenth, 2025, 23:00 CEST

1) All candidates will obtain a affirmation e-mail that their undertaking has been nicely obtained. Note that as a result of variety of purposes we can not present particular person feedbacks to everybody.

2) Pre-selected candidates will probably be invited to submit a whole undertaking plan by finish of September 2025 (detailed finances, logic mannequin, schedule of actions).

3) Winners will probably be notified and introduced on the 1MYAC channels and personally notified round December 2025.

Projects have to be accomplished by August 2026.

Financial and operational studies will must be submitted at completely different phases of the undertaking (mid-project May 2026 & finish of part studies September 2026).

Prize & Incentives

The chosen tasks will obtain seed funding from 1.500 CAD$ up to 5.000 CAD$. Project leaders may even obtain technical assist concerning undertaking administration, partnerships and far more.

Selected tasks will probably be featured on the 1MYAC web site & the Youth for Water and Climate Platform for extra visibility.

Selected tasks will obtain complete assist all through their implementation, together with ongoing steerage and coaching from the 1MYAC workforce. They may even take part in peer-to-peer exchanges and conferences with different chosen tasks.

Related paperwork

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