Applications open for YGC Recoupling Awards

Deadline: 27 November 2023

The Global Solutions Initiative has launched the “Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards” to identify, recognize and reward young changemakers from all over the world who contribute actively towards a better alignment – a “recoupling” – of economic prosperity with environmental sustainability and the needs and demands of societies, communities and individuals.

The award seeks to recognize concrete practices and impactful youth-led projects and initiatives that drive change on the ground, while also serving as examples and inspiration beyond their immediate impact. Projects can be social enterprises as well as youth-led nonprofit initiatives.

Award Categories

Reimagine Business Award
- Business and commercial activities can drive economic growth, provide employment opportunities, and spark innovation. At the same time, many current business practices lead to excessive waste production, contribute to the depletion of natural resources, exacerbate climate degradation, and perpetuate poor working conditions.
- They are looking for businesses and social enterprises that have implemented a business model that fosters social prosperity and environmental goals.
Reimagine Social and Climate Action
- Many individuals and disadvantaged groups around the world face significant challenges in accessing basic services like healthcare, food, housing, or education. At the same time environmental crises like climate change, environmental pollution and biodiversity loss are accelerating – threatening the natural environment and exacerbating social imbalances.
- They are looking for projects that directly support societies impacted by systemic inequities or climate degradation.
Reimagine Civic Engagement Award
- Around the world, citizens’ trust in government, administration, and public institutions is declining – populism and nationalism are on the rise. At the same time, they are witnessing a lack of transparency and accountability for decision makers and a lack of opportunities for citizens and civil society to engage and participate actively in important decisions that affect their lives.
- They are looking for projects directly supporting the powershifting towards citizens to engage in the civic space.

Prize Information

Each of the three category award winners will receive prize money in the amount of €1,500.
From all finalists, a jury will also select one overall winner (“Young Global Changers Recoupling Award Winner” or “overall winner”). The overall winner will receive €3,000 for this achievement and may receive additional support for their project.

Benefits

They are offering a full scholarship for the finalists of the Young Global Changers Recoupling Awards 2024 to come to Berlin and attend the 2024 Global Solutions Summit.
The scholarship includes the following:
- Travel expenses to and from Berlin
- Accommodation for the time of the Global Solutions Summit (five nights, May 3-8, 2024)
- Free admission to the Global Solutions Summit 2024
- Networking opportunities with great minds from academia, business, politics & civil society
- Access to an exclusive global network of like-minded Young Global Changers
- Possibilities for further engagement

Eligible Projects

Examples of the kind of projects that they are looking for
- Reimagine Business
  - Making coffee production social and environmentally sustainable: Kua
  - Combating food loss and empowering smallholder farmers: Akofresh
  - Combating pollution while empowering informal waste collectors: Octopus Indonesia
- Reimagine Social & Climate Action
  - Providing accessible avenues to healthcare: OKB Hope Foundation
  - Empowerment through employment and food security: Peace Crops
  - Enriching economic space while providing safe, accessible water: Abundant Water
  - Increasing access to education: Developers en Vogue
  - Aligning economic goals with environmental prosperity: Beach Collective
- Reimagine Civic Engagement
  - Increasing citizen engagement: El Avispero
  - Accessible education for civic participation: Citizen-led tracking
  - Cultivating youth civic engagement: Escola Comum

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria for all Applicants
- The following criteria need to be fulfilled by all applicants to be eligible, independent from the category in which they apply.
  - Individuals Only: Only individual people can apply. You cannot apply as an organization, only as its representative.
  - Leading Role: Participants should have a leading position in the project or initiative they are applying with. (This can be the founder, co-founder, project-lead, initiator or a similar role.)
  - Strong English: Participants must have a command of the English language strong enough to present their work in front of a jury and an audience, and to participate in group conversations.
  - Age: The Young Global Changers program aims to empower youth. Applicants should preferably be between the ages of 18 and 35.
  - Motivation: The applicants should show motivation to become active members of a global network which aims at bringing about lasting global change.
Eligibility Criteria per Category
- Reimagine Business Award
  - Eligibility for this category:
    - Social Enterprise
      - Your organization needs to be a viable entity actively involved in commercial, industrial, or professional endeavors, with a demonstrable capacity for generating a positive impact on social or ecological dimensions.
    - Financial Self-Sufficiency
      - Your organization may presently receive financial backing from external sources, such as grants, but must aim for financial self-sufficiency over a medium to long-term horizon.
    - Purpose Driven – Alignment Focus
      - Your business or social enterprise is effectively executing a business strategy that purposefully incorporates and tangibly actualizes economic prosperity with the enhancement of social well-being and/or the promotion of environmental sustainability.
- Reimagine Social and Climate Action Award
  - Eligibility for this category:
    - Values –Driven
      - Your project aligns with a mission or values-centered approach, focusing on not-for-profit objectives. This means that your services are provided with the primary goal of addressing social or environmental concerns rather than seeking monetary compensation.
    - Alignment
      - Your project has implemented an operational strategy that deliberately incorporates social well-being and environmental sustainability.
    - Social or Environmental Focus
      - Your organization must be involved in one or more of the following activities:
        
        Directly assisting individuals impacted by ongoing social or environmental crises or persistent issues.
        
        Empowering individuals or communities to tackle social, economic, educational, or environmental challenges themselves,
        
        Helping to directly address environmental crises like biodiversity loss, pollution, or climate emergencies.
- Reimagine Civic Engagement Award
  - Eligibility for this category:
    - Values – Driven Centered
      - Your project aligns with a mission or values-centered approach, focusing on not-for-profit-focused objectives. This means that your services are provided with the primary goal of addressing social or environmental concerns rather than seeking monetary compensation.
    - Civic Focus
      - Your project aims to increase and improve civic and/or public-sphere engagement. This may include empowering people to actively engage in their civic space, become active citizens and/or help to increase accountability and transparency in decision-making.
    - Alignment
      - Your project has implemented an operational strategy that deliberately incorporates social well-being and environmental sustainability by doing the following:
        
        Directly assisting, educating, or empowering individuals or communities to engage in their civic space.
        
        Shifting power to individuals and communities by engaging in the civic space.
        
        Creating avenues for people to become more active designers of their circumstances, globally, nationally or locally through civic participation.
        
        Encouraging communities to hold decision makers who have an impact on their lives accountable.