UNESCO x Seventeen’s “Going Together – For Youth Creativity and Well-Being” Grant Scheme

Going Together – For Youth Creativity & Well-Being is an initiative implemented by UNESCO, Seventeen and Pledis Entertainment, which seeks to support young people’s ideas thrive and contribute to addressing challenges that affect the well-being and development of youth and their communities. As such, it provides them with the resources and skills necessary to implement innovative projects that have a positive social impact in their communities.

Objectives

• The initiative has the following objectives:
  • Empowering young people, by developing their capacities and providing spaces to transform their visions into tangible actions with social impact.
  • Bringing young people closer to role models, providing opportunities to engage meaningfully with youth-centered actors.
  • Involving young people in the fulfilling of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making them part of the solution.
  • Providing resources for young people to develop and implement their innovative projects.

Themes

• Recognizing  that the 17 SDGs are indivisible and interdependent, youth-led innovative solutions supported by the initiative will contribute to advancing those SDGs that align with UNESCO’s mandate and fields of competence and where UNESCO has a strategic contribution to make (i.e.  SDGs 4, 5, 6, 11, 13, 14, 15 and 16).
• In this framework, the applications submitted should propose youth-led innovative projects that address challenges affecting the well-being and development of young people and their communities, including by supporting youth creativity, within the following thematic areas:
  • Promoting youth confidence and resilience through music, arts, and sports
  • Building creative communities together with youth
  • Supporting youth mental health and well-being

Funding Information

• Each of the projects that participate in the programme will receive funding ranging from USD 5,000 to USD 10,000, subject to the availability of funds, that will be delivered in three separate payments.

Project Implementation 

• Projects that can be implemented in up to nine months starting from the time of the communication of their selection may be eligible for the initiative.

Criteria

• Individuals may participate who:
  • Identify as “youth” within the age range of 18 to 30 years from the beginning to the end of the Grant Scheme.
  • Are active in their communities, either individually or as members of organizations/associations/networks/social enterprises
• The youth-led projects must comply with the following criteria:
  • Fall within the scope of:
    • youth ideas to support and strengthen youth well-being and community-building that need seed-funding;
    • ongoing projects related to youth well-being and community-building, with proven social impact and in need of support; and
    • ongoing projects with proven social impact that need to be scaled-up.
  • Be implemented within 9 months.
  • Be of local or national scope
• The initiative should be delivered by a team of at least 3 young people with a clearly identified project leader.
• Youth-led organizations/associations/networks/enterprises working on the topics set out in Article 5 may also participate. For the purposes of the call, the application must be made by a young person (within the age range identified above) representing the organization. That person will be the one who participates in the activities of the “GOING TOGETHER –For Youth Creativity and Well-being” programme on behalf of their organization.
• English will be the working language of the entire initiative. All project proposals must be presented in English and all exchanges with the Organizers and mentors will be in this language, unless otherwise agreed between participants and mentors
• Young people who currently work at UNESCO or Pledis Entertainment will not be able to apply.

For more information, visit UNESCO.