Call for Submissions: Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth Solutions Report 2018
Deadline: April 30, 2018
Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth is proud to announce that it will be launching the second edition of its Youth Solutions Report. They invite submissions for this year’s Report, which seeks to identify and celebrate 50 youth-led solutions and ideas that are successfully contributing towards the achievement of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development in business, charity, education and research.
However, the new Report comes with a wider scope and greater ambitions, aiming to inform the policies and actions of all stakeholders through in-depth research and analysis, with a view to substantially increase the support that young innovators receive in their countries and communities.
The Youth Solutions Report is an initiative of the SDSN Youth, the global youth division of the Sustainable Development Solutions Network. SDSN Youth’s mission is to empower youth globally to create sustainable solutions. Through education and cooperation it aims to amplify the tremendous energy and capabilities of youth in generating broader buy-in for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Benefits
- The Solutions contained in the Report will be divided by sectors, regions, and SDGs they are targeting. They will be showcased at high-level conferences and events (including the International Conference on Sustainable Development 2018, the 24th Conference of the Parties to the UNFCCC, and so forth), and will also be featured online by SDSN’s media partners as well as an interactive website that will help users explore them;
- The most promising Solutions will also become part of SDSN Youth Solutions platform, a community of young SDG innovators through which we aim to directly support innovative, ground-breaking projects by providing them with managerial, financial and visibility incentives, thanks to the vast network of SDSN members and partners.
Eligibility
- Projects should have alignment to one of the 17 SDGs, while taking into account the synergies and trade-offs with the others;
- They should be youth-led and illustrative of youth contribution to sustainable development;
- Your project should have a well-structured time horizon (what do you aim to achieve and when?), identified key stakeholders and beneficiaries and proposed outcomes that are reasonable and well thought out;
- Your project must be readily available, that is, it must be in its implementation phase and must have been operating for at least 18 months to overcome initial barriers related to project administration and future viability. Please also note that you will still be able to submit your project if it is in its design phase and/or has not been operating for at least 18 months. Your solution will be simply included in a different section of the Report.
- If your project re-uses waste products, has zero carbon emissions or utilises solar power, for example, it has a positive environmental impact and is eligible. Of course, not all projects will have a direct positive impact on the environment. It is necessary, however, that projects do not have an adverse effect on the environment.
- If your project is generating employment, eradicating poverty, developing skills, and so forth, then it has positive social impact. Any improvement to quality of life at community level, through an international reach or by any interaction with youth would be considered in this parameter. In addition, the project must aim to be inclusive and not to exacerbate existing inequalities;
- The impact your project has had must have been adequately measured and/or be measurable, and if possible should be aligned with the SDG indicator framework which is being developed to monitor the implementation of the 2030 Agenda;
- Your solution must also be self-sustaining in the long term, that is, it must able to achieve efficiency and to survive on its own through the resources it generates and/or the investments and donations it attracts;
- Your project must have the potential to perform as well or better after expanding in scope or size and/or being transported to other regions. SDSN is looking at projects which might help other people in other parts of the world, beyond your immediate community if possible.
Application