It all starts with an Idea!

Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon

Share your idea to solve a problem during this pandemic or that which is influenced by a global crisis, and join changemakers to ideate on solutions, build prototypes, and more on the ideas you submit!

Get active and become part of the solution! Join us for the Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon and work together with changemakers around the world to create action-oriented solutions around a global crisis.

What is the Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon? 

A 2-day event where participants will team up with other activists and changemakers for a period of 48 hours online to develop ideas into low/medium-fidelity prototypes. Low/medium-fidelity prototypes don’t need sophisticated materials, high-end programming skills, or detailed planning. Participants will be using materials easily accessible to them, to come up with innovative solutions to a problem statement of their choosing. Throughout the 48 hours, participants will be aided with mentoring sessions, inputs, and constant support from a group of expert mentors.

How did participants engage?

1. Visionary: Sent in ideas for use during the coronavirus pandemic or driven by this challenge, until the 27th of May 2020 here. Ideas can range from socializing digitally to medical support for risk groups to symbols of solidarity and could be anything from a well-formed idea to just a glimmer of hope. 
2. Participant: Ideathon real-time event from 29th to 31st of May, 2020, where participants formed smaller teams of at least 3 and work on one idea.
3. Mentor: Become a mentor and support one team during the ideathon with skills and expertise. 

What kind of prototypes are built during the Ideathon?

Participants are welcome to develop anything from digital to physical products, services, movements, art projects, therapeutic products, anything that creates value to communities that are affected by the pandemic. The solutions at the end of 48 hours should be at least a low or medium-fidelity prototype. This means that participants have tangible constructions of the idea they were working on. 

The outcome of the Virtual Ideathon –

• Applicable, action-oriented solutions that can be used during the Covid-19 pandemic or solutions influenced by this global crisis. 
• All solutions built during the Ideathon were documented, so anyone can move the idea up further. Implementing the solution as part of our #100Acts of Global Citizenship or tackle it together in a project team. 
• Applications for a grant with the Melton Foundation, European Youth Foundation, and many others to find an opportunity to fund your idea and drive your vision.
• Access to our intercultural networks, meet like-minded SDG advocates and social impact crusaders from around the world, stay connected with changemakers in the weeks after the ideathon, and more!
• Best ideas and prototypes to come out of the ideathon are available on our blogs, website, and social media channels.

Note: All grant applications are subject to approval. Participation in the ideathon does not guarantee funding/monetary support. 

The Final Prototypes – 

Curious to see the results of the Ideathon? Here are videos our teams put together as a pitch for their ideas!

Ideathon Tools

Throughout the Ideathon, participants and mentors will be using various online tools for communication, ideation, and presentations. Once you sign up, please familiarize yourself with the below tools. They're simple and easy-to-use and accessible everywhere in the world!

• Gmail – Email channels for Ideathon mailing lists, and email communication.
• Zoom – For online meetings, and ideathon final presentation round. 
• Airtable – Airtable works like a spreadsheet but gives you the power of a database to organize anything.
• Ethercalc – EtherCalc is a web spreadsheet. Your data is saved on the web, and people can edit the same document at the same time.