
The SDG Innovation Challenge is a virtual ideathon for motivated young people to develop practical solution ideas for challenges faced in their local communities at the grassroots level.
By engaging in an approx. 50 hours online hackathon-style environment, participants will connect around shared interests in challenges faced by their communities, and, in interdisciplinary teams of 4-7 people, work together throughout the SDG Innovation Challenge to unpack a problem statement of their choice, and design tangible solution ideas encircling our three focus SDGs
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SDG 3 Good Health and Well Being |
SDG 4 Quality Education |
SDG 9 Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure |
The maiden edition of the SDG Innovation Challenge took place from 26 – 28 October 2020. The three winning ideas and teams had the pristine opportunity to showcase their solutions virtually at the 3rd African Youth SDG Summit, Africa’s biggest Sustainable Development Youth congregation.
Almost 250 young, passionate SDG practitioners, advocates and leaders pan-Africa participated in the SDG Innovation Challenge on Oct 26-28 2020, and formed part of an interdisciplinary team to produce innovative solutions to advance the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals beyond the COVID-19 pandemic! In just 2.5 days, participants developed and pitched their solution ideas, and competed with the best minds from the African continent for an opportunity to present at the prestigious AYSDG Summit 2020, and more!
Experience a unique virtual innovation marathon encompassing youth-led sustainable development.
The SDG Innovation Challenge provides a collaborative ideation space for young people to trigger fresh thinking and prototype novel ideas that can transcend into tangible action to advance the SDGs.
Young people of today are the torchbearers of our legacy and imprint on this planet. Issues such as extreme poverty, climate change, increasing inequality, quality education, demanding accountability have occupied the centerstage today, and young people have the right as well as the responsibility to lead the Agenda 2030 forward, and strengthen partnerships with a fresh paradigm for development.
The innovation challenge opens new avenues for young women and men across the African continent – and possibly beyond – to localize the SDGs, catalyzing purpose-driven interactions, and systematically increase the youth-led impact on SDG attainment.
There are numerous reasons one should participate in the SDG Innovation Challenge. Here are a few of them:
You want to work across domains and gain insights into the brightest minds working in the fields of SDGs 3, 4, and 9? Here is an opportunity for all young social innovators to change the world one idea at a time!
The SDG Innovation Challenge is open to participation for young people across Africa. What do we seek from participants?
Following the registration deadline, participants will receive further instructions about the activities and the technologies deployed during the event. And then, the challenge is on: participants will be asked to form an interdisciplinary team with the other registrants and, together, develop a solution idea and/or prototype, which they will present in form of a short video pitch at the end of the event.
Awareness, Responsibility, Action: Our three-fold approach to achieving the Agenda 2030
Based on our paradigm of Global Citizenship Practice, the SDG Innovation Challenge aims to spark sustained change agency by embracing the intertwined nature of the following domains:
AWARENESS, i.e. applied knowledge about Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the many different forms global challenges take in diverse contexts and communities around the world, coupled with a solid understanding of core concepts and methods to analyse, connect and leverage them.
RESPONSIBILITY, i.e. developing attitudes and ethical leadership traits in individuals and communities to foster individual ownership of those issues along with collaborative, non-hierarchical approaches towards tackling them
ACTION, i.e. practical tools, experiences and skills to drive sustainable development in order to effect collective impact at the local level while pushing the needle globally.
The SDG Innovation Challenge is a 50-hours innovation marathon. We're following a paced process that puts participants in charge to manage their time freely, using the following schedule as orientation.
During the opening session, participants will receive important tips and tricks to help them leverage the event for maximum success. They participate in the introductory keynotes and start declaring their ideas/projects for the SDG Innovation Challenge, seeking and declaring teams, and more!
Find out more about our feature keynote speaker NELSON AMO, visit https://innohub.com.gh/who-we-are/
Participants finalize the team formation process to work together in interdisciplinary teams of 4-7 people to unlock the SDG Innovation Challenge, with guided input sessions, mentoring, and support on need-basis.
When embarking on a collaborative innovation journey, the first step towards success is to assemble interdisciplinary teams of 4-7 people to work together on developing tangible solution ideas.
All teams competing in the SDG Innovation Challenge must be formed and registered no later than 10am on 27 October!
Teams continue their work to unlock the SDG Innovation Challenge, with guided input sessions, mentoring, and support on need-basis.
All teams are also expected to prepare and submit a 2-minute pitch video of their solution idea along with the completed cover sheet providing further details about their work and possible solution.
All teams must submit their video pitch along with the completed solution idea cover sheet no later than 5pm on 28 October!
As an intense innovation marathon is coming to an end, participants will regroup once more to share highlights, insights, experiences, and ... to meet the judges who will be involved in the assessment of the different solution ideas that have emerged from the event and help identify the three winning teams to be announced during the 3rd African Youth SDGs Summit.
Representatives of the three winning teams will be invited to showcase their solutions virtually at the African Youth SDGs Summit, which is Africa’s biggest Sustainable Development Youth congregation.
Embracing SDG 17 - Partnership for the Goals, the SDG Innovation Challenge is a collaborative efforts of numerous local, regional, and global organizations, including the following:
Meet Melton Foundation
Co-Organizer
Read BioMeet GrassRoots Hub
Co-Organizer
Read BioMeet Youth Advocates Ghana
Co-Organizer
Read BioMeet TECHFARM Hub
Co-Organizer
Read BioMeet African Youth SDGs Summit
Partner
Read BioThe Melton Foundation has been a prominent organization working in the field of global citizenship for more than 25 years. We believe in drawing the wisdom of multiple cultures to shape fresh and creative narratives of global citizenship. Our global network of Fellows collaborates across boundaries to exchange, learn, and develop ideas and carry forward the discourse on global citizenship. In consonance with our endeavor to ‘Think Global, Act Local’, we have involved themselves in numerous projects and missions spread across the globe, to advance the 17 UN SDGs, while fostering Sustainable Development.
Learn more about us here.
GrassRoots Hub Ghana is an eco-entrepreneurship and SDGs Innovation Lab with a global community of grassrooters sharing and generating insights and ideas to ensure impact from local communities to global level. GrassRoots educate, innovate and incubate start-ups and connect accelerators to leading companies, research institutions, foundations, non-profits, and investors. GrassRoots Hub, Ghana’s first Social Impact dedicated to accelerating progress towards the achievement of the SDGs has co-hosted Global SDG Talent Hack-UNLEASH 2020 in Ghana and incubated start-ups after its SDG Challenge and Roadshows and as well sponsored winners to four International SDG innovation Hackathon.
Learn more about GrassRoots Hub Ghana here.
Youth Advocates Ghana (YAG) is a Ghana-based NPO dedicated to restoring hope, educating and improving the well-being of vulnerable children, young people and their communities. Among different projects and initiatives, YAG has been spearheading the organization of the African Youth SDGs Summit, a Africa-wide advocacy platform to further SDG awareness and attainment.
Learn more about Youth Advocates Ghana here.
TECHFARM Hub is an Innovation and Business Development Hub promoting disruptive knowledge, mindset, skills, technologies and resources to upscale young Innovators, Entrepreneurs, Agripreneurs and Startups solve pertinent challenges and become productive and profitable.
Learn more about TECHFARM Hub Ghana here.