What is the Global Citizenship Ideathon 2021

Welcome to the Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon 2021! After the success of our Ideathons in 2020, this year we're back bigger and better with the theme of “Putting Global Citizenship into Practice”. Join forces with other changemakers to formulate ideas and solutions that focus on realizing the potential of Global Citizenship through practical implementation and grassroots action!

The Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon 2021 is the perfect opportunity to assert your place in a growing international community of budding changemakers working hand in hand to solve global crises!

The Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon 2021 is a 72-hour Ideation marathon in which participants from around the world will work together in interdisciplinary teams to develop creative and practical initiatives that contribute to solving pressing issues while applying a global mindset. Guided by moderators and mentors, participants create teams based on the ideas they propose. At the end of the 72 hours, the teams present their solution ideas in a showcase. 

The theme of this year’s Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon is ‘Putting Global Citizenship into Practice’. 

Global Citizenship can be shortly described as care of the world and of each other. As an overarching concept, Global Citizenship promotes the idea that all humans are equal and when working together across boundaries of place and identity are able to solve the challenges we face in our interconnected world. But how do we do this in practice? With your support and active participation, we can’t wait to find out! 

We are looking for ideas to ground the concept and make it accessible for everybody.

Curious about what solution ideas to build? Here are some examples:

• Any public or educational activities that promote a global mindset, educate about human rights, increase knowledge about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, or promote a spirit of collaboration across boundaries.  
• Any tangible projects for the attainment of an SDG (e.g. to promote gender equality; protect the environment; decrease poverty; increase access to good education, sanitation, water; prompts sustainable consumptions or reduce inequalities, and so on.)
• Cultural activities that promote diversity, global understanding, and empathy towards others.
• Any campaigns, social media challenges, stories that promote diversity, global understanding, and empathy towards others.

The only overarching theme that each solution should have is that it needs to relate to the idea of Global Citizenship in its narrative.

The objective is to explore what Global Citizenship means in practice in as many different and creative ways as possible!

Participate

As part of our Global Citizenship Week 2021, our Virtual Ideathon seeks to bring together active and passionate youth from around the world and provides a platform for them to connect, network, and work together.

• This ideation marathon enables participants to brainstorm, visualize and ideate in a highly stimulating environment.
• It is the perfect chance for you to sharpen and hone your skills in leadership, innovative thinking, analytic thinking, interpersonal communication, and allied areas. 
• By participating in the Ideathon, you can collaborate with like-minded personalities from a plethora of domains, be it engineering, design, civic policy, social justice reform, project management, finance, education, and many others. 

Our participants 

The Global Citizenship Virtual Ideathon is open to all 18 – 35-year-old passionate changemakers – high school seniors, students, young professionals from around the world. What are we seeking in the ideal participant? 

• A strong passion and investment in Global Citizenship and the motivation to engage pro-actively throughout the event.
• A genuine interest in re-imagining and elevating Global Citizenship from the realm of concept to the realm of practice. 
• Ability to work in an interdisciplinary team with partners from different domains, areas of expertise, and successfully integrate a variety of skills. 
• Motivation to extensively ideate throughout the marathon and work in an agile ‘hackathon-like’ environment.
• Commitment to collaboratively develop a complete, coherent solution design and remain engaged with the cause post the Ideathon. 

There are also exciting cash prizes, mentorship opportunities, and more, waiting for the winners of the Ideathon! Prizes are as follows:

• First place winning team: 500 USD for implementation of the solution idea with continued support and mentoring
• Second place winning team: 300 USD for implementation of the solution idea with continued support and mentoring
• Third place winning team: 150 USD for implementation of the solution idea with continued support and mentoring
• … more to come!

Ideation Marathon Timeline

Over the course of 72-hours, you will form interdisciplinary teams with peers from across the globe in order to work together on creative and practical global citizenship ideas that contribute to solving pressing issues.
Below is what the schedule of scheduled activities looks like, to help you pace your own work throughout this ideation marathon. Brace for action!

All times below are indicated using GMT (Greenwich Main Time). To convert GMT to your local time, you may want to use a timezone converter like this one.

Ideathon Tech & 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!

• Email – Email channels for Ideathon mailing lists, and email communication.
• Zoom – For online meetings, and the ideathon final presentation round. 
• Slack – To communicate both as a group and one-on-one discussions. Announcements, resources, and team formation for the Ideathon – all happen over Slack.
• Google Drive – Sharing and collaborating on folders, files, working docs, etc.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is a Virtual Ideathon?

An Ideathon is a marathon event designed in the same fashion as a hackathon. It is meant for participants to brainstorm and come up with coherent solution ideas on a given theme and compete to win, all while engaging with individuals from different areas, professions, and disciplines! A Virtual Ideathon is an Ideathon that takes place on an online platform, connecting all participants using tools that facilitate remote collaboration.  

How do I participate? Should I pay fees in order to register?

We do not charge any fees for participation/registration. We firmly believe in increasing accessibility of resources to people from all socio-economic backgrounds, and stand for inclusivity, diversity, and equity.

If you relate to our organization’s vision and mission and would like to lend a hand, you can support us by making a small donation at meltonfoundation.org/donate.

When is the Ideathon scheduled for?

The Ideathon is scheduled to take place on the 22nd, 23rd, and 24th of April 2021, with the closing session slated for 25th April 2021. 

Is the participation on an individual basis, or do I need to form teams?

Registration to the Ideathon happens on an individual basis. Once you have registered, on the first day, you will be asked to form an interdisciplinary team with the other registrants. The idea is to facilitate collaboration, cross-functional teamwork, and build strong communication skills.

How are teams formed?

The teams form in the early hours of the Ideathon (see ‘schedule’ section to learn more). The organizers will publish a list of participants and their skills. The participants will then be invited to join using the Slack platform, using pre-established channels based on issues and ideas. The participants will proceed to their corresponding groups. Ideally, teams should be interdisciplinary to encourage diversity of perspectives during the process. Participants must choose a definitive team to work with by the end of Day 1.

How do I prepare myself for the event?

More than anything, we ask that you bring your motivation to the event! Additionally, you can familiarize yourself with tools like Slack, Zoom, Gmail, video editing, graphic design, and YouTube among other online collaboration tools. 

What kind of solution ideas are developed during the Ideathon?

Participants are welcome to ideate anything from digital to physical products, services, movements, art projects, therapeutic products, anything that creates value to communities while keeping in mind the theme of the Ideathon: Putting Global Citizenship to Practice. At the end of the ideation marathon, you will present the solution idea in a 2min video pitch.

What happens to the solution-ideas post the event?

All solutions built during the Ideathon will be documented, so anyone can move the idea up further by continuing the collaboration. Participants can implement the solution as part of our #100Acts of Global Citizenship or continue to tackle it together in a project team. The best ideas to come out of the Ideathon will be showcased on our blogs, website, and social media channels as part of the winning package.

Who chooses the winners? When will the results be announced?

A panel of judges will be in charge of evaluating the projects. Independent judges will rate the projects by the following criteria 

1. Innovation in the project
2. Impact potential
3. Possibility of Implementation
4. Team diversity (nationality, fields of study/work)
5. Presentation of Solution. 

Results will be declared in the weeks after the Ideathon based on a popular poll and judges’ evaluation.

More questions? Write to us at communications@meltonfoundation.org.