Home Our Accelerator program for budding changemakers!

 

Connecting grassroots experiences, empowering community leaders, and unleashing transformative change!

The Global Solvers Accelerator brings together emergent agents of social change across the globe for an impact-driven, project-focused, learning journey. Over the course of eight months, participants learn and work together to build collective leadership competencies, refine social impact initiatives they are spearheading in their communities, and ignite transformative change that cuts across boundaries of sector, place, and identity, furthering the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Through the program, participants generate ripples of impact: on themselves, by building their leadership capacity and transformative potential; on their local community, by accelerating their social impact project for sustainable development beyond business as usual; and on their global peers, by intersecting their know-how, experience, and humanity.

Apply for the 2024 cohort!

The global application deadline is December 15th, 2023.

Today’s interconnected world allows us to see the magnitude of solutions to pressing issues that exist around the world. Imagine if we can intersect these solutions, turning local impact into global potential and changing the world from the grassroots level to the global level and back again.

Inviting SDG practitioners across the world to


The Global Solvers Accelerator creates that space for emerging change agents to exchange and collaborate genuinely and advance their work while contributing to those of others. By embracing transformation as an impetus for sustainable development beyond business-as-usual, our 8-month program accelerates social impact projects through cross-boundary exchange and collaborative action.

Chosen among hundreds of applicants worldwide, selected participants will work together to refine and scale the social impact projects they are spearheading in their respective communities. Through an intentionally designed learning journey, subject matter advisory, leading-edge thematic contributions, and ample peer exchange and collaboration, the program provides a springboard for participants to tap into the fullest transformative potential of their sustainable development endeavors!

A signature program of the Melton Foundation, the Global Solvers Accelerator is deeply intertwined with our unique community of global citizenship practice, and, for successful participants, the program becomes a gateway to joining the lifelong Melton Fellowship. Plus, actively engaged participants will also be invited to attend a fully-sponsored week-long in-person retreat, the Global Solvers Co-Lab in July 2024.

Participants will work together with emerging leaders from across the globe and re-engineer community projects to amplify their impact!

Program Details

The Global Solvers Accelerator engages emerging change agents from diverse world regions around developing competencies for global citizenship, sustainable development, and collective leadership.

Over the course of eight months, participants engaged in purposefully designed module topics, blended learning, project assignments, peer exchange, and subject matter advisory in order to build their capacity and amplify the transformative potential of their social impact projects. Thus, the Global Solvers Accelerator results in cumulative impact at three levels: 

  • the individual level, by building participants’ capacity for leadership and social impact. 
  • the community level, by unleashing the transformative potential of participants’ social impact projects.
  • the systemic level, by intersecting different local approaches and contextual know-how, thus creating ripple effects of societal transformation and SDG attainment.

Eight monthly modules – Interconnected module themes – Substantial  Peer Exchange – Applicable Methods & Tools – Tailored support and collaboration

Who are ideal candidates for the program?

The Global Solvers Accelerator is a collective learning journey with and for participants from across the globe, who are looking to transform the world!

Are you a young community development practitioner aged between 20 – 35 years, who is curious, responsible, forward-thinking, with a proven track record of social impact, and actively engaged in or leading a local impact project currently? Are you looking to connect with like-minded peers to make a better sense of the world together?

Then you are the ideal participant for our program!

Application Guide

Prepare your application from today!

Use the 'Application Guide' to get a sense of what you need to prepare for the application early.

Benefits of joining the program

By joining the Global Solvers Accelerator, participants stand to gain valuable competencies, insights, connections, and more! Here are some key benefits of becoming a part of the program:

 

CAPACITY BUILDING 

The program is a springboard for participants to pivot their capacity in areas like collective leadership, transformative impact, and systemic design. Through stimulating thematic contributions, peer exchange, subject matter advisory, and project assignments, participants boost their leadership competencies as well as their global citizenship skills.

FURTHERING  IMPACT

The 8-month learning journey connects emerging change agents worldwide to refine their social impact initiatives, activate their collective leadership potential, and together ignite transformative change that cuts across barriers of place and identity, furthering the SDGs.

MELTON  FELLOWSHIP

Upon successful completion of the program, participants are eligible to join the Melton Foundation’s lifelong supported community as Senior Melton Fellows, gaining access to a global community of over 600 change catalysts across the globe, project funding through our Action Grants, travel opportunities to global impact events, and more.

CO-LAB

During the program, actively engaged participants will be invited to attend a fully-funded in-person retreat. Connecting hearts, hands, and minds, the Global Solvers Co-Lab creates a space for sectors, cultures, identities, and know-how converge into something “greater than the sum of its parts”. 

An integral part of the Global Solvers Accelerator, the week-long Co-Lab retreat is the space for participants to connect in person and co-create transformative pathways together. The dates and venue of the 2024 Global Solvers Co-Lab will be revealed in due time.

As Co-Sponsors of the event, the Melton Foundation and Ernst-Abbe-Stiftung will cover event-related travel, accommodation, visa-related expenses, learning resources, and materials, among others, to enable all participants to join the Co-Lab regardless of their socio-economic backgrounds! Participants, however,  are required to be prepared for international travel, hold a valid passport, and handle any necessary visa processes early and responsibly. Learn more here

ACCELERATOR FUND

Participants have the opportunity to tap into immediate financial resources in support of their social impact project. The Global Solver Accelerator Fund pools a significant percentage of the Program Fees collected from participants and will be made available to deserving projects towards the end of the program.

Timeline & Process

The Accelerator is a learning journey that nurtures your leadership capacity starting today. Here’s the roadmap for a unique journey toward deep collaborations, powerful actions, and transformative change.

Hear from our Alumni!

"Participating in the Global Solvers Accelerator was a poignant reminder that while the leadership journey can often feel solitary, we are never truly alone. Here's to the collective strength of leaders who, together, are charting a brighter, more inclusive future."

- Agita Pasaribu - Founder and Executive Director at Bullyid App, Global Solvers Accelerator participant

"One of the many things I have learned from the program is the level of authenticity that people bring on, and the deeper level of involvement in the problem they are trying to solve. I will advise future applicants to drop the mask, and bring their truest self to the whole process, starting with the application."

- Hammed Kayode Alabi, Founder and CEO, Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative-KLCI, Global Solvers Accelerator participant

"My participation in the Global Solvers Accelerator program has been a transformative experience; a journey of growth, learning and self-discovery. The modules are thoughtfully designed and create room for hands-on experience. The program is an investment in one's development that is worth every moment and effort."

- Ohenewaa Constance Ankoma, Founder & Executive Director, Erudite Women's Empowerment Foundation, Ghana, Global Solvers Accelerator participant

Frequently Asked Questions

For more information, useful links, and insightful application tips, click through to the Frequently Asked Questions!

Join the Global Citizenship movement!

Whether as a participant in our program, a network partner, or supporter – we offer ample avenues for you to continue to be an integral member of our close-knit community! Take a look at the various options open for engaging with us!

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