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).
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.
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.
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 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!
Prepare your application from today!
Use the 'Application Guide' to get a sense of what you need to prepare for the application early.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The first and most important step is to submit your application using THIS ONLINE APPLICATION FORM within the application deadline.
Important consideration: Don’t rush it! When developing your application, take the time you need to share your most authentic and honest answer(s). Some questions invite you to shine, and outline the great work you do – other questions invite you to take a more critical stance. Both can be challenging, and yet we invite you to fill them in with dedication and care. The perfect application to us is the one that provides us with deep(er) insights into you and the work you do.
During the selection process, we apply a threefold filter to identify the best-suited candidates:
(a) a technical review to ensure that information provided with the application is complete and sufficiently informative
(b) an eligibility check to identify candidates who fully meet the eligibility criteria
(c) an in-depth assessment to identify well-suited candidates for the program.
(d) a 120 min virtual assessment center for well-suited candidates.
The up to 20 selected candidates will receive detailed information about the next steps, including how to pay the program fees, materials to prepare, and the onboarding process for the program.
Up to 20 best-suited candidates will be selected into the program. They will receive detailed information about the onboarding process by 1 March 2024.
Shortlisted candidates who don’t make it into the final selection may be offered a waitlist spot to be considered in case any of the finalists must withdraw their participation.
During the 120 min virtual Assessment Center, shortlisted candidates will be assessed on their collaboration, teamwork, and communication skills. Invitations to the Assessment Center will be sent to suited candidates at least one week prior to the session.
In April, selected participants will be added to the respective platforms and communication channels deployed throughout the program. They will also receive initial onboarding instructions and will be asked to complete an assessment survey to provide further details about their work, project, and expertise.
Starting April, participants embark on the collaborative learning journey to (a) build capacity at the personal level, (b) pivot transformative potential at the project level, and (c) converge networks for social change at the collective level.
Global Solvers engage with eight different thematic modules (see graphic below) to position emerging as well as established SDG projects for disruptive, transformative change at the local to the global level. Bi-weekly online sessions and asynchronous assignments help pace the journey and deepen the learning each step along the way.
The Co-Lab is the space where sectors, cultures, identities, and know-how converge into something “greater than the sum of its parts”. It’s a space for Global Solvers to deepen understanding of complex global issues, grow capacity collectively, build networks for impact, and more. A 'COllaborative LABoratory', the in-person retreat is where participants pivot their passion and broaden their impact horizons together.
Date and location for the Global Solvers Co-Lab 2024 will be confirmed in due time.
Upon successful completion of the program, participants are eligible to join the Melton Foundation’s lifelong supported community as Senior Melton Fellow.
The 'Senior Fellow Orientation' is an opportunity for eligible participants to learn how they can contribute to and leverage the life-long Melton Fellowship for personal, project, and collective growth within and beyond the Melton Foundation's global citizenship community.
Upon successful completion of the Global Solvers Accelerator, participants are eligible to become a Senior Melton Fellow. The Melton Fellowship is designed as a lifelong, supported network through which the Melton Foundation fosters and pivots global citizenship development on a very need-tailored basis, including unique learning activities, project grants, networking opportunities, and more.
A Community of Practice, the Melton Fellowship offers spaces to connect, contribute and collaborate for Fellows who are eager to do so. The underpinning mantra of our Fellowship is “what you give is what you get” – like with other unique opportunities it is eventually down to us to receive as well as to give back to the community!
- Agita Pasaribu - Founder and Executive Director at Bullyid App, Global Solvers Accelerator participant
- Hammed Kayode Alabi, Founder and CEO, Kayode Alabi Leadership and Career Initiative-KLCI, Global Solvers Accelerator participant
- Ohenewaa Constance Ankoma, Founder & Executive Director, Erudite Women's Empowerment Foundation, Ghana, Global Solvers Accelerator participant
For more information, useful links, and insightful application tips, click through to the Frequently Asked Questions!
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!
