The Melton Foundation has been promoting the idea of Global Citizenship for over 30 years. Our work has not lost relevance, just on the contrary. We recognize the need and hunger of young people for opportunities to connect and act toward societal well-being and sustainability. Over the last year, we were able to increase our reach. Especially the SDG Innovation Marathon in Africa attracts more than 1,000 applicants annually. So much more can be done, so everybody acts like a Global Citizen. The Melton Foundation will continue on this path, and we invite you to be part of this journey. Connect with us!
Everybody can act as Global Citizen when working towards collective well-being and sustainability. During 2022 we advanced substantially in drafting a model for Global Citizenship Development. We identified four interlaced strings. Woven together, they form colorful patterns, depending on which competencies are highlighted. The Model will serve as a fundament for our core activities.
Our two core programs, the Global Citizenship Learning Program and our Leadership Program, the Global Sovlers Accelerator, have undergone significant revamp in 2022. The Learning Program is testing a new program flow, integrating already the different strings of the Global Citizenship Development Model. As shown later in the report, the program empowers (young) students to develop global citizenship capacity and learn to effectively engage in and promote cross-boundary collaboration through experiential learning.
The Global Solvers Accelerator enables (young) SDG practitioners to leverage Global Citizenship for social impact through peer learning, leading-edge thematic contributions, and project-based capacity building. The program is open to practitioners worldwide and has seen applications from over 50 countries worldwide. After two years of development, testing, and refining, our leadership program enters its third iteration in 2023. Participants can become Senior Fellows after completing the program successfully, increasing access to the opportunities at the Melton Foundation.
Another area through which we have increased global citizenship visibility and impact is the Innovation Marathon, most notably the pan-African SDG Innovation Challenge. We saw a record-breaking of over 2,500+ applicants in 2022, of which we could accept 320 participants in two iterations. Even though there is no direct path into the MF fellowship, the innovation marathons build towards a larger community of practice of young Global Citizens that strive to make a difference in this world.
The University Courses by the Melton Foundation are another avenue to further awareness of Global Citizenship. Galvanizing decades of know-how in developing global competencies in students, we have created educational formats ranging from a series of workshops to a full semester course to be conducted at higher education institutions, allowing students to develop global competencies.
All this, and more, is in the 2022 Impact Report. What a fantastic year it was, with a key highlight being our community being able to reconvene after a long time, among many other landmark wins! Warmest regards to this incredible network of Fellows, Task Team, Campus Coordinators, hub and global partners, BOD, participants, and friends. With hope for a bigger and better 2023, it is time now to take a few moments and rejoice in our collective Impact from 2022!
Access your copy of the 2022 Annual Impact Report at bit.ly/MF2022ImpactReport today!