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Generation Unlimited - Youth Challenge 2018/2019

Summary

Generation Unlimited is a global partnership, supported by UNICEF, that aims to ensure that every young person is in education, learning, training or employment by 2030. It’s an inclusive design process which, in Macedonia, called young people to actively engage as “decision-makers”, designing innovative solutions in order to put an end to violence against and among children.

It’s a challenge taking place in 16 countries around the world; each country’s best and most promising solutions received financing and mentorship and the top 5 solutions globally received additional financing and specifically designed support from the Generation Unlimited partners and mentors.

The challenge in North Macedonia

“Around 1 million children face bullying, 8 of 20 parents use violent measures for raising their children, bullying is happening on the internet, where bullies remain anonymous and the effect is terrible.”

Because of all these facts and many more, we decided to tackle 3 challenges

01

How can we create a support system, platform or connect the inspirational personalities of our environment in order to provide way victims to easier report and seek help from professionals and peers?

02

How to change the perception and behavior among the elderly for a more significant inclusion of adolescents and young people in their communities?

03

How can we reduce bullying, bullying over the Internet, and violence among young people in and around schools, including public spaces and public transport?

Project activities

The UNICEF CO successfully collaborated with SmartUp, as an implementing partner of the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenge launched in September 2018, which was delivered with very high impact and satisfactory results. Throughout the challenge, we realized a whole lot of activities; including:

2 pre-workshops

Bootcamp: a 3-day workshop for co-creation structured around the definition of a specific problem, ideating, developing and prototyping

Mentoring of the 5 winning teams for further idea development in a period of 3 months

Implementing partnership with the winners at the global Generation Unlimited competition team “AndroMeta”

We see this project as one that left most impact within the youth in the country.

From the beginning, till the very end, 154 participants shared ideas within this challenge, in total of 40 teams. 

44 of them participated in the Youth Challenge Boot Camp and a total of 21 of adolescents and young people were reached by the seed-funding, by 24th Feb 2019.

Results

1 team winners at the global Generation Unlimited competition; in competition of 32 global top teams

2 winners selected via a local jury to proceed to the global competition, 1k seed investment allocated and 2 videos developed

Mentoring period of 3 months for further idea development of the 5 winning teams

Bootcamp: 3 day workshop for co-creation structured around definition of a specific problem, ideating, developing and prototyping, closing the event with a pitching ceremony

10 idea level solutions for the challenges developed at bootcamp phase

Localized toolkit for local contests developed/adapted

Raised awareness about the project and the project results

2 donor organizations reached out and facilitated in helping the local contest

Boot camp run by 2 facilitators and supported by 5 mentors, experts in specific areas and 3 technical support people helping participants to strengthen their knowledge for social innovation and entrepreneurship

Up to 44 participants attending 2 pre-workshops for introducing the teams to the design thinking process, the working norms and the values, and guide the teams through the research phase

5 representatives from the key stakeholders (Ministry of Education and Science, Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs, UNICEF, social workers, executive-level managers of related institutions) are familiarized with the innovation development process

Initiated and helped with the presentations of the teams at different events and gatherings they organized for promotion of their solution.

If you want to know more about #GenerationUnlimited challenge, don’t hesitate to open genunlimited.mk/ or generationunlimited.org/

Also, read more about AndroMeta, one of the global #GenU challenge winners and their application here.

Partners