User:Globalchangemakers/Global changemakers

Global Changemakers is a British Council funded global youth programme for social entrepreneurs and community activists from 112 countries worldwide. Its mission is to empower youth to catalyse positive social change in their local communities.

History
Global Changemakers was founded in 2007 in collaboration with the World Economic Forum as a way to bring the voices and experience of young people worldwide to key policy and decision-makers at World Economic Forum events. In 2009, the mission of the programme expanded to include project support for youth-led initiatives worldwide and to collect best practices in youth-led development.

Programme Overview
There are currently over 600 Global Changemakers in 112 countries worldwide.

The programme is built on three pillars:


 * 1) Learning & Teaching: Global and regional youth summits, supported by free online curriculum and outreach to schools
 * 2) Doing: Individual and group projects address key global issues; since April 2009, Global Changemakers has supported 111 projects in 61 countries
 * 3) Advocacy: Changemakers are invited to high-level events including the World Economic Forum, Clinton Global Initiative, Clinton Global Initiative University, Women Deliver, various UN events, and meetings of the G20 to share ideas and best practices and are engaged in joint-initiatives with the World Bank

Selection Process
Individuals join the Global Changemakers network by being selected for a regional or global youth summit. Criteria for selection are:


 * The candidate must be between the ages of 16 and 25
 * The candidate must demonstrate passion for and a significant track record of achievement in social entrepreneurship, community activism, or volunteer work
 * The candidate must be able to communicate comfortably in English

Candidates submit a written application as well as a YouTube video. Selection is made by existing Global Changemakers, the Global Changemakers team and other British Council staff.

Impact
Since its inception at the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum in 2007, Global Changemakers has hosted over 15 regional and global youth workshops across the world, in Amman, Beirut, Cape Town, Doha, Harare, Rio de Janeiro and London.

Hundreds of thousands of young people are involved in Global Changemakers projects each year. To date, projects have reached over 3,200,000 individuals around the world. Global Changemakers and their work have been featured extensively in the media, including on BBC, CCTV, Al Jazeera and NDTV as well as in The Washington Post, Hindu Express, and Financial Times, online, and on the radio.

Partners
Global Changemakers currently partners with private sector companies, public sector bodies, independent non-profit and policy organisations, foundations, and media organisations. Each partnership is tailored to the individual needs and objectives of the respective entities – a sampling of existing partnerships follows:


 * The World Economic Forum is Global Changemakers’ principal partner as it sponsors Changemakers to attend its annual and some of its regional meetings in addition to including Global Changemakers in its key policy bodies such as its Global Agenda Councils;
 * The Nike Foundation, through its Girl Effect initiative, sponsors Global Changemaker projects which benefit adolescent girls in the Middle East and Africa. In addition, the Foundation sponsors the participation of network members working in girls’ rights at high level advocacy meetings like Women Deliver and the Clinton Global Initiative;
 * The World Bank, through its World Bank Institute, sponsors activity and Global Changemakers’ project work, most recently in anti-corruption Global Changemakers is a British Council funded global youth programme for social entrepreneurs and community activists from 112 countries worldwide. Its mission is to empower youth to catalyse positive social change in their local communities.