SDSN Youth and the International Baccalaureate (IB) are partnering to train 40 teachers and students selected for the recently announced  Global Youth Action Fund in social entrepreneurship and innovation on the Sustainable Development Goals. This partnership is part of the IB’s commitment to elevate, empower and support youth voices and an extension of the dialogues being conducted through the Festival of Hope.

Under the support of the Social Entrepreneurship Lab (SEL), the partnership is intended to spark local, bigger, broader, and bolder student-led and teacher-supported projects that bridge the gap between 21-century challenges and local sustainable solutions to advance progress during the second half of the SDG era.

“At the IB we believe young people can positively change the world. We witness their commitment to making a meaningful impact every day, and our goal is to provide the right tools to nurture and to realize their ideas. Through this partnership, we will empower teachers with innovative methodologies and experimental learning approaches, helping students reach their full potential and guiding them to a pathway of action and success”, noted Dr Nicole Bien, Chief Schools Officer at the IB.

Designed to unite the global community in this challenging moment, the Festival of Hope is about creating spaces where millions of young people can bring diverse voices and experiences and turn complex challenges into positivity and hope. Today, there are 1.8 billion people between the ages of 10 to 24 they are the largest generation of youth in history. About 90 percent live in developing countries, where they make up a large proportion of the population. Their numbers are expected to grow—between 2015 and 2030 alone, about 1.9 billion young people are projected to turn 15 years old. Provided with the necessary 21st-century skills and opportunities needed to reach their potential, young people can be a driving force for translating the 2030 Agenda into local innovative solutions.

“SDSN Youth is extremely thrilled to enter into a partnership with the IB. In this second half of the SDG era, the 1.2 billion young people who are the future custodians of the planet stand to lose the most if the triple planetary crisis continues unabated. Through the Social Entrepreneurship Lab (SEL), we shall prepare the next generation of problem solvers with cutting-edge skills, tools, and global networks critical to turn ideas into action for people and the planet," noted Mr Brighton Mukupa Kaoma, Global Director at SDSN Youth.

To kick off the partnership, IB will identify a diverse group of educators who starting in June will spend the several months with SDSN Youth to acquire leading-edge skills in SDGs, innovative methodologies including human-centered design and experimental learning approaches. After a rigorous two-month training, teachers will be assigned to a small group of Global Youth Action Fund awardees to mentor through the program. Applications for the Global Youth Action Fund open on May 9 2023 and close on June 20.  Any student aged 12-19 enrolled in a secondary school is welcome to apply. 

About Social Entrepreneurship Lab

The Social Entrepreneurship Lab trains teachers who desire to empower students with entrepreneurial skills through an immersive hands-on 2-month program.  A cohort of selected teachers are equipped with a toolbox of innovative educational resources. Designed on a training-of-trainers model, SEL teachers are prepared to implement the second phase of the program involving fostering student-led solutions focused on tackling sustainable development challenges such as water management, waste management, food and agriculture systems, education and gender inequalities, pollution and climate change, technology and innovation, among others. Teachers who are trained by SDSN Youth and IB partners, shall in-turn serve as mentors  and coach student innovators from selected IB schools on translating ideas into actionable solutions for the SDGs.

About SDSN Youth

In 2015, SDSN Youth started to mobilize youth to the forefront of achieving the Sustainable Development Goals by connecting young people to pathways of understanding, collaboration and action. Today, SDSN Youth has grown into one of the world's largest and most impactful networks of young leaders coordinating action at an unprecedented scale to accelerate solutions to the Sustainable Development Goals.

We have forged a global alliance and community where we support more than 3,000 youth in more than 127 countries with the ideas and energy to create sustainable solutions to the world's most challenging problems as they embark upon their quest to accelerate solutions towards the Sustainable Development Goals.

About IB

Founded in 1968, the International Baccalaureate (IB) pioneered a movement of international education and now offers four high quality, challenging educational programmes to students aged 3-19. The IB gives students distinct advantages by providing strong foundations, critical thinking skills, and proficiency for solving complex problems while encouraging diversity, curiosity, and a healthy appetite for learning and excellence. In a world where asking the right questions is as important as discovering answers, the IB champions critical thinking and flexibility in study by crossing disciplinary, cultural and national boundaries. Supported by world-class educators and coordinators, the IB currently engages with more than two million students in over 5,600 schools across 159 countries. To find out more, please visit www.ibo.org/.