Apply to the Young Challengers 2022 Program

If you're 18-30 years old, there's 4 days left to apply to the TECH4GOOD Young Challengers Program by Grameen Creative Lab and Talent Garden :)

It looks like a great opportunity to get support for your social business ideas.
You will also get guidance from Muhammad Yunus, the Nobel Peace Prize Winner who launched microfinance and the social business movement.

I just found out about it and might apply myself. There's only 4 days before the deadline but the application is just a quick form so it's doable.

Here's some info about the program.

An extensive hybrid program

The Young Challengers Program is a hybrid 2 months training program consisting of online workshops from September to November and an in-person final pitch at the Global Social Business Summit 2022 in Turin, Italy.

Learn skills such as systems thinking, creating tech social business ideas and go-to-market strategy, and learn how to pitch your ideas. Identify your purpose to fuel them through your personal and professional challenges and to become an impactful changemaker.

FAQ

What is the Young Challenger Program (YCP)?

The Young Challengers Program is a hybrid training program consisting of online training from September to November and an all-paid, in-person final pitch at the Global Social Business Summit 2022. Not only do you get to meet changemakers from all across the world, but you will also get to directly interact with Professor Yunus and meet C-Suite Executives of leading social businesses.

What are the costs?

The call for applications is for scholarship applicants from all over the world. The scholarships are supported by Foundations and Companies committed to equal opportunities in education.

Who is organizing this program?

The Program is organized by the Grameen Creative Lab, under the guidance of Professor Muhammad Yunus, and in partnership with, European EdTech leader on digital transformation, Talentgarden, and Lightworks.

What are the requirements to be selected?

Our expert selection committee is looking for the future social business leaders who would dream of an equal and sustainable world and work hard everyday to achieve it. We are looking for participants who:

• Express their passion for social impact precisely and clearly
• Are motivated to solve a socio-environmental problem and potentially have an idea of a problem they want to solve
• Are interested in impacting their communities positively
• Are willing to learn and grow personally and professionally

What is the Global Social Business Summit?

The Global Social Business Summit is the largest social business platform worldwide and an opportunity to learn and get inspired by leaders and practitioners who have changed the world for those who want to. The Summit features intensive talks, interactive workshops and expert panels. Each year, the Summit travels to a different city and continent. This year the Summit will happen in Turin, Italy.

What is the time requirement?

The binding time commitment is 22 hours of training and mentoring spread over two months and 5 hours at the Global Social Business Summit, including 2 hours of a personal meeting with Professor Muhammad Yunus and 3 hours of pitching sessions to the jury. We recommend self-studying and connecting with your fellow participants to make the most out of the program.

What do you think? Should I post about these opportunities more often? I see a lot in my mailbox and on LinkedIn / Twitter. I'm usually not keen on participating in these because I feel like it's time wasted not building the solutions itself. I think we need less training and more social business incubators in general.

To be fair the organisations taking care of this program do have social business incubators however, and they're really well connected in that space.
I think the networking effects can have a big impact for those who are launching their projects. It can also matter a lot for funding.

Anyway I felt I should share this one in particular. I'll keep on doing that when I see interesting opportunities. If you have feedback about such programs and competitions I'd love to hear it :)