Second Annual Youth Digital Champions (YDC) Competition Call

This announcement was originally posted on the mEducation Alliance website. 

The mEducation Alliance announces 2nd Annual Youth Digital Champions Competition Call, as they continue to connect youth using digital skills to make a difference!

Are you between 15-29 years of age (or know someone) with digital skills who has substantially contributed to some aspect of community-focused sector development? 

If so, fill out the nomination form below to be considered for — and possibly profiled — in one of the Youth Digital Champions’ case study collections and Digital Literacy 101 courses currently developing in collaboration with Alison.com.

YDC nominations will be accepted on a rolling basis through Friday, March 25th, 2022. 

Nominate or Self-nominate YDC Candidates

So What is the Youth Digital Champions (YDC) initiative?

The mEducation Alliance, a consortia of development and donor agencies, and a number of youth-serving organizations are advancing the Youth Digital Champions initiative to build upon youth interest and passion in digital technologies (broadly defined to include mass media, such as radio and television, computer- based and mobile devices) to strengthen community development and self-reliance efforts in lower resource, developing country context by:

1. raising awareness of and promoting youth (15 -29 yrs. old) access to digital literacy skills training, employment, and entrepreneurship opportunities and,
2. identifying, advancing, and supporting digitally-enabled young leaders in international, national, and local community development issues.

YDCs can work in a variety of sectors (e.g., Health, Education, Agriculture, Community Development, Civic Engagement), but are applying their leadership and digital skills for significant impact in the communities where they live/work. 

YDC examples from the first cohort include: 

• A YDC winner who is a project manager for an impact-driven global organization advancing tech solutions for displaced people; 
• A YDC winner who is a CEO of a software development company, that provides game-based learning platforms on science, maths and skills for schools, teachers and students; and/or,
• A YDC winner who is the founder and project design director at a grassroots human rights organization, which champions for the digital safety of at risk human rights defenders

Following a selection process, some nominees will be approached to further develop their YDC stories into case studies. These case studies will then be shared among the broader mEducation Alliance community and partner network of development and donor agencies and policymakers and with other leading organizations advancing youth and digital literacy skills development worldwide.

The Benefits of YDC

• Global recognition by individuals and organizations deeply interested in the space of digital and youth leadership;
• An invitation to present at virtual and physical international events; and,
• Peer networking with other YDCs.

If you would like more information, including how to contribute to the YDC initiative, please contact at medalliance@meducationalliance.org.