Commonwealth Youth Awards 2012: Nomination open!

Nominations for the Commonwealth Youth Awards for Excellence in Development Work are now open.

Commonwealth calls for entries that recognise young people whose commitment to development work within a Commonwealth country has made a difference to the lives of others.

In return, nominees will get a chance to win international recognition and support for their development project.

Designed to help celebrate the role of young people as nation builders and partners in development, the Awards offer young people under 30 an opportunity to share their contribution and inspire others to get involved.

Commonwealth Secretary-General Kamalesh Sharma said: “More than any generation in history, the youth of today are shaping our social, economic and political landscape. These awards recognise their contribution in our 54 Commonwealth member states”.

The Commonwealth Youth Awards were launched on Commonwealth Day, 12 March 2012.

Deputy Secretary-General Masire-Mwamba, Mmasekgoa who oversees youth development at the Commonwealth Secretariat said: “Young people represent more than 50% of Commonwealth citizens. I have seen the excellent contribution they are making at community and national levels all across our countries. I welcome these Awards as an opportunity to tell their positive stories that often go unnoticed.”

Five Awards will be given regionally with the top entrant from each region receiving a Pan-Commonwealth Award.

Nominations opened on March 12, 2012 and will run until 31 July 2012.

The Awards are aimed at young people between the ages of 15-29 years. Entrants must be citizens of a Commonwealth country and working in a Commonwealth country.

All entries should be submitted via the link:http://www.yourcommonwealth.org/cya. Further information about the Awards can be found by downloading the Commonwealth Youth Awards brochure

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2012 Zeitgeist ‘Young Minds’ Competition: Call for application

The 2012 edition of the Zeitgeist ‘Young Minds’, a competition to find 10 pioneers, change-makers and leaders of tomorrow aged 18 – 24, across Europe, Middle East and Africa* is now open. The winners will take their place alongside the greatest visionaries of today at Google Zeitgeist 2012 near London on May 20th – 22nd 2012.

From January 25th until March 19th 2012, the search will be on to find 10 exceptional, motivated and inspiring 18-24 year-olds from across EMEA*, who are making a positive impact in the world through science, the arts, education, innovation or inspiration.

The lucky winners will be invited to participate in Google’s annual Zeitgeist event, where previous speakers have included Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Burberry CEO Angela Ahrendts, Google CEO Larry Pageand Chairman Eric Schmidt. They will also win a brand new Google tech gadget and get the chance to take to the stage and have their voice heard.

Last year saw the first ever ‘Young Minds’ competition in both the UK and America. The lucky finalists won an experience of a lifetime, from meeting Chelsea Clinton and Will I Am, to taking part in panel discussions with Jon Snow and Martha Lane Fox (Co-founder Lastminute.com).

Orli Setton was a winner from 2011 and described attending Zeitgeist as “magical, fantastic and powerful! What I enjoyed most was the innovative, energetic and creative atmosphere.”
Matt Brittin, Vice President of Northern & Central Europe, Google commented, “Google has always championed innovation and is proud to help young people showcase their ideas and achievements. Zeitgeist Young Minds is an incredible opportunity for future world-changers to meet some of the most powerful and inspiring people on the planet today.“

The winners will take part in a series of bespoke master classes with the aim of inspiring as well as giving them mentoring to help further their project and get their hands on the latest Google gadget. But what’s even more exciting is that a select few will also get the opportunity to take to the stage and have their voice heard. Here are the highlights from last year’s panel discussion with Martha Lane fox, Jon Snow and our Young Minds winners http://youtu.be/6_LYNwuaub4

To be in with a chance of winning a place at Zeitgeist 2012, all entrants have to do is simply upload a video no longer than a minute telling us how they are making a difference to the world towww.ZeitgeistYoungMinds.com

The competition is open to entrants from the following countries within EMEA:
South Africa, Algeria, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Belgium, Egypt, Spain, France, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jordan, Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Uganda, Holland, Poland, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, Russia , Sweden , Tunisia & Yemen.

Source: www.ZeitgeistYoungMinds.com

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DESPLAY AFRICA (Youth Democracy Academy) Season 7 - Call for Application

Recent events sweeping across Africa inspired by the Arab Rising is a strong indication that there is attrition of trust between the people and the established authorities in Africa as far as the 21st century democracy and good governance dividends are concerned. This decade, more than any other before it promises to redesign the concept of citizen action in response to social contracts with its political leaderships. All of these seem to be predicated on a growing increase in democracy building and political awareness among young Africans who are now rising to the challenge of why Africa remains impoverished amidst it great endowment. This trajectory underscores the importance of not just building a critical mass of young people who are more socially informed but are more participatory democratically vis-a-vis emerging as Africa’s next generation democrats.

It is against this background that Youngstars Foundation with support from the National Endowment for Democracy (NED – Washington DC) has since 2005 been holding Africa’s foremost and most consistent annual youth democracy academy called Democracy Series for Participatory Learning and Actions by Youth – DESPLAY. The program which deepens young people’s knowledge about democracy and fosters active youth participation in governance processes has reached hundreds and thousands of young people from across West African countries namely Nigeria, Ghana, Liberia, Cameroon and South Africa. A new Africa is emerging because a new generation of young democrats are emerging, and DESPLAY is capacitating and networking this new emerging team! Apply today and you will be glad you did!

What DESPLAY Season 7 Offers:
• Admission for ONLY 30 young people within Africa (especially from West and Central African Countries).
• Two (2) semesters of 4 days each in a different state and region of Nigeria.
• About 36 knowledge based sessions and focus group discussions.
• Democracy and good governance engagement kit (Video and Hand Book)
• 10 days learning visit to an African country practising democracy.
• Opportunity to become President of DESPLAY Republic for season 7.
• Certificate of participation and opportunity to become DESPLAY Fellow,
• Etc.

Eligibility:
Young people from Nigeria and any other African country aged between 18 – 30 years.

Closing Date:
February 16th 2012.

Download Application Form

After download, complete the form, attach to an email and send to desplay@yahoo.com

Help Lines:
+234 703 553 5876, +234 8065479817

Source: YoungStar Foundation

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2012 World of Children Award Nominations OPEN!

2012 Official Call for Nominations – Deadline: April 1, 2012

The World of Children Award is dedicated to dramatically improving children’s lives by identifying and recognizing extraordinary individuals who work on behalf of children in need. The World of Children Award sets the Gold Standard in child advocacy worldwide and to receive a World of Children Award today is to be honored with a coveted badge of merit.

The World of Children Award is now searching the globe for selfless individuals who serve children with proven, sustainable programs. Our Award Winners must have a ten year track record of working with children, and now serve children over and above their regular employment, for little or no pay.

Awards will be presented at an annual ceremony held in New York City, USA, in October, 2012. At that time, the World of Children Award will offer cash grants to the proven, sustainable programs created and managed by the 2012 Award Winners.

Nominate Someone for a 2012 World of Children Award

Humanitarian Award – recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to children in social services, education or humanitarian services. This person will have created or managed a sustainable program which has significantly contributed to children’s opportunities to be safe, to learn and to grow. The individual’s work on behalf of children must be over and above their normal employment and they must have been doing this work for a minimum of 10 years.

Health Award – recognizes an individual who has made a significant contribution to children in the fields of health, medicine or the sciences. This person will have created or managed a sustainable program which has significantly contributed to the health and well-being of children. The individual’s work on behalf of children must be over and above their normal employment and they must have been doing this work for a minimum of 10 years.

Youth Award – recognizes a Young person under the age of 21, who is making extraordinary contributions to the lives of other children. They must have been doing this work for three years, and have created a sustainable program they plan to continue to lead.

Nominate Someone You Know

Please take the time to nominate someone you feel is worthy of being recognized for their dedication and unwavering commitment to children.

Nomination Deadline is April 1, 2012

About the World of Children Award

• Established in 1998, World of Children, Inc., is a U.S. based 501 (c)3, nongovernmental organization (NGO) based in the San Francisco Bay Area,  California, USA.
• 97 leaders with programs for children in over 148 countries have now been honored by the World of Children Award. Our Award Winners are saving young lives by offering health care, education, adoption, career training, nutrition, rehabilitation for war victims, and safety from indentured servitude.
• Collectively, World of Children Award Winners now lead more than 100 organizations and have impacted the lives of more than 30 million children worldwide.
• Over 3,100 Nominations have been received from more than 85 countries.
• The selection process is arduous and includes several stages of review by panels of child care experts from around the world, and an intensive independent background screening to assure the integrity and credentials of the finalists. Nominees must be willing to cooperate with investigators in this process and to make themselves and their records available for review.
• To learn more about our World of Children Awards and grant process, visit this link.

Source Link: http://www.fundsforngos.org/awards-and-prizes/2012-world-children-award-nominations-open/#ixzz1l9htTu00

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