Please read carefully before you apply! Only completed and correct applications will be considered.

KEY DATES & PROGRAMME INFORMATION:

Workshop dates: 8-11 April 2022
Implementation of youth-led projects: May-October 2022
Location: Antwerp, Belgium
Application deadline: 25 March 2022; Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis
*Participation is free and food and accommodation will be provided during the workshop.

ABOUT YOUNG CITIES:

Through action-oriented capacity-building, seed funding and direct support, Young Cities facilitates youth-led initiatives, city-youth collaboration, and supports municipal youth engagement strategies.

Young Cities has supported more than 325 youth to deliver 60 initiatives with training, support and small grants totalling more than £165,000. These initiatives have confronted issues such as discrimination, disinformation, civic education, youth participation in local governance, gender-based violence, and more. The programme supports young people in using a diverse range of approaches to address social challenges, including performances, film, research, dialogue sessions, music, training, and social media campaigns.

Active since 2018, Young Cities has worked in 11 cities across Kenya, Senegal, Lebanon, North Macedonia, and Jordan. In 2022, Young Cities will make its debut in Belgium in Antwerp, supporting a dedicated group of young people to tackle the social issues that matter the most to them.

CALL FOR YOUTH TEAMS:

Young Cities is looking for engaged, creative and committed young people in Antwerp who want to foster social cohesion in their community! If that’s you, apply to the Young Cities programme to receive training and support to create a unique new initiative that stands up to hate, polarisation, and violence. If you have an idea for a project to make your community a safer and more accepting place, form a team and apply today! (Application instructions below)

The Young Cities programme will begin with an intensive 4-day workshop from the 8-11 April 2022. During that workshop, you will refine your project idea and develop it into a detailed plan that you can deliver. This will not be your typical workshop; you will not be a passive participant. Instead, your team will spend 4 days working with local and international experts to create a viable plan to build a more cohesive community.

*ALL TEAM MEMBERS MUST ATTEND THE 4-DAY WORKSHOP IN FULL IN ORDER TO BE ELIGIBLE.

The end of the workshop will kick off a 6-month period when youth teams will be able to implement their projects with ongoing training, networking, and support from Young Cities. During the programme, Young Cities will work with the youth teams to:
• Provide in-depth training on how to develop and manage impactful initiatives for social change,
        both online and offline
• Provide seed-funding (up to €4,000 per team) for successful proposals and facilitate resourcing to support
        youth-led and youth-owned initiatives in Antwerp
• Provide ongoing support, mentorship, and training to participating youth teams throughout the programme
• Facilitate collaboration and co-created initiatives with Municipal leaders to help amplify youth voices and
        channel the support of local government to enhance youth-led projects

By joining Young Cities, you will get the chance to build a range of critical skills – including project management, public speaking, branding and marketing, budget management, and proposal writing – while building your local networks and gaining hands-on experience in developing and managing your own initiative.

ELIGIBILITY:
• You must apply as a team of at least 4 people
• A maximum of 6 people can attend the training, although you may work with more people to deliver the
        project after the workshop
•      Your project must address an issue that affects social cohesion in your community (examples of eligible
        topics: discrimination, hate speech, disinformation, bullying, civic participation, local governance, gender-
        based violence or harassment.)
• You and the team must be committed to attending the full workshop from 8-11 April
• You and the team must be committed to implementing your project in the months that follow if funded
• All team members must meet the following criteria:
            o Aged 18-29
            o Living in Antwerp long-term
            o Committed to attending the FULL training and delivering the team's project
            o Open to new ideas and willing to work with people from different backgrounds

HOW TO APPLY:

Please complete this google form, and only submit once per team.

You will be asked to describe the challenge that your team would like to focus on, and how you would address it with your project. Applications will be judged by how well they address the challenge, as well as their creativity and originality. Projects can be brand new or an addition to an existing project. They can include online and offline activities.

While your campaigns can be done in any local language, the workshop will be delivered in English.

Application deadline: 25 March, 2022
*Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis though, so apply early! We can only accept 4 teams.

If you have any questions or would like more information, please email us at mla@isdglobal.org