Applications are open for the EcoHeroes Initiative 2023/2024 for African secondary school students. Green Growth Africa is implementing the ‘EcoHeroes Initiative’ to empower African youths with action competencies by acquiring and applying their classroom knowledge and skills gained in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Arts to address environmental and social challenges within their local communities. The EcoHeroes Initiative focuses on raising a new generation of a 21st-century green workforce skilled at developing solutions to 21st-century challenges.
In view of providing hands-on and practice-oriented environmental education for African youths, the EcoHeroes Initiative (formerly known as the Environmental Education Programme, EEP) employs a “co-creation and learners’-centred approach” for effective participation, ownership, and leadership of the students in the entire scope and lifecycle of the programme. The EcoHeroes Initiative leverages the enthusiasm, creativity, technology savvy, resilience and exploratory spirit of the youth in identifying environmental challenges in their locality, conceptualising and applying their classroom STEM knowledge to implement innovative solutions that address both environmental and socioeconomic needs in Africa, particularly in their local communities.
The 2023/2024 EcoHeroes Initiatives invites application from students in Secondary Schools across Africa to identify environmental problems in their communities and develop solutions focused on Sustainable Development in these three thematic pillars, namely; Sustainable Energy; Sustainable Transportation; and Climate Change.
Requirements
Students teams must be from Secondary schools in any of the African countries, previous teams of past EcoHeroes Initiative cohorts and EcoHeroes Clubs are welcomed to apply.
Each secondary school will be represented by a team comprising of at least Ten (10) students and a coordinating teacher. 50% of the students in the team should be girls (this would be waved for same sex (boys-only/girls-only) schools. However, more students and teachers are allowed depending on the nature of their project.
Each team is expected to identify any environmental challenges/needs in their local communities, brainstorm and ideate solution(s) to address this need/challenge.
Only innovative and inspiring project ideas that are in line with the three thematic areas of Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Transportation and Climate Change will be considered. Project ideas must also express and give room for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and other green skills.
The period of project completion must be within 3 to 4 months.
Benefits
Each selected team will receive;
Mentorship support from international and local experts as technical advisors to refine and help with the implementation of the project through quality mentorship and advisory.
Capacity development through critical thinking, hands-on project implementation, online webinar presentation and training.
Training of coordinating teachers on Education for Sustainable Development.
Funding of up to 400 USD for the implementation of each project idea for new schools while schools that have previously benefitted from EcoHeroes Initiative formerly known as Environmental Education Programme(EEP) will be funded up to 200 USD.
Certificate of participation for students’ team.
Certificate of recognition for coordinating teachers and letter of recommendation for exceptional teachers.
Opportunity to share project outcomes with other secondary school students across the globe.
Leverage on the global visibility and publicity of #GreenGrowthAfrica and its partners.
At the completion of the projects, additional monetary prize will be awarded to the top three “EcoHeroes” Clubs with the most innovative and impactful projects to support the operation of their club after the completion of their projects sponsored within EcoHeroes Initiative.
Application procedure and deadline
Applications can be completed through the online portal. Application deadline is October 15, 2023.
