10 youth-led initiatives driving equitable transition and skills training selected from Europe, Middle East & Africa

The Schneider Electric Foundation has announced the first 10 winners of its global "Youth Innovation for a Sustainable Future" Call for Projects, launched in celebration of the Foundation's 25th anniversary. The winning initiatives, selected from over hundreds of applications across 3 continents, are spearheading innovative solutions for a more sustainable world through a just transition, skills training, and entrepreneurship.

“Youth Innovation For A Sustainable Future”: A Global Call for Contributions 

The call for contributions, titled ‘Youth Innovation For A Sustainable Future’ organised with Ashoka’s program Changemaker Companies, aims to identify the 25 most impactful and innovative youth-serving projects, from each regions participating in the project (Africa & Middle East, Europe, America, Asia). This global call for contributions focuses on professional training, entrepreneurship, and a fair transition, with a 50,000-euro prize to be awarded to the winning project during the COP29 climate summit in Baku, Azerbaijan. The selected projects will also gain enhanced visibility Schneider Electric’s Foundation and Ashoka’s global channels and networks. 

Gilles Vermot-Desroches, Senior Vice President of Schneider Electric Corporate Citizenship and Institutional Affairs and General delegate of the Schneider Electric Foundation declared: “The younger generation is playing an influential role in how we shape tomorrow's innovative solutions. From the outset, our Foundation has valued the contribution of youth, and therefore, considers the importance of supporting young people to nurture both future generations and our planet.”

“Youth Innovation For A Sustainable Future”: Winners in Europe 

The 2024 "Youth Innovation for a Sustainable Future" European winners are:

1. Odyssea (Greece) - Empowering youth to become sustainability entrepreneurs through hands-on training in green business modeling.

2. ETRE - Réseau des écoles de la transition écologique(France) - A network of schools providing training programs to facilitate the ecological transition.

3. Youth STEM 2030 (UK) - Engaging underprivileged youth in STEM education and green skills development.

4. OPENS (Serbia) - Fostering an open community for knowledge exchange on energy solutions and sustainability.

5. Play4Peace (Belgium) - Empowering underprivileged youth in urban environments by providing educational support, professional training, and sports programs. 

“Youth Innovation For A Sustainable Future”: Winners in Middle-East & Africa

The 2024 "Youth Innovation for a Sustainable Future" Middle Eastern & African winners are:

1. Ukuzola (Cameroon) - Empower social and environmental entrepreneurs through co-living, enabling them to tackle global social and environmental challenges effectively and sustainably.

2. Gigando Pela Paz (DRC) – Protect youth affected by armed violence and other vulnerabilities through social Capoeira, combining sport, culture and citizenship education.

3. Mentor Arabia (Lebanon) - Empower Arab youth to prevent risky behaviors through capacity development, awareness, knowledge dissemination, and strategic partnerships.

4. Community Action for Advancing Sustainable Development, (Cameroon) - create more opportunities for inclusive growth and poverty reduction so as to enhance sustainable development initiatives in the country.

5. Young Emerging Farmers Initiative (Zambia) - Empower youth in rural and urban areas to participate in agricultural activities that efficiently contribute to creating wealth and employment in Zambia, and Africa as a whole.

‘25 Years Young’: A Celebration of Youth and 25 Years of Action 

Founded in 1999 under the aegis of the Foundation de France, the Schneider Electric Foundation supports changemakers driving sustainable development, promoting social inclusion, and empowering communities worldwide. Throughout 2024, the foundation will celebrate the world’s youth by raising awareness of their social and environmental impact and mobilising the support of company employees. The high point of these celebrations was the launch of this global call for contributions with the foundation’s social entrepreneurship partner, Ashoka. 

Ever since its creation, the Schneider Electric Foundation has been a pioneer in supporting positive initiatives to tackle growing social challenges and many innovations are driven by young people from around the world. The foundation is honoring them on its 25th anniversary by supporting their future, our future, helping them to make an impact for a fairer energy transition.