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YGC Community Origins
Young Global Changers (YGCs)are developing and implementing ideas to bring positive change on a global, regional, or local level. These changemakers are students, young academics and professionals, entrepreneurs and non-profit leaders, particularly from diverse backgrounds. Over the last several decades, we have been witnessing significant economic growth in many parts of the world. At the same time, we are seeing a rise in inequality, an exacerbating climate crisis and a rising sense of disempowerment. This trend can be described as the decoupling of economic prosperity from social prosperity and environmental sustainability. The Global Solutions Initiative aims to address this trend by generating proposals to better align economic and political activities with environmental sustainability and social prosperity.
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More InformationWe believe that in this endeavor to bring about change, giving a voice to the younger generation is crucial – after all, it is the younger generation who will be most affected by today’s actions and inaction on the global political stage. That is why the Global Solutions Initiative created the Young Global Changers Program in 2017. It strives to empower young changemakers from around the world to become a distinguishable voice on the most pressing global issues – not only to make their demands heard but also to present their own approaches to finding “global solutions” for a better future.
At its inception, the young global changers were invited to attend the Global Solutions Summer and Winter Schools where they connected with other emerging leaders from around the global to engage with researchers, experts and stakeholders from politics, business and society to discuss current global challenges and how to address them.
Since 2022, the Young Global Changers community reimagined and realigned focus to recognizing these young changemakers on the international stage during the Global Solutions Summit where they have to opportunity to present their innovative projects that align economic and political activities with environmental sustainability and social prosperity to a jury from business, non-profit, and civil society backgrounds in a chance to win a Recoupling Award.
Recoupling-projects must be guided by a people-centric approach that puts the needs and voices of their stakeholders, customers and communities at the center. The jury looks for unique and original approaches or projects that address specific issues which have previously been neglected. Projects must be beyond the idea phase and can include social businesses as well as nonprofit activities. Examples of previous projects can be found here.