Social Impact Analysis

$ 1 : 16

For every $1 of value invested, One Young World Ambassadors deliver $16 of social value, based on a Social Return on Investment analysis of 45 Ambassador-led initiatives addressing the 17 Sustainable Development Goals in 2023

SDG Impact Tracker

    Interested in supporting impactful initiatives led by young leaders? Search this database of over 430 projects from the One Young World Community to find out more.

    Voices of Self-made

    Voices of Self is an initiative with the purpose of inspiring, empowering, and encouraging young people in Japan and around the world to become global leaders by sharing and exchanging the mindsets

    Voices of Self-made - Japan

    Kiyoka Tokumasu
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    6

    SROI

    Kiyoka founded Voices of Self-made as a university student with the purpose of inspiring, empowering, and encouraging young people in Japan and around the world to become global leaders by sharing and exchanging the mindsets and experiences of leaders and professionals of the world.


    Kiyoka attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021, as a One Young World Japan Delegate. She has since become an active member of One Young World Japan, where she organised and moderated the Student Pitch Event U18 Youth Leaders in Japan working on SDG-related initiatives in the lead-up to the Summit in Manchester 2022. In 2023, she was part of the organising committee of One Young World Japan’s Sustainability x Social Entrepreneurship Spring Camp in collaboration with the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) in Okinawa, Japan.


    Voices of Self-made has organised 10 events so far in Japan including events with leaders from a diverse range of fields including diplomats, business leaders, and professional Paralympic athletes and coaches. Currently, Voices of Self-made has 20 members, but the organisation’s events are open to all young people in Japan interested in their initiatives.

     

    I think it really gave me the network and the connections, for not only just inviting those leaders to the events that I host, but also it gives me constant inspiration and motivation to be part of this global leadership community. I've also been able to get involved with One Young World Japan’s activities like the spring camp in Okinawa, and the StudentPitch Event.”

    Hope Behind Bars Africa

    Hope Behind Bars is a female-led social impact organisation addressing inequalities in Nigeria’s criminal justice system.

    Hope Behind Bars Africa - Nigeria

    Oluwafunke Adeoye
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    19

    SROI

    Oluwafunke created Hope Behind Bars in 2018, as a female-led social impact organisation addressing inequalities in Nigeria’s criminal justice system. Originally inspired by wrongful accusations against her father, Oluwafunke began offering pro-bono services to prisoners and shared her story online, which led to people offering to volunteer and her starting Hope Behind Bars Africa. The organisation’s scope now goes beyond free legal services and is attempting to reform the criminal justice system in the country.


    Oluwafunke attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021. Listening to other Ambassadors, as well as her participation on a digital panel with Robert Spano, Former President of the European Court of Human Rights, motivated Oluwafunke to scale her work towards facilitating systemic change. She has since now partnered with the Ministry of Justice and the Legal Aid Council to address issues of false imprisonment and prisoner’s rights.


    Hope Behind Bars has so far directly impacted over 7,000 people. Of these, 397 people have received free direct legal support, while 4,000 have gone through the organisation’s welfare intervention, skills empowerment and reintegration programmes. In partnership with the Cornell University Centre on the Death Penalty, Hope Behind Bars has provided capacity-building training to 200 lawyers and law students. They have also leveraged technology to create legal awareness to more than 2,000 individuals to help them know and assert their rights. Oluwafunke has also co-authored learning resources for pro-bono lawyers. Hope Behind Bars trained women in prison in tailoring and sewing, who made around 1,400 reusable face masks during the pandemic. The organisation has developed an app to connect lawyers with pro-bono work, with over 1,000 users. Since its founding, Hope Behind Bars has saved over 200,000 hours of prison time for the wrongly incarcerated and has cut time spent awaiting trial by 50%. 

     

    “Talking to people during the Summit and hearing them affirm the importance of my work in different contexts made me realise the need to bring a system change approach to my work”

    DreamSpace Academy

    DreamSpace Academy is a social enterprise designed to tackle local socio-economic and environmental challenges by offering challenge-based learning, grassroots innovation and impact venture buildin

    DreamSpace Academy - Sri Lanka

    Aravinth Panch, Kishoth Navaretnajarah
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    12

    SROI

    Aravinth and Kishoth founded DreamSpace Academy as a social enterprise designed to tackle local socio-economic and environmental challenges by offering challenge-based learning, grassroots innovation and impact venture building. Aravinth’s experiences as a refugee, exiled from his country for ten years, led him to launch DreamSpace Academy as a means to develop innovative social enterprises and infrastructure in Sri Lanka.


    Aravinth first attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021, and then returned in Manchester, 2022, where he spoke on the Presentation Stage about his story and work. He was impressed with the number of young people acting to solve the world’s challenges, and he used the opportunity presented by the Summit to successfully maximise his network and make connections with fellow Ambassadors. Aravinth’s co-founder, Kishoth, became a One Young World Ambassador in Manchester, 2022. 


    Through their DreamSpace Lifecycle programme, Aravinth and Kishoth’s team identify young people from underserved communities that are motivated to generate change. These young people receive extensive training with interdisciplinary skills to help them develop grassroots, innovative enterprises of their own. DreamSpace Academy helps these young changemakers partner with international experts, thereby ensuring that they have the comprehensive skillset and exposure necessary to excel in their respective fields. So far, nine changemakers have graduated from this programme. DreamSpace Academy has also trained more than 1,400 people with vocational skills, with 14 innovations and 19 ventures having been built by their changemakers and incubatees in topics ranging from media information literacy, microbiology, local manufacturing, software engineering, arts and business development. Aravinth, Kishoth, and their team also work on environmental issues, women’s empowerment, peacebuilding and reconciliation, and rural development.

     

    “When we talk about our problems, we think they are the biggest thing in the world, but then you get to the Summit and see that the whole world is full of challenges and that there are a lot of people working; in every small part of the world there is someone trying to solve a big challenge. And that’s what you learn from One Young World, and meeting such people, you feel that you are not alone. That is very important.”

    Imagine Apps

    Imagine Apps is a software development company with the aim to become Colombia’s first global software company while creating opportunities for Latin American talent to help economic growth.

    Imagine Apps - Colombia

    Nicolás Rojas
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    7

    SROI

    Nicolás co-founded Imagine Apps with the aim to make it Colombia’s first global software company. In doing so, he has focused his attention on creating opportunities for Colombian and Latin American talent to stop the region’s ongoing brain drain. Colombia in particular is predicted to have a digital talent gap of 60,000 to 112,000 software developers by 2025 [1]. Nicolás is the youngest person in Colombia to speak at a TEDx conference, and has developed a significant online following through which he offers courses and guidance on navigating the burgeoning tech space in Colombia and the region more widely. 


    Nicolás attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021, which allowed him to hear different perspectives on social projects and businesses, which in turn helped spur him to new ideas and opportunities. The Summit experience also inspired him to scale his work by developing world class technology in Colombia. Nicolás has kept in touch with other Ambassadors, and routinely discusses possible future collaborations and meetups within the One Young World Community in the country. 


    One of Imagine Apps’ flagship technologies is a digital platform that supports citizen security, designed to help the ongoing implementation of the peace process in Colombia. The software provides authorities with aggregate data and straightforward reports on the status of crime, development, and social variables within local communities, to improve governance and decision-making. Developed with Fundación Ideas para la Paz, an NGO committed to the development of communities in remote locations, the platform has been used by more than 300 of the 1,102 municipalities in Colombia. At the same time, Imagine Apps has helped to create a new generation of Colombian tech talent, by training 100 employees at Imagine Apps.

     

    “Getting to interact at the Summit with people from different parts of the world that are working in such diverse projects really changed my mindset. It gave me a tonne of new ideas and opportunities, and motivated me to dream bigger.”

    Mentors4U Colombia

    Mentors4U Colombia is a non-profit organisation that identifies, supports and connects low-income students with career opportunities through their mentoring programme. 

    Mentors4U Colombia - Colombia

    Yineth Paola Renteria Martinez
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    13

    SROI

    Mentors4U Colombia was co-founded in 2017 by young Colombians, after noticing the socio-economic barriers and professional challenges to accessing the labour market in their country. The non-profit organisation identifies, supports and connects low-income students with career opportunities through their mentoring programme. Yineth was a mentee of the original programme in Colombia. After graduating, she became their Director of Operations, and then COO, where she replicated the programme throughout Colombia.


    Yineth attended the One Young World Summit in Bogotá, 2017, as a fellow of The Jang-Calderón Family Foundation in 2017. Being part of the One Young World Community, especially in Colombia, has given her the opportunity to expand her work with Mentors4U Colombia. Yineth created a mentorship programme for Ambassadors that are part of the One Young World network in the country as a pilot in 2019. The feedback and knowledge she gained from this experiment proved vital to the project’s later success. Through One Young World, Yineth has been connected with both local and international opportunities, and has been involved with the Latin American Leadership Academy.


    Mentors4U Colombia has successfully organised seven mentorship programmes, impacting over 500 students, and the project has been successfully replicated through partner organisations in four other countries. Their mentorship programme lasts between six to seven months on average, with mentors and mentees meeting up to four hours a month on a one-to-one basis. The organisation provides skills building opportunities through workshops, as well as guidelines and advice, to mentors and mentees alike, to ensure that both parties get the most out of their time together. Mentors4U Colombia also reduces social gaps when it comes to accessing the labour market. Their methodology has been used to advise universities, businesses and non-governmental organisations in Colombia to create their own mentoring programmes, and the organisation has partnered with university alumni associations and companies to source its mentors.

     

    “I think that One Young World gives hope for young people to keep working despite the challenges they face daily to change the world. Being part of the One Young World Community, especially in Colombia, has been a great opportunity to expand my work with Mentors4U because they had me create a mentorship pilot programme for other Ambassadors in 2019.”

    SMART Liberia

    SMART Liberia provides young Liberians with connections to the relevant skills, resources and information necessary for enabling social change in their country and internationally.

    SMART Liberia - Liberia

    Ahmed Konneh
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    11

    SROI

    Ahmed co-founded SMART Liberia in 2011, as a result of his experience as a high school graduate looking for mentorship opportunities and resources to access higher education. SMART Liberia’s work is focused on three strategic areas: the Education Advancement Project, a university preparatory programme for high school graduates; the Youth Entrepreneurship Programme, an incubation service for young Liberian entrepreneurs; and the Professional Development Programme, designed to facilitate the entry of university graduates into the professional world. 


    Ahmed attended the One Young World Summit in Munich 2021, as a European Commission Peace Ambassador. He was a signatory of the “Declaration on the future of Peacebuilding and Leadership”, along with his fellow Peace Ambassadors, which was published on International Peace Day in 2021. As a result of his One Young World experience, Ahmed made important connections, and was able to leverage his growing network to continue developing as a young leader. 


    SMART Liberia maintains its own space, known as the Changemakers Village, which has emerged as a hub for young people from all walks of life to come together and pursue their dreams and entrepreneurial ideas. It also functions as a co-working space. Through their Education Advancement Project they have supported 34 students to study abroad on fully or partially funded scholarships, with SMART Liberia providing advice and preparatory aid throughout their application process. The organisation has also been instrumental in the launch and incubation of 40 new businesses in Liberia through its incubation programme, while 100 university graduates have successfully gotten internships through SMART Liberia’s Job Readiness programme. In addition to these landmark projects, the organisation has hosted several other events in entrepreneurial spaces, reaching over 2,000 people.

     

    “There were a lot of leadership lessons and seminars that I attended that tremendously impacted me in a positive way. I also made a lot of connections at the Summit, and some of these people were very useful in helping me figure things out and set things up. So I would say the knowledge and the network were two of the most important benefits of the Summit.”

    Al Sudaniya Mentoring

    Al Sudaniya Mentoring is a non-profit that offers support and guidance through mentorship to women in Sudan to develop their personal and professional skills.

    Al Sudaniya Mentoring - Sudan

    Mai Khidir
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    14

    SROI

    Mai founded Al Sudaniya Mentoring (ASM) in 2013, following her participation in the MILEAD Fellowship, led by the Moremi Initiative and based in Ghana. As part of this fellowship, Mai was tasked with implementing a community-based project in her home country. Al Sudaniya Mentoring offers support and guidance through mentorship to women in Sudan to develop their personal and professional skills. Throughout the six-month mentorship programme, women are provided with tailored, holistic, one-to-one mentoring with female Sudanese role models, informative workshops, and the opportunity to implement impactful projects of their own.


    Mai attended the One Young World Summit in The Hague, 2018, on an Enterprise for Peace Scholarship supported by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She has continued to be an active member of the Community and has attended One Young World events in London, such as the London Caucus in the British Museum and the European Commission’s Peace Caucus in 2021.


    In the first year of the mentorship programme, five girls graduated. Currently, there are more than 280 women involved in the project as both mentors and mentees. In addition, mentees have the opportunity to become mentors once they have graduated from the programme. 93% of mentees reported that the programme was very useful in building towards their professional goals, while 87% of mentees maintained contact with the ASM community after completion of the programme. Since graduating from ASM, 87% of mentees have helped at least one other Sudanese woman to develop both personally and professionally and 72% of mentees have gone on to obtain full or part-time employment.

     

    “If there is one thing I have learnt during my time at One Young World, it is that everyone has something to offer, and we all have a purpose, it has been truly empowering. We must find out what we are passionate about and work hard to make our dreams a reality.”

    Lumen Energy Solutions

    Lumen Energy Solutions offesr a scientific approach towards energy efficiency with low investment and high impact measures for industrial and commercial clients.

    Lumen Energy Solutions - Honduras

    Jinsu Chang
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    16

    SROI

    Jinsu co-founded Lumen Energy Solutions in 2019 to tackle the challenges faced by companies looking to implement sustainability measures without negatively impacting business. At the time of Lumen Energy Solutions’ founding, only 45.96% of total final energy consumption in Honduras was from renewable sources, a fall of 6.4% from the previous year. Lumen Energy Solutions has developed a scientific approach to lower traditionally high costs of the transition to renewable energies in the country.


    Jinsu attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021. The Summit inspired him to lead more sustainably and introduce a more comprehensive approach towards a broader range of Sustainable Development Goals, including gender equality and decent work and economic growth, within Lumen Energy Solutions. Despite being a small company, Jinsu has incorporated an obligation to create impactful and sustainable change both within and through his organisation. 


    Lumen Energy Solutions, a data-driven and IoT focused energy efficiency company, helps its clients reduce energy cost and waste in their day-to-day business operations. The initiative’s approach is based on analysing specific processes within client organisations to determine sources of energy wastage. In doing so, Lumen Energy Solutions successfully facilitates the implementation of sustainable business practices within companies that lack the economic capacity to otherwise complete an energy transition. Jinsu and his team work with industrial clients in 16 different fields, and have begun expanding into the commercial sector. Their work incurs a significantly lower cost for their clients than alternative energy saving programmes by focusing on behavioural and operational shifts to reduce energy waste. Through these measures, they have been able to save approximately 28,000 metric tonnes of carbon emissions, the equivalent of 6,000 cars per year. 

     

    “The greatest value of One Young World has been the ability to see other young leaders around the world with their own initiatives, their efforts, energy, and passion. I think I’ve become a more well-rounded leader.”

    Aquality

    Aquality is a charitable water bottle brand that acts as a sustainable donation stream for key partners working to provide clean water in East Africa. 

    Aquality - United States

    Bethany Lueers
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    11

    SROI

    Bethany was inspired to create Aquality on her travels around the world, during which she noticed the extent of the global water crisis and the difficulty of accessing safe water, particularly in underserved communities. As of 2020, two billion people do not have access to safely managed water services, with up to 1.2 billion of those lacking even a basic level of service.


    Bethany attended the One Young World Summit in London, 2019, during which she listened to a keynote speaker discuss the water crisis. Bethany credits this as the moment in which she decided to create a practical, tangible product that would help address the issue. The Summit inspired her to take the leap from idea to action and she began working on Aquality.


    Aquality acts as a sustainable donation stream for key partners working to provide clean water in East Africa. The initiative donates its profits from water bottle sales to partners operating on the ground in Africa, facilitating the building of clean water sources by covering material and labour costs. The water bottles are made of double-walled stainless steel and are reusable. They also come with a QR code that allows buyers to keep track of the project their purchase is supporting. Aquality has sold 1,182 bottles to 212 customers, and provided 600 people in local communities in East Africa with safe access to clean water and sanitation training. The water sources Aquality has so far facilitated the construction of are expected to provide clean water to local communities for upwards of 20 years.

     

    “During my time at the Summit, I appreciated the magnitude of diversity, not only culturally but of ideas and approaches towards solving the SDGs. It helped me realise the interconnectedness and scope of all the SDGs, and it inspired me to do what I’m passionate about.”

    Menstrual Hygiene Friendly Spaces

    Menstrual Hygiene Friendly Spaces advocates for menstrual hygiene measures and the sexual and reproductive rights of menstruators.

    Menstrual Hygiene Friendly Spaces - India

    Aashraya Seth
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    26

    SROI

    Aashraya founded the Intelligent Indian in 2019 as an umbrella initiative through which he has worked on several projects including climate justice and alleviating period poverty. In India, period poverty has led to 1 out of 5 girls dropping out of school after they begin menstruating. Aashraya founded Menstrual Hygiene Friendly Spaces (MHFS) to advocate for menstrual hygiene measures and the sexual and reproductive rights of underserved and tribal menstruators. MHFS' approach includes not only awareness raising, but innovation, advocacy, and in-kind support for young menstruators, particularly within the country's education system. 


    Aashraya attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021. Despite attending virtually, he was able to easily connect with Ambassadors throughout the world and is active within the Community in India. Since becoming an Ambassador, Aashraya has been selected as one of 50 Leading Lights for the Asia-Pacific region, moderated a panel on SDG 3 Good Health and Wellbeing during the 2022 One Young World Asia Caucus, and spoke in One Young World’s Shine A Light panel series. Aashraya’s profile as an impactful young leader has developed significantly as a result of his involvement in the Community. 


    MHFS helps 58,000 school-going menstruators access free sustainable menstrual products every month, and has trained 5,000 women and girls in marginalised rural communities to make their own cloth pads, with most earning £50 a month. Aashraya invented India's most affordable and non-electric sanitary pad vending machine, known as a Pad Bank, each of which holds 25 biodegradable pads and costs only £20. MHFS’ most recent project is a chatbot that will serve as a one-stop platform for women and girls to ask questions about sexual and reproductive health. In total, MHFS has impacted over 60,000 menstruators with educational curriculum to help achieve bodily autonomy and SRH rights.

     

    “The One Young World is an excellent network of young leaders. The community is very well connected and provides exceptional opportunities to its Ambassadors, to engage, work collaboratively around the globe and make a difference on a large-scale.”

    SHOAW Gambia

    SHOAW Gambia is an initiative that provides safe spaces for victims of online gender-based violence for them to share their stories and receive counselling.

    SHOAW Gambia - Gambia

    Anna Annet Sambou
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    17

    SROI

    Anna Anet is the founder and CEO of Stop Harassment and Online Abuse of Women and Girls - The Gambia (SHOAW Gambia), an initiative that provides safe spaces for victims of online gender-based violence for them to share their stories and receive counselling. The organisation also aims to address, prevent and eradicate online harassment and abuse of women and girls through a community engagement approach.


    Anna Anet attended the One Young World Summit in The Hague, 2018, as an Enterprise for Peace Scholar, and attended again in Munich, 2021. Being a One Young World Ambassador has enabled her to scale her work online and offline. She has partnered with the Dutch Government through their Embassy in Senegal to implement the Feminism and Social Media in the Eyes of The Gambia (FASOM_GM) project, which trained 1,000 young people and 500 women on addressing online gender-based violence.


    SHOAW has successfully graduated three cohorts of free certification training sessions as part of its Youth Mentorship Programme, amounting to 150 graduates between 13 and 19 years old. The training lasts for six months, covering topics such as the prevention of online harassment, cybersecurity, leadership, entrepreneurial skills, and human rights. The initiative has conducted two bootcamps in rural communities, teaching 150 women and girls about online harassment, menstrual health management, and other gender-related issues. SHOAW has trained 1,000 high school students on digital safety and cyberbullying and engaged with 150 community elders on the issue of online violence. The SHOAW team have held 12 radio advocacy sessions, and have facilitated training sessions and workshops on cyberbullying, data protection, and privacy for universities and corporates in the country.

     

    “Being a One Young World Ambassador has given me recognition and opened doors for collaboration, which has contributed to the impact of my work in the Gambia.”

    AFPHY

    AFPHY is an organisation that combats gender-based violence and discrimination in Mauritania, through economic empowerment for women and investment in quality education for girls.

    AFPHY - Mauritania

    Dickel Dia
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    7

    SROI

    Dickel founded AFPHY in 2017, with the aim of combatting gender-based violence and discrimination in Mauritania, particularly in rural areas, through the creation of employment opportunities for the economic empowerment of women who did not have access to education. Only 4% women are enrolled in tertiary education in Mauritania while women comprise 33.6% of the Mauritanian labour force. As a survivor of sexual assault and FGM, Dickel is passionate about helping girls and women in her community and country. 


    Dickel attended the One Young World Summit in London, 2019, as a Delegate Speaker, where she shared her story for the first time in front of over 2,000 people. Dickel’s involvement with One Young World has continued after the Summit. AFPHY received $20,000 as part of One Young World’s COVID Young Leaders Fund for their COVInitiative programme through which they trained 99 victims of sexual violence to produce soap and 5,000 face masks during the COVID-19 pandemic, reaching 10,000 Mauritanians. 


    AFPHY’s broad focus has allowed it to create a range of programmes in Mauritanian communities, impacting over 12,000 people, from providing school supplies at low cost to over 300 students in a local high school, training 102 women in agriculture, providing financial education, materials, and funds to help launch a business, and helping start a local cooperative bank for 235 women. In 2023, AFPHY will open the doors of its open space office, which is designed to support new non-governmental organisations in Mauritania by helping them operate without needing to finance their own offices.

     

    “One Young World changed my life. It gave me the courage and the opportunity to tell my story for the very first time in front of more than 2,000 people. Meeting all those people having smart ideas, experiences, exchanging with them really changed my perspective and the way that I see things.”

    FORUFEDA

    FORUFEDA is a non-governmental organisation committed to advancing education for women and girls in rural areas of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. 

    FORUFEDA - Nigeria

    Sandra Akunna Ejiofor
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    18

    SROI

    Sandra Akunna is a young leader who founded the Foundation for Rural Female Development in Africa (FORUFEDA) in 2019, a non-governmental organisation committed to advancing education for women and girls in rural areas of Nigeria and Sub-Saharan Africa. Her mission is to empower young women to unlock their full potential and tackle the pervasive issue of child labour in her country. Akunna recognizes the alarming statistic that 60% of the ten million children out of school in Nigeria are girls, and 30% of girls between nine and twelve have never attended school. To address this critical challenge, she has focused on rural areas often overlooked by other non-governmental organisations.


    Akunna's experience attending the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021, profoundly impacted her perspective. The Summit reinforced her commitment to the cause of gender equality and inspired her to expand her online and offline efforts. As a One Young World Ambassador, Sandra is actively engaged in the Berlin Community and has benefited from the mentorship of other Ambassadors, which has further honed her leadership skills.


    FORUFEDA's impact has been remarkable. It began by sending five girls to school and has since expanded to provide 3,932 educational resources to girls in rural communities. The organisation has also supported 50 girls on full scholarships to pursue their education and trained 20 women in new skills through rigorous five-month training courses, with 15 studying business management and five in STEM. In addition, they provide psychological assistance to victims of gender-based violence. FORUFEDA is a successful initiative providing crucial support and STEAM education to girls at all levels, from primary school to university.

     

    “Attending the Summit just made me confirm my decision to create impact for Sub-Saharan African women, it gave me the energy and the confidence I needed. Being an Ambassador has helped me accelerate my leadership skills, I see myself taking up more leadership roles.”

    Warmi STEM

    Warmi STEM is an organisation that aims to empower indigenous women in Ecuador and encourage their participation in STEM fields.

    Warmi STEM - Ecuador

    Leticia Lisseth Tituaña Picuasi
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    2

    SROI

    Leticia is a chemical engineer by profession, and was the first woman of her indigenous community based in northern Ecuador to access higher education. During her time at university, she met mentors that inspired her to give back and share the knowledge she had gained. She founded Warmi STEM in 2019 to empower indigenous women and encourage their participation in STEM fields. Leticia was introduced to other indigenous women in 2020 through the Fundación Kichwa Institute of Science, Technology and Humanities (KISTH), of which she is also a co-founder, and they joined Warmi.


    Leticia attended the One Young World Summit in Munich, 2021. She has since helped other young indigenous women from Ecuador participate in national and international events through her mentorship and advisory roles in the community. Leticia has advised other indigenous women applying for international scholarships, with her KISTH co-founder, One Young World Ambassador Janeth Bonilla, winning a scholarship to the Summit in Manchester, 2022, following her successful participation in another programme supported by Leticia.


    Warmi STEM has worked to promote STEM fields by directly engaging over 200 students in four indigenous communities in person and another ten communities online. The organisation’s STEM workshop lasts for four hours and introduces participants to a broad range of science-based topics as well as the arts. The workshops are free, and students are only expected to bring food to share as part of the learning process, in keeping with Kichwa tradition and culture. In the future, Leticia aims to reach more communities and continue tackling the stigma around education for women in indigenous communities in Ecuador.

     

    “My experience following the Summit motivated me to work even harder, and build up my team at Warmi STEM. Attending the Summit virtually made me conscious of how important in-person activities are, and it inspired me to continue my in-person activities with more communities. It also made me conscious of how important it is to look after yourself, mentally and physically as a young leader in order to keep working.”

    Wasel for Awareness & Education

    Wasel for Awareness & Education is a non-governmental organisation working on economic empowerment, social empowerment, and civic engagement in Jordan.

    Wasel for Awareness & Education - Jordan

    Lynn Malkawi
    Ambassador-led Initiative

    16

    SROI

    Lynn established Wasel for Awareness & Education in 2018 as a non-governmental organisation working on economic empowerment, social empowerment, and civic engagement in Jordan. The project began as a school programme with a focus on bringing young people of different backgrounds together to break stereotypes. Motivated by the youth unemployment rate in Jordan, which stands at around 40.3%, Lynn pivoted to creating entrepreneurship programmes and training to help facilitate the growth of the social enterprise sector in the country. Lynn is also the founder of Mehnaty, a company working to accelerate people’s career development through mentorship services.

    Lynn attended the One Young World Summit in London, 2019, on an Enterprise for Peace Scholarship. She was motivated by the Delegate Speakers and their stories to think outside of the box, reach out to other Ambassadors, and learn how she could use those connections further down the line for collaborations. Lynn has maintained connections with the One Young World Community in Jordan.

    Wasel for Awareness & Education has three main programmes. Shabbek wa Bader, their school programme, has impacted 462 students in 21 schools across 360 sessions, and has been instrumental in the launch of 15 social initiatives. It involves partnering students from private and public schools once a week to learn about Wasel’s methodology on community organising and project management. Shabbek wa Ibtaker, their entrepreneurship programme for young people, has so far held nine rounds spanning 366 sessions, and has resulted in 79 young people receiving grants or incubation opportunities to date. Wasel’s citizenship engagement programme has reached 1,401 participants and taught them about human rights, labour laws, and the Jordanian constitution, and has resulted in five policy papers written and published. These policy papers have been shared and discussed by policymakers within the country.

     

    “The Summit impacted me because I got to meet many people that were extremely different to myself, it inspired me to think about the box. I’ve stayed in touch with many fellow Ambassadors with the possibility of collaborating and learning from each other, we have even tried applying for funding as a consortium.”

    How to use to the SDG Tracker

    Search for projects by the following case study categories:

     

    • Ambassador-led Initiatives: qualitative and quantitative analysis of the social impact of projects which are led by young leaders in the Community.
    • Business for Social Good: written case studies for initiatives ran by corporate partner organisations, led by young Ambassadors/employees.
    • Leadership Biographies: short biographies of Ambassadors who are growing into influential leaders for social good in some of the world’s largest companies, organisations, and in government.
    • One Young World Funded Projects: detailed case studies of grant recipients from One Young World's funding opportunities, including Lead2030, Rebuilding Communities, and the COVID Young Leaders Fund.

    Annual Impact Reports (2016-2022)

    Download One Young World's Annual Impact Reports from past years:

    2016

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    2017

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    2018

    Impact Report

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    2019

    Impact Report

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    2020

    Impact Report

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    2021

    Impact Report

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    2022

    Impact Report

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