Mediterranean Youth Climate Heroes Contest, Apply now !!

Objective

The purpose of this contest is to select about 50 youth from the Mediterranean region and invite them to participate in a Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change organized by the Centre for Mediterranean Integration (CMI) and its technical partners. This Forum will take place in the summer of 2020 in a Mediterranean country or remotely through videoconference.

To select the youth participants, the CMI is launching a Mediterranean-wide contest, the Mediterranean Youth Climate Heroes Contest. It is based on a broadly circulated call for best practices and innovative ideas to combat climate change in the Mediterranean region (these can take the form of community-based projects, research papers, policy briefs, business cases, social events, concrete mitigation or adaptation projects, etc.). The most active and innovative youth from the region will be invited to participate and showcase their work during the Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change.

Background

The Mediterranean is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change in the world. In the coming decades, the region will be prone to stresses and shocks that will tremendously affect its social and economic models. In order to address these future challenges, youth have a key role to play.

With an aim to foster comprehension of the climate change phenomenon and to increase regional and local capacities, the CMI is organizing this Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change.

It will consist of a series of presentations, plenary sessions and roundtable discussions addressing concrete solutions to increase the resilience of Mediterranean communities and territories in a changing climate.

About the Contest

What ideas are eligible?

Applicants are invited to submit their innovative work (community-based projects, research papers, policy briefs, business cases, social events, concrete mitigation or adaptation field projects, etc.) related to the following themes:

• Climate-resilient urban services and infrastructures
• Nature-based solutions to address climate change mitigation and adaptation
• Food security and sustainable management of natural resources
• Climate change-induced migrations  
• Inclusive local development and territorial governance of climate change

Organizers

CMI in collaboration with CMI’s Territorial Resilience to Climate Change Hub partners.  

Contest rules 

Who is Eligible?

• Young people (having reached the majority age of their country of nationality until 35 years old)  working, studying or volunteering in a field related to climate change action.  Applicants may be working for public institutions, private sector, research institutes, start-ups, NGOs, or as freelancers. 

• Regardless of their place of residence, applicants must be nationals of a Mediterranean country: Albania, Algeria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Italy, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Montenegro, Palestinian Territories, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, and Turkey.

• Both individually and in groups (of no more than four people) applications are welcome. The composition of your group may not exceed four persons nor be modified once you have submitted your application.

Timeline

• April 2nd, 2020: Launch of the contest
• April 30th, 2020, 11:59 pm CET time: Deadline for applications 
• Summer 2020: Participation of the winners at the Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change in person in a Mediterranean country or virtually

Selection Criteria

Submitted projects will be assessed according to the following criteria:

• Innovation value 
• Relevance for the Mediterranean region with regard to its environmental, social and economic impacts
• Ability for the experience to be replicated or scaled up in the Mediterranean region
• Youth involvement 
• Overall quality of the application

Prizes 

Invitation to participate in the Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change

Winning this contest will allow you to be invited to participate virtually or in-person to the Mediterranean Youth Forum on Climate Change. There, you will have the opportunity to meet with a wide range of Mediterranean climate change actors (youth, experts, international financial institutions, development agencies...) to discuss the challenges of the region in the context of climate change. Among the candidates, the ones having submitted the best projects will be offered to present their innovative solution and get feedback from the participants, including potential donors.

How to Apply?

Applications must be submitted through this form