Creative and innovative youth are encouraged to apply!

Thursday, May 27, 2021 — The OECS Commission is intent on providing the region’s most outstanding young minds with the space to bring out their creative and innovative best, through guidance and mentorship.

To this end, the Commission will host the inaugural OECS Youth Innovation Lab, an innovative experience for the youth of the Caribbean to design creative projects and initiatives aimed at solving many of the urgent challenges faced by our region.

The programme will be intensive, and provide all the tools and resources required to enhance the capabilities of participants, as they think outside the box in search of realistic, yet innovative answers. 

The Youth Innovation Lab is open to all Caribbean Youth between the ages of 15 to 29. 

The deadline for applications has been extended to June 4, 2021! Apply now.

Today’s youth are activists, innovators, dreamers, architects, and engineers of their reality. Their voices can be heard from any region of the world and have reached unimaginable heights. They are eager, determined, and willing to chase their dreams and beliefs. Yet even in this, the fourth industrial revolution, technology, and the accompanying shifts in the social, political, and economic spheres, have generated new and ever more urgent challenges for the coming generations.

The manifestation of these and other challenges have brought to light the limitations of existing laws, policies, programs and institutions to meet the needs of the coming generations. It has also highlighted a need for greater communication and understanding among generations; and by extension a more collaborative approach to solving the evolving natures of social, political, and economic challenges facing younger generations. It has also brought into sharp focus the need for investment in more innovative and creative approaches to many of the issues highlighted, putting youth at the forefront of the innovation revolution.

Application Criteria:

• Must be between the ages of 15 and 29.
• Must be a resident of a Caribbean Country.
• Must possess an expert command of the English Language.
• Must possess interest, qualifications or experience in at least one of the focus areas.

Benefits:

• USD $5000 prize for the winning project.
• Free Training Program to develop skills.
• Technical Resources to execute final project.
• Networking Opportunities.

Click here to Apply!

About the Sustainable Development Movement (SDM) Summit:

The SDM 2020 created new channels of cooperation and laid the foundation for strong multi-stakeholder partnerships involving Governments, private sector, development partners, community and civic organisations in a more inclusive and cohesive manner than ever before. All sectors recognised that our survival, as a Caribbean civilisation, depended on our capacity and determination to work together.  

This year’s SDM will be based on five pillars, one of which is Youth. The OECS Commission is intent on providing the region’s most outstanding young minds with the space to bring out their creative and innovative best, through guidance and mentorship.