Young people from around the world will receive dedicated support and mentoring as they tackle some of our planet's most significant challenges at the Forum for Global Challenges Hackathon in March this year.
Young people from around the world will receive dedicated support and mentoring as they tackle some of our planet’s most significant challenges at the Forum for Global Challenges Hackathon in March this year.
Teams of up to five young people, aged between 18 and 25, from Birmingham and beyond have the opportunity to take part in a Global Hackathon to crack a challenge related to future cities, education and employment or the green economy. They will use the circular framework methodology – a means of creating sustainable solutions that are good for business, people and the environment.
The winning solutions will be chosen by the team of experts behind May’s Forum for Global Challenges, with teams then presenting their solutions to the main conference and up to 3,000 high profile, international delegates.
Amongst a range of partners, academics and speakers supporting the Hackathon, the Ellen MacArthur Foundation will be providing dedicated mentoring to teams throughout, as well as advising them as they develop their solutions.
Harrison Wavell, Schools & Colleges Programme Manager at the Ellen MacArthur Foundation said: “Young people have the benefit of not being trapped in a mindset of how things ‘should’ be done, they are more interested in what ‘could’ be done. Care, curiosity, and a willingness to challenge the status quo are the gifts they have to offer. Only by empowering young people do we stand a chance of realising the full potential of a powerful idea like the circular economy.”
At the Forum for Global Challenges, we will work together to address some of the most pressing challenges we all face, but the effects of these issues, like climate change, will be felt most of all by young people. We know that with the support of the Ellen MacArthur Foundation and others, young people will come up with solutions that others won’t have thought of before and that’s really exciting. I would like to encourage anyone between the age of 18 and 25 with an interest in sustainability to come and join us in addressing these critical issues.
Young people looking to enter the Hackathon can register online. here. Teams will be allocated when the Hackathon commences in March. The team at the Forum for Global Challenges will then assign individuals to teams to ensure they get the most out of the experience and work with a diverse range of people.
There is also still time for businesses to get involved with the Hackathon and support teams in developing their solutions.
The Global Hackathon is a key part of the Forum for Global Challenges. From 3 to 5 May this year, some of today’s most influential thinkers and doers will gather in Birmingham for the Forum – a major international meeting to showcase and generate solutions to some of the most pressing challenges faced by the planet and its people.
A 3,000-delegate event, combining a face-to-face conference at the ICC Birmingham with a fully online interactive format, the Forum’s hybrid design means that people from around the globe can take part with low-carbon impact.
It brings together world leaders, business and thought leaders, policy makers, practitioners and academics from around the world to find solutions to problems in the following areas:
The Forum aims to create a far-reaching legacy in five main areas:
The Forum for Global Challenges is supported by The World Bank, UNESCO, The Association of Commonwealth Universities, UNDP, CBI, West Midlands Combined Authority, UK Research and Innovation, Thomson Reuters Foundation and the West Midlands Growth Company
Associate Professor in Cellular Metabolism
Staff profile of Dr Da Silva Xavier, Associate Professor in Cellular Metabolism at the Department of Metabolism and Systems Science, University of Birmingham
