Website

gcc.concernusa.org

Describe the creative youth microprojects that your nonprofit would fundraise for if you win.

Global Concerns Classroom (GCC) is a US-based global education program of Concern Worldwide that seeks to educate and inspire the next generation of world leaders, advocates, and change-makers. Through our dynamic resources and student engagement programs, we prepare youth to be globally competent for the workforce and to be innovative in tackling some of the world’s biggest challenges such as hunger, child labor, women’s rights, and more. GCC student microprojects have included creating a school radio talk show, hosting a student-produced film festival at the local library (see video for example), and even starting a non-profit to raise awareness and funds for a passionate issue. Our goal is to empower youth to think creatively beyond bake sale fundraisers to truly educate and engage their communities about global issues that matter to them. A participant who founded Food for Thought stated, “GCC provides the inspiration and the outlet for young people to turn awareness into action”.

Explain how possibly gaining funding through the Give for Youth platform would better able you to complete these projects.

GCC is currently developing a mobile app which will take our popular global issue guides to an interactive digital platform, enabling us to reach more students across the US to engage, dialogue, and problem-solve around global poverty issues. The app will also feature interactive polls, questions, message boards, and a “field challenge” game that explores the life of an aid worker. Receiving funding from Give for Youth will allow us to kick-start fundraising with existing committed supporters and to help with initial costs for developing the architecture. Ultimately, it will enable us to inspire even greater innovation from youth. Through student message boards, youth from diverse communities will be able to dialogue and find creative approaches to addressing global poverty and even collaborate on entrepreneurial ideas. With the app, we hope to better connect young people to the developing world and to each other in order to foster appropriate and creative solutions to ending poverty.

Describe why your nonprofit is innovative and entrepreneurial.

Concern Worldwide is an international humanitarian organization working in 25 of the least developed countries to alleviate poverty through emergency and development. On the ground, Concern’s approach is to find innovative solutions to meet the needs of the world’s poorest, as demonstrated in our pioneering of ready-to-use therapeutic food in treating childhood malnutrition as well as our Innovations for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health project (innovationsformnch.org). Investing in educating US youth about our work and the challenges that will impact the next generation has always been an important priority. GCC is unique in its design. It is not just a content provider but one of the few domestic programs from humanitarian NGOs that provides tailored support and direct student engagement. We are also one of the first youth programs to develop an interactive teaching and learning app while keeping a personalized approach through virtual access to staff and live field updates.

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