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The Young Changemaker Incubator - YCI

Don’t do it because you have to,
Do it because you need to

SDG Education is now one of the most urgently needed elements of secondary school learning. Everything taught at school level in the 21st century can, and should, be seen through a sustainability lens. Unfortunately, school curriculums take a long time to update, and the SDGs do not feature.

In the Young Changemaker Incubator, ITS helps members realize their own potential through projects that are all uniquely developed around their own interests and passions. By identifying a clear need linked to the UN sustainable development goals about which they feel strongly, the YCI mentorship, based on proven systems-change-theory, allows them to determine an approach which will be their contribution to achieving the SDGs by 2030. All projects get recognition from the United Nations and members get the chance to present their initiatives at global conferences.

Most importantly, young changemakers get the real-world experiences of start-ups, leadership, problem-solving, social entrepreneurship - both the successes and the failures - which are crucial to the learning process and development of modern global citizens.

If you or your student wants to..

  • become a real global citizen
  • make a positive impact in this world
  • transcend the joyless box-ticking of extracurricular activities
  • cultivate your own initiative, foundation, or community
  • apply yourself before university or a first job

...then the Young Changemaker Incubator is the right platform for you!

Young Changemakers

Jason Qiu
Carbon Neutral
Alvin Wong
March To Your Beat
Arthur Cheung
SDGxEdu
Felix Bookhart-Tsai
Solarmask
Ethan Ho
Waste Less Feed Better
Clarisse Poon
Light Their Rights
Winky Wang
Canto Kids
Conrad Cheung
Smome
ITS Sub-Pages Background

The Young Changemaker Incubator (“YCI”)

The YCI is a membership programme, run by the not-for-profit ITS Foundation, designed to help young people connect to the real world based on their own passions and interests, and explore infinite possibilities, develop ideas about what they want to do, and tailor experiences to help them achieve that.

Members begin by first learning about the United Nations and its 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). It is important they take ownership of their curiosity or passion for these and identify those they feel most strongly about. Then, they will move towards developing their own social impact initiative and registering it on the UN SDG Knowledge Platform. The SDGs are the cornerstone for any global citizen in the Decade of Action (‘20-’30). Almost all young people already have a strong moral compass. This project, however, is their first taste of becoming a moral actor, rectifying everyday injustices in the communities around them.

During and after this starter project, members will gain access to a range of experiences such as internships, entrepreneur programs, community involvement, sustainability initiatives, sports, arts, tech and blockchain, etc. They gain access to UN events and introductions to UN-affiliated companies and charities based in accordance with their project nature, and by joining other “live” initiatives of other global organizations such as the World Economic Forum aligned with the initiative. members, who have been raised to follow, now get the chance to take the lead. MXA’s network allows not just a wide choice, but choices of the very highest quality.

Key skills and experiences are developed along the way in a practical, real world environment:

  • research;
  • blogs to document progress
  • letters of approach to professionals, academics, or others they have never met
  • reflection & evaluation

YCI In the Press

Newspaper Titled : Galvanizing Youth Voices to Make a Real Change
Participating in HK SDG Summit 2022

International Day of Education - An Open Letter to the UN Secretary-General ( Link 1 / Link 2 / Link 3 )

ITS Redefines Sustainable Education in the GBA ( Link 1 / Link 2 / Link 3 )

Learn more about MXA

The MXA Group is an impact-oriented healthcare, logistics, real estate, technology and education focused multi-family office investment venture based here in Hong Kong. It is led by a team of partners who are all graduates of Wharton School of Business and University of Pennsylvania, and who serve as their alumni interview chair in HK. Through their non-profit initiatives led by Better Together Foundation and Asia World Anti-Aging and Well-Being Association, the MXA team supports minority communities and youth entrepreneurship across Asia. The team has interviewed more than 500 high school students for university as well as 2,000 university students for internships and full-time positions, and has been supporting students through the YCI process for over 15 years.

For instance, MXA has helped students launch a surgical mask initiative by working with a Hong-Kong based face mask manufacturing company (itself a United Nations Global Compact member) and donating much needed personal protection equipment (PPE) supplies at cost to at-risk communities all across the world. Another student organized a UN SDG Youth Summit in Hong Kong, with young start-up leaders and founders participating from over twelve countries. The three-day event led to the creation of 17 new business ideas linked to the 17 SDGs, and a community of 1,000 young enthusiasts was born. This project was showcased on stage at the StartmeupHK Festival in 2020, Asia’s largest young entrepreneur event with more than 17,000 delegates attending. A third student built an app which allows female entrepreneurs to find other female workers in countries where it is prohibitive to search for and confirm female talent. The app linked to an intelligent matching algorithm based on characteristics and traits, and has helped more than 500 females find full-time and part-time jobs. Yet another current student is planning to construct and implement a prototype redesign of the subdivided flats home to Hong Kong’s poorest residents. The possibilities are infinite and specifically tailored by your student from his/her interests.

How to Apply

Enrollment for all programs begins with the form below!

For any general enquiries, please email [email protected] .

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