Green Growth Africa 2023 EcoHeroes Initiative for Secondary School Students in Africa for Course

Eligibility Criteria

Selection Criteria:

1. Student teams must be from Secondary schools in any of the African countries, previous teams of past EcoHereoes Initiative cohorts and EcoHeroes Clubs are welcomed to apply.
2. Each secondary school will be represented by a team comprising of at least Ten (10) students and a coordinating teacher. 50% of the students in the team should be girls (this would be waved for same sex (boys-only/girls-only) schools. However, more students and teachers are allowed depending on the nature of their project.
3. Each team is expected to identify any environmental challenges/ needs in their local communities, brainstorm and ideate solution(s) to address this need/challenge.
4. Only innovative and inspiring project ideas that are in line with the three thematic areas of Sustainable Energy, Sustainable Transportation and Climate Change will be considered. Project ideas must also express and give room for creativity, critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and other green skills.
5. The period of project completion must be within 3 to 4 months.

Offered Benefits

Selected teams will reap numerous benefits including:

• Mentorship from international and local experts to refine and implement the project.
• Capacity development through critical thinking, hands-on project execution, and online webinar presentation and training.
• Specialised training for coordinating teachers on Education for Sustainable Development.
• Project funding of up to 400 USD for new schools and up to 200 USD for preceding beneficiaries.
• Certificates of participation and recognition along with letters of recommendation for standout teachers.
• A platform to share project outcomes globally.
• Access to global visibility and publicity via #GreenGrowthAfrica and its partners.
• Post-completion monetary awards for the top three EcoHeroes Clubs demonstrating innovation and impact.

Application Process

• We recommend that you read  our blog containing the impact and diverse award-winning projects of past EcoHeroes Initiative cohorts across Africa to gain inspiration for your project idea, before proceeding to apply.
• Qualified and interested teams are invited to complete the online application  here.
• Provide a letter of support from the school’s management expressing its support for the school’s team participation in the programme, and the commitment of the school to the operation and sustainability of the club, “EcoHeroes” after the completion of project funded within EcoHeroes Initiative. The letter should also indicate that the school has/will provide electricity access and internet access as well as a projector and camera for quality and short video recordings.
• Prepare a pitch deck of your team’s project idea which will be uploaded in your application.
• Prepare a work-plan outlining the plans for your team’s project idea which will be uploaded in your application.