Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative for African Secondary School Students 2023

In a strategic move to equip African youth with transformative competencies, Green Growth Africa unfolds the ‘EcoHeroes Initiative’ for the academic year 2023/2024, tailored specifically for Secondary School Students across the continent. This initiative aspires to empower African youth to employ their academic acumen in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM), and Arts to architect solutions for environmental and societal quandaries within their indigenous communities

The EcoHeroes Initiative is committed to nurturing a generation proficient in devising solutions to contemporary challenges, hence contributing to the creation of a 21st-century green workforce. The initiative accentuates practical and learner-centric environmental education, thereby cultivating effective participation, leadership, and ownership amongst students throughout the programme’s lifecycle.

The initiative welcomes applications from across Africa, challenging students to discern environmental adversities within their communities and ideate solutions pivoting around three thematic pillars:

• Sustainable Energy
• Sustainable Transportation
• Climate Change

Students are invited to conceptualise and apply their theoretical STEM knowledge to launch pioneering solutions addressing both environmental and socioeconomic necessities in Africa.

About Green Growth Africa

Green Growth Africa is a UNEP-accredited non-governmental organisation that is committed to raising global and multi-stakeholder support for greener and climate-resilient Africa through various programmes and initiatives. The organisation operates a multidisciplinary network of about 1,500 professionals, researchers, students, and youth from 140 countries across the globe who are committed to green growth in Africa. Headquartered in Ibadan, Nigeria; Green Growth Africa has team members in 10 countries across five continents of the world.... read more... read more... read more

Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative

Aim and Benefits of Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative

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.

Requirements for Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative Qualification

• 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.
• 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.
• Each team is expected to identify any environmental challenges/ needs in their local communities, brainstorm and ideate solution(s) to address this need/challenge.
• 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.
• The period of project completion must be within 3 to 4 months.

Interview date, Process and Venue for Green Growth Africa EcoHeroes Initiative

• Upon selection and completion of the projects with the support of an Expert Advisor, each student team will be required to share the outcome of their project through a local outreach which could be to other students in their schools, people in their local communities among others. #GreenGrowthAfrica will also organize intercontinental knowledge-sharing webinars where the students will share the outcomes of their projects, skills acquired, and lessons learnt.
• Upon the completion of the projects and mentorship, each student team will be constituted into a school-based environmental club “EcoHeroes club” which could admit more students to sustain the project and continue to engage on education for sustainability in the long term. The schools will be required to operate and sustain the clubs. While #GreenGrowthAfrica will not be responsible for the operation and financing of the clubs, Green Growth Africa will provide technical support, monthly/quarterly meetings, as well as share possible opportunities with the clubs.
• A workplan of activities for operation of the EcoHeroes club, after the completion of the project funded within the EcoHeroes Initiative 2023/2024 will be submitted by each school. The plan should cover at least three months of club activities. These activities should be zero to near zero cost initiative such as quizzes, debates, community outreaches, school sanitation, tree planting activities, recycling engagements, amongst others. Please note that there is no format for the workplan of activities, however, it should be clear, and concise. The work-plan also should highlight how the club will be operated after the completion of the projects within the EcoHeroes 2023/2024

Application Deadline

How to Apply

• 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.

For more details, visit Green Growth Africa website