Global Impact Challenge

PURPOSE

The Global Impact Challenge is a crucial component of the LEAD Series, Nyah Project’s signature, three-part training series that provides an intensive introduction to our experiential leadership model. Each spring, diverse students collaborate to come up with solutions to real-world problems related to the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals.

Our goal is to showcase impact organizations in countries around the world while introducing our prospective fellows to the importance of social responsibility and learning how to develop experiential leadership skills by solving real world challenges.

The Global Impact Challenge helps us to understand how participants relate to our four core pillars:

Leadership | Inclusion | Impact | Purpose

IMPACT PARTNERS

Since 2014, Nyah Project has established global impact partnerships with youth service providers, schools and other community-based organizations abroad who play an integral role in our annual Global Youth Leadership Fellowship. We asked our partners to share 1-2 real world challenges that they would like to solve that align with at least one of the UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Past Impact Partners include:

HOW THE CHALLENGE WORKS

  1. High school students participating in our LEAD Series program each spring are split into teams. Each team chooses an impact partner/country + challenge, researches + brainstorms solutions, and complete their Global Impact Challenge project videos, the latest of which are seen below. 

  2. YOU (the public!) get to vote for the Top 3 teams.  

  3. The three (3) teams with the most votes will participate in a LIVE virtual “pitch” / Q&A for a panel of social impact judges at the annual LEAD Summit.

  4. The Global Impact Challenge Award winner will receive a monetary micro-grant that will be split between the team members and their chosen global impact partner.

PAST CHALLENGES

  • Congratulations to all our past winners:

    2024: Philippines Premier Pioneers - Matthew H., Dayana J., Madys D., Phamane P., Jenni C.

    2023: Menyambut Masa Lalumu (“Welcome Your Past”) - Rayhana P., Steve M., Alana M., Alejandro G., and Maria E.
    - Global Impact Partner: Stella’s Child

    2022: Beacons of Hope - Sofia A., Layla Bleu J., Josafath V.
    - Global Impact Partner: Stella’s Child

    2021: Team Waterstriders - Susana L., Bradshyr M., Yasmin O., Briell R.
    - Global Impact Partner: Stella’s Child

  • Past judges include:

    • Bernard Vieira, Capital One

    • Claudia Akel, SDG Investors

    • Sofia Aranda, University of Chicago

    • Emani Jerome, BLCK VC

    • Ximena Nunez, The Children’s Trust

    • Naveen Siddiqui, University of Florida

    • Adriana Oliva, The AO Insight

    • Luisana Zambrano, Radical Partners

    • Charisse Grant, The Miami Foundation

    • Kai Hsu, JP Morgan

    • Merdochey LaFrance, Verizon

    • Alex Abreu, JP Morgan

    • Gale Nelson, Big Brothers Big Sisters Miami

    • Kelly Lei, Finclusive Ventures

  • 2023:

    • 13,527 individual votes

    • 6,583 social media engagements

    • 2,156 social media impressions

    • 5 days of public voting

    • 5 impact partners from 5 countries

TEAM 1 — A Stepping Stone

  • Christopher Arriaza, Sophie Deras, Breindel Marcelus, Alfreda Onyeukwu

  • Stella's Child (Indonesia)

  • The challenge that is to be addressed in our team’s impact challenge is to develop a plan for the youth in Indonesia to recover their primary crop and provide cleaner water as a response to flooding, decrease in biodiversity, and land loss.

    • SDG 6: Clean Water & Sanitation

    • SDG 15: Life On Land

  • Our solutions for this challenge are to host training sessions that help farmers learn new and better farming techniques, install water purification machines to provide clean water, and appoint people to educate the youth of Indonesia on the issues through multiple sessions. This way, they can be taught sustainable ways to manage water daily.

  • We chose this idea because one of our team members emigrated from Nigeria and has experienced similar challenges like flooding and environmental degradation over there. These experiences plus prior knowledge of prevalent issues in other third-world countries made it easier for our team to resonate with this idea.

TEAM 2 — MAP: Menstrual Access Project

  • Bianca Cadet, Bella Fidel, Mia Vargas, Alex Goodwin, Bryan Chang

  • Michelle Mclean Children Trust (Namibia)

  • We need to find a way to give girls and young women in Namibia access to affordable menstrual products in order for them to fully participate in educational and work activities.

    • SDG 3: Good Health & Well-Being

    • SDG 5: Gender Equality

  • We plan to recruit volunteers to create menstrual care bags with an informational pamphlet, a menstrual product of choice (either a handmade reusable pad made by our volunteers or a menstrual cup that was donated or bought with fundraised money), and a cleaning solution with instructions. To source our materials we hope to fundraise, ask menstrual companies for product donations, and build partnerships with local organizations. We plan to partner with companies like Sister Namibia and the Swedish Star for Life organization to aid in transporting donated and volunteer-assembled products to the country.

  • Our group is mostly comprised of women, so we were able to resonate with why it would be so detrimental to women if they did not have access to menstrual products or had to deal with the taboo around menstruation, which is something we do not have to deal with here in America. We wanted to fortify the idea since menstruation is a natural process and women still need the opportunity to continue their education and work without the burden of their necessities not being met.

TEAM 3 - Blooming Potence

  • Trinity Thomas, Alex Persaud, Sebastian Gutierrez, Naomy Lopez, Nicole Donoso

  • Stella's Child (Indonesia)

  • Our team’s challenge is to address the issues in the education systems of various countries that often force individuals into challenging jobs that do not provide adequate compensation for their efforts.

    • SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth

  • We propose community workshops that give these individuals the education they need to know labor laws and how to assert it into their workplace. It is a way to provide valuable education on their rights and to instill confidence to challenge employers.

    With the skills they gain from these workshops, we allow them to break free from a cycle of repressive poverty, they will be able to climb and work for a job that they find enjoyable and can sustainably fit a healthy lifestyle without any abuse.

    The workshops are important for sharing knowledge and encouraging innovation. It takes a commitment from the community. With enough outreach, these workshops have the potential to bloom into something powerful by fostering community involvement, engaging local leaders, supporting organizations, and to change lives all by encouraging a sense of self and connection within the community to ensure a continued cooperation and participation from organizations and people.

  • The majority of us within our group understand what social deprivation is on some level: the inability to succeed in life because we haven't been taught how. This particular challenge idea manages to resonate with us all because we all understand and have experienced it in our own lives and being able to make a difference so that at least one more person is able to succeed in life is incredibly significant . There is a cycle of poverty within low income households because parents aren't able to afford good education for their children, and those children aren't able to get into higher paying jobs. We need to break that cycle.

TEAM 4 — Change Makers

  • Marvin Pierre, Gabriela Esquivel-Anaya, Rosebell Thomas, Nicole Nieto

  • Amader Shopno (Bangladesh)

  • The challenge that we want to address is the financial hardship Bangladeshi students are suffering under, leaving them unable to access proper uniforms and supplies, which causes them to fall behind and feel alienated in the classroom.

    • SDG 1: No Poverty

    • SDG 4: Quality Education

  • We will partner up with an NPO that would be able to provide a sewing program, so that volunteers inside the town of Mushiganj would have the skills to create uniforms for the kids, and also certain school supplies like pencil cases, backpacks, etc.

    As for the donation drives for school supplies, we'll do it through highschools for community service hours; The uniforms could be a part of their training curriculum, that way the labor is free and they are getting experience for their own future as well. Additionally, we would need to do a donation drive for used clothing, maybe through a thrift store. We can change as well some of the school uniform rules since we want flexibility for students to attend.

  • We chose the challenge presented by Amader Shopno to help achieve the goal of ensuring all students at the school in Munshiganj are able to get the required uniform and supplies needed to fully participate in the classroom. We chose this challenge as we understand the importance and necessity of being prepared and having the necessary supplies in order to be able to learn in class. After learning that families that are financially burdened are often unable to pay for these supplies and uniforms and, as a result, are unable to send their children to school, we decided that its important that we look into how we can prevent this situation. Education is a valuable asset in life and can help propel students forward and often out of states of poverty. So it is imperative that all students despite their financial and socio-economic status have access to this education as well as all the supplies needed to ensure full participation in it.

TEAM 5 — The Squad

  • Pretty Anu, Fedorah Beaulieu, Daika Cesar, Kaylee Abella

  • Human Factor Leadership Academy (Ghana)

  • The challenge to be addressed in our team's impact challenge is helping disabled students access quality education, and to raise awareness about disabilities to their peers and teachers to boost understanding in the school community.

    • SDG 4: Quality Education

    • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • To address this challenge, we would work with the Human Factor Leadership Academy in making their buses more accessible (like providing ramps for their school buses, so their students with physical disabilities can access education better, for example), and sending brochures and pamphlets to the Academy for students and teachers with visuals and translations to Ewe to increase inclusivity for those with disabilities.

  • Our team chose this Challenge Idea because it is very easy to empathize with students who are lacking in accommodations. For example, one of our team member’s 504 Plan for their severe scoliosis and spinal fusion surgery in school is sometimes faced with pushback from their teachers, but not to the extent that these students are facing, and it is hard to watch others have to go through worse. Others in our team have 504 Plans as well, and the rest of us find it very easy to care about reducing inequalities, and helping others gain access to education many take for granted and are lucky to have.

TEAM 6 — Eco Warriors

  • Janae Crespo, Emily Ramirez, Aselah Davy, Romuald Prochette, Gabriel Goodwin

  • Michelle McLean Children Trust (Namibia)

  • The challenge to address in our team's impact project is to educate and empower communities to protects their wildlife, so that their communities can overcome the hardships brought by lack of tourists in their country.

    • SDG 11 - Sustainable Cities & Communities

    • SDG 15 - Life on Land

  • To address this problem we think the solution is to implement laws and sanctions to protect wildlife and protect endangered species by working with community leaders and local government. These local leaders could also help create jobs to protect the animals from poachers and prying eyes and make tourist feel safer. ultimately leading to stability in their economy.

    We also propose more natural reserves or national parks for these animals which would help to create long-term consistent employment and protect the animals from poaching. Helping them to build more successful water infrastructure can also help open job opportunities while also assuring that animals and residents are no longer competing for resources. Lastly, the use of beehives to discourage poachers can also help these reserves can funnel money back into their communities.

  • Our group resonated with this issue because, as apart of this global community, a threat to Namibia's environmental security is a threat to everyone. Furthermore, as citizens of Miami, which is a city with a tourist driven economy, we were able to resonate and empathize with the issues in Namibia. This led us to want to take action in stabilizing their economy.

TEAM 7 — The Humanity Impact Five

  • Manuela Álvarez, Jordan Kail, Yena Nam, Suleni Madrid, Jeayan Louissaint

  • Amal Non Profit (Morocco)

  • The challenge we want to address is the lack of opportunities for the deaf and hard of hearing to get employed due to the employers in Marrakesh who aren’t willing to take a chance on the deaf due to communication issues.

    • SDG 1: No Poverty

    • SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth

    • SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  • Implementing a comprehensive awareness and training program for employers in Marrakesh. The program would focus on educating employers about the capabilities and potential of deaf individuals, providing training on basic sign language communication, and offering resources and support for accommodating deaf employees in the workplace. Additionally, offering incentives or subsidies for businesses that hire deaf individuals could help incentivize employers to take a chance on hiring them.

    In addition, we want to create a shopping center made out of eco-friendly materials. In this shopping center, there'll be retail stores, a food court, and a learning center; This learning center would allow you to learn sign language to better communicate with deaf people.

  • The Impact challenge that we were assigned hits all of the UN Sustainable Development Goals that we were interested in, so it goes hand in hand.

TEAM 8 — Philippines Premier Pioneers

  • Matthew Hang, Dayana Jean, Madys Daniel, Phamane Pluviose, Jenni Cruz

  • Tiyaga Ay Pag-asa (TAP) Scholarship (Philippines)

  • The Philippines currently needs help with high school dropout rates; this can be due to economic troubles, financial aid, and geography.

    • SDG 1: No Poverty

    • SDG 4: Quality Education

    • SDG 8: Decent Work & Economic Growth

  • Our solutions are designed to work together in a cohesive manner to comprehensively tackle the issue through engaging in two key areas:

    a. Immediate financial need

    b. Long-term educational engagement

    By receiving grants + scholarships, students facing financial hardship can access essential resources, reducing the dropout rate due to economic challenges. Additionally, in conjunction with our efforts to coordinate financial relief efforts with local entities, we would advocate for work-based learning/internships, in-house training opportunities, and vocational training.

    Our proposed ground-level framework aims to form a holistic strategy in addressing problem number two. Through the peer-to-peer system, we aim to create a supportive network that encourages students to be academic weapons. The overarching objective here would be to integrate interventions directly into the schools themselves, culminating in a form of fellowship, similar to the Nyah Project, where struggling students can receive personalized attention, resources, and counseling. This peer mentoring program could be a place in which one learns a trade and is able to get a job when graduated.

  • Our team was drawn to this challenge, considering we all have immigrant parents. Some of us can relate to having a family member drop out of school to go into the workforce and help out their family while in an economic struggle. We want to share our story and let viewers connect to this problem just as much as we did. Our group liked the motives the Tiyaga Ay Pag-asa (TAP) Scholarship Fund offers as it shows the impact that the Nyah Project has had on past fellows. It shows how impactful local businesses are to the community as it's a domino effect of people influencing each other for the good.

TEAM 9 — P.U.L.S.E. | Progressing Urban Landscapes to Strengthen Environments

  • Aleshia Cason, George Ellington, Padmini Poduri, Annabelle Gonzalez

  • Human Factor Leadership Academy (Ghana)

  • The challenge we will address is developing a reliable and accessible navigation system In rural areas of Ghana since addressing methods are limited.

    • SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, & Infrastructure

    • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

  • A solution to this problem is by creating a geocoding system that imposes GPS technology which can help rural communities create a map of the area. Residents can also help out by providing and identifying landmarks and giving them names. It will also help to give houses unique numbers so they can be identified for postal and emergency purposes which can be shown on these maps.

    PULSE' solution to the problem includes local fundraisers for funding Ghana and their industrialization, as well as subprograms that PULSE offers in order to educate students in Ghana about the importance of infrastructure.

    Within Ghana, the most common jobs include service jobs, fitting shops (auto-mechanics), and cement-block manufacturing. All of these jobs fall under the category of manufacturing architecture, etc, which connects to industrialization and infrastructure, which connects to street-signs and forms of wayfinding.

    HEART (Healthy Environment Around Rural Towns) features representatives of PULSE educating high-school students interested in entering these fields of work, while also stressing the importance of Sign-Makers who focus on creating street signs, property numbers, etc. This would also contribute to creating more job opportunities, feeding the economy and resolving some issues with funding.

    Further creation of innovators and architects can also lead to further technological innovations such as digital mapping with offline access, etc. This is also something PULSE can fund and address within the program.

  • Our team chose this project due to the fact it caught our attention. Navigation and addresses are so common, its a part of our daily lives. Hearing that some parts of the world do not have access to this was shocking yet intriguing. It caused us to wonder how these communities operated especially when it came to finding a new area. Talking about this challenge will prove to be fun for our impact challenge.

TEAM 10 — W.I.N.G.S. (Wildlife Investigators Navigating Green Spaces)

  • Angelica Falcon, Makenzy Jordan, Brandon Nelson, Anjani Poduri, Allison Giraldo

  • Tanji Bird Reserve Forest (The Gambia)

  • The challenge to be addressed is to investigate and manage the unchecked pollution of the Tanji Bird Reserve, which is affecting the living conditions of native and migratory birds.

    • SDG 11: Sustainable Cities & Communities

    • SDG 15: Life On Land

  • Some solutions we came up with are:

    • Educating the surrounding community responsible for the pollution to make them aware of the consequences of trashing the environment

    • Organizing volunteer groups/organizations to help clean up and maintain the habitat

    Team W.I.N.G.S.’s solution to the problems facing the Tanji Bird Reserve in The Gambia involves education and community involvement. One of the ways we plan to achieve community involvement is by making the locals aware of the environmental effects due to pollution—what repercussions might they face if they decide to be complicit with the pollution and environmental degradation that is occurring? The first step is education, and then, in order to recuperate the reserve, we will attempt to form a group of volunteers dedicated to cleaning up signs of pollution.

    We plan not only to clean the reserve but also to ensure that this cleanliness is maintained. Education is the key to this maintenance, and with our solution, we are not just cleaning the reserve for a day; we are maintaining it for a lifetime. Once the surrounding population is made aware of their actions and the environmental and economic repercussions, they will think twice before throwing trash out into the reserve, and they’ll be more willing to clean up any that they find.

    Our solution will also involve the collaboration of local government officials to help better enforce the standards of cleanliness and bring the community together to work towards a common goal. The resources needed to carry out our plan are volunteers, trash bags, and gloves.

  • My team understands the importance of addressing pollution based problems not only for humans but especially for helpless animals. We sympathize with the birds who are having their home destroyed and the fact that they are unable to stop it. We want to make it our mission to be the voices that speak up for the birds who can’t. Through education and community my group hopes to spread awareness about the responsibility we have to better our world before it is too late.

Public voting is open from Monday, March 11th, 2024 at 8:00 am ET to Friday, March 15th at 8:00 pm ET.

The top three (3) teams will participate in the live pitch / Q&A at the LEAD Summit for the honor of being named the 2024 Global Impact Challenge winner and receiving a micro-grant to split with their chosen impact organization.

VOTE NOW