GYCAF Capacity Building Proposal

GYCAF Background and Objectives

Fund Vision: GYCAF envisions a world where young people are given the resources to pursue green entrepreneurship and create a green economy with the goal of lowering carbon emissions and conserving the environment.

Fund Mission: To finance youth-led climate action in communities vulnerable to the effects of climate change.

Paris Agreement and Agenda 2030

• Financial goal to mobilize USD 100 billion and global temperatures to well below 2 degrees Celsius by 2025
• IPCC report indicating an uncertain future in the next decade
• Need to create a means of implementation that creates an enabling environment for youth

Target Beneficiaries: The fund targets youth-led organizations and networks seeking funding for their projects and businesses.

Program Objectives

Youth Empowerment: 

The goal of the program is to empower young people who have project ideas but may have difficulties as to where they can start. The goal is that young people will be able to benefit from the program both in real-time and on a rolling basis, as they learn how to become successful project leaders and develop skills needed to launch small to medium-scale projects that will create a meaningful difference in their communities. As we help young people find a place to start their learning and project ideation stages, we aim to set the stage for future leaders and innovators to become empowered and take ownership of ideas, pushing to convert them into meaningful and tangible change.

Capacity Building: 

The program will aim to build capacity among young people; instead of providing support in the form of developing their projects for them, the GYCAF team will focus on providing young people with the skills and knowledge to build their own projects. This will allow the young people to not only apply the skills to the current projects but will also be able to apply the skills on other projects that can allow them to create more impact in the community without the need for active mentorship or support from the GYCAF team. 

Amplification and Catalyzing Change: 

The GYCAF team believes that the most important way to make change is by amplifying the work of existing changemakers and becoming catalysts in the learning process of future changemakers. By focusing on capacity-building programming, GYCAF will simultaneously be able to promote the existing work of currently successful projects and help catalyze change through youth entrepreneurs and innovators looking for the spark to get started and take on their first project, no matter how small or large it may be.

Format

• 60-minute workshops
  • 20-minute presentation by the GYCAF team
  • 10-minute Q&A session
  • 30-minute panel discussion with successful youth programs on the topic
• 6 sessions across 5 different topics (two sessions for finance sessions)
• Additional format: workshops can be converted into material that can be accessible asynchronously for free, which would allow anyone to kickstart their journey of creating a project at any time.

Workshop Topics

• Goal Alignment

• How do you set a goal?
• Problem identification strategies and methodology
• What do I need to know before setting a goal?
• Tips on orienting goals with the mission and vision of funding sources (without misrepresentation)

• Functionality and Relevance

• How to present a compelling backstory 
• How to conduct surveys to understand the target audience and determine project functionality
• How to perform a cost-benefit analysis for communities affected by the project
• How to lead or participate in a brainstorming session

• Financial Planning (can be split into two)

• How to make a simple budget statement
  • Calculating costs (capital expenditure vs operating expenditure) 
• Finding funding sources and identifying how to address financial needs
• Developing a financial plan for growth and long-term project execution

• Team

• How to build a great team
• Understanding the personal motivations (and commitment) of the members
• The importance of having diverse roles–roles can include but are not limited to:
  • Leader/manager: having expertise, knowledge, and management skills and a solid understanding of the vision and mission of the project
  • Communications: able to develop branding and communicate the project ideas and solutions effectively
  • Analyst: able to analyze the finances and business outcomes to strategize a business plan
  • R&D/Inventor: responsible for innovation, developing solutions, and troubleshooting issues that may come up along the way

• Implementability

• How to write a timeline
• Identifying and explaining (in words) the intended impact or outcome of a project 
• Strategies on understanding the regional context of the project and identifying potential barriers to the successful deployment of the venture
• Identifying solutions and requesting help/support from other organizations to address key challenges

Details: 

Format: Zoom / Youtube (recording uploaded)

Alternative Format: Project Inclusion in Webpage Format

Target Audience: Youth Entrepreneurs and Project Leaders

Target Audience Size: 100 participants (live), 500-700 participants on the website and youtube (asynchronous)