Young Voices for a Sustainable Future
"Young Voices for a Sustainable Future," a collaborative initiative between BASF and JA Worldwide, integrates students from diverse backgrounds into a global dialogue on sustainable development. This project stands as a testament to the power of youth, enabling them to not only understand the critical challenges facing their communities but also implement viable solutions. By focusing on local issues through a global lens, the initiative empowers students to contribute to the UN Global Goals, instilling a sense of responsibility and activism from a young age.
Now finishing its second year, the program is designed to equip the young participants with critical job skills, including critical thinking, problem-solving, and effective communication. By tackling issues like renewable energy, waste management, and biodiversity, students think creatively and develop innovative solutions that promote a more sustainable and inclusive future. The initiative emphasizes the importance of interdisciplinary learning, combining science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education with social studies and ethics, thereby providing a holistic approach to understanding and tackling environmental issues.
At the heart of the "Young Voices for a Sustainable Future" project lies the belief in the untapped potential of young people. By providing students with the resources, mentorship, and platform to express their ideas, the initiative seeks to empower the youth to take charge of their future. This empowerment is aimed at fostering a deeper learning experience where students are not just passive recipients of information but active participants in their education. This hands-on approach ensures that young minds are not only prepared to face the challenges of tomorrow but are also motivated to drive positive change in their communities.
Learn more about BASF’s commitment to communities and a sustainable future.
Read the Partnership Report
Learn more about how JA and BASF are working together to inspire youth through our Innovation Challenge for a Just Transition in this report by JA Europe.
“We learned a lot through the project. We learned more about sustainable development goals. We are passionate about solving problems related to sustainable agriculture and are so proud of our idea to support farmers.”
Participating Locations
JA Brazil | JA Chile | JA Costa Rica | JA Greece | JA Hungary | JA Indonesia | JA Mexico | JA Nigeria | JA Uganda | JA Vietnam
“It has been a great honour for us at BASF to help amplify the voice and power of the youth and give emphasis to the role they play in sustainable development. We are inspired and grateful for what we have learned from the participants while we accompanied them through the program.”
Learning Experience
Workshop
In this team-based, hands-on workshop experience, learners investigate the impact of pollution on the environment. They explore climate change and its social consequences and imagine what climate adaptation and a just transition looks like for their community.
Innovation Challenge
Teams of students solve for the challenge defined during the workshop. They establish innovative and potentially viable solutions to community-related problems and challenges caused by climate change and the transition to a sustainable economy and society.
BASF Mentorship
Volunteers from BASF engage students in six months of mentorship for the winning teams of each National Innovation Challenge. Volunteers coach teams in through implementing their sustainable business solutions.
Virtual Global Exchange
The Virtual Global Exchange gathers the winning teams from each participating country’s National Innovation Challenge. Teams create videos to showcase their challenge and ideas to an international audience and collect feedback from peers.
“Being part of the ‘Young Voices for a Sustainable Future’ initiative gave me an intriguing experience as there are lots of new and fresh ideas coming from the younger generation to make a positive impact on a broader scale. I hope this program continues and reaches more students, since I am confident their ideas and innovations will make a difference in making the world a better place.
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Presenting the 2023 Virtual Global Exchange
The capstone element of the Young Voices For A Sustainable Future initiative is the Virtual Global Exchange. The event brings together the winning teams from each National Innovation Challenge. Each team creates a video to showcase their ideas for sustainable business models. An international audience of students and BASF mentors share feedback on each team’s ideas.
Following are the video submissions from the student teams that won their respective National Innovation Challenge in 2023.
Brazil
EncanaPrep specialized in managing hydropower projects through its digital platform. The team’s primary mission is to innovate water reuse solutions, significantly reducing water waste by developing a system to collect, clean, and recycle water from sinks and bathrooms and incorporate it into a reservoir for reuse. This initiative not only promotes sustainable water management but also contributes to the conservation of vital resources in the region.
Chile
Los Aerodinámicos developed an innovative solution to combat the distracting effects of high classroom temperatures on students and teachers. By harnessing natural wind resources, they created an eco-friendly, cost-effective wind turbine capable of generating its own electricity, which, in turns cools classrooms. This turbine powers a ventilation system, improving classroom focus and comfort.
Costa Rica
Team Abogas introduced a sustainable solution to greenhouse gas emissions and environmental pollution resulting from animal waste—specifically cow dung—by implementing a bio-digester at the school to process animal waste into valuable resources. This initiative addresses the significant environmental issues in the area, such as greenhouse gas emissions and local pollution from animal and agricultural waste.
Greece
Every year, Greece faces devastating wildfires that result in significant loss of flora and fauna, endanger lives, destroy properties and damage natural ecosystems. Team Fire Guardian Tree addressed the annual devastation by introducing a technologically advanced artificial tree equipped with proactive fire extinguishing systems, thermal cameras, and sensors. Designed to blend into natural surroundings, it monitors areas for signs of fire, moistens the environment to prevent the spread, and instantly communicates potential hazards to authorities through IoT (internet of things) technology. The primary aim is to safeguard forests and residential areas from the ravages of fire, contributing to a safer, more resilient environment.
Indonesia
CIRRUS tackles the issue of food waste, notably orange peels. Initially aiming to create a traditional Kebaya from orange peels through Lyocell Extraction, the team pivoted due to challenges, inventing an eco-friendly leather alternative from citrus waste. This innovative material is made by combining orange peels with sodium alginate, glycerin, coconut oil, and wool. The final product, with a product line name of SADA, includes Haruku bracelets and Lariana hand tags adorned with a Taiganja motif from Central Sulawesi, all handcrafted by local artisans. SADA represents a fusion of sustainability and cultural preservation, preventing waste by repurposing ten orange peels per set and promoting awareness through eco-conscious packaging.
Nigeria
Eco-Life seeks to address environmental challenges such as plastic pollution, water contamination, flooding, and inadequate waste management. by repurposing waste into tools like the Filtron, the team’s product that addresses Nigeria's significant waste issue.
Uganda
Eco Skin’s mission is to transform plastic bag waste into fashionable items, thereby addressing the environmental and societal impacts of plastic bag pollution in Uganda, which contributes to significant land and water pollution, harms wildlife, and poses health risks to humans. The team upcycles plastic bags into high-quality fabric used to create bags, belts, and sandals. These products are stylish, functional, and eco-friendly, as they minimize water and energy use, avoid harmful chemicals, and provide value to the community.
Vietnam
In order to combat the environmental damage caused by traditional disposable diapers while also repurposing banana stems, an abundant by-product in Vietnam, C.Chemistry developed an environmentally friendly diaper with a unique design: the diaper consists of a reusable cover made from banana fabric and a replaceable absorbent pad made from biodegradable materials, including banana paper and corn silk. This innovation allows for the cover to be washed and reused, while only the absorbent pad needs to be discarded after each use, promoting sustainability and reducing waste.
“My expectations were certainly exceeded, I was very happy with the participation, with the support and performance of JA, and with the receptivity of the students. I found it a very positive exchange that I will take with me forever and that I will recommend to other colleagues whenever possible!”