To build and share excitement in the months leading up to the World Parks Congress (WPC) in Sydney, Australia in November 2014, and to really showcase the amazing work of young people around the world, an international challenge has been launched to find out how young people are working to support, enhance and further protected areas around the world.
Via an interactive online platform, the Pushing Boundaries Challenge is asking the question: “How are you creating a protected planet?” and is inviting young people from around the world to share their work! The Challenge is designed to provide an outlet for passion and creativity that highlights how young people are using inspiring and innovative solutions to keep our world wild and protected.
The Challenge is accepting entries that range from local to global in scope, encompassing diverse forms of protected areas, and will be evaluated by an international team of judges on impact, creativity, innovation and its ability to be replicated. Participants must be under 35 years of age at time of entry, but submissions can be in the form of documents, videos, arts, stories, songs… anything that inspires creativity and successfully represents the participant’s project!
Here’s the fun part: There are lots of prizes! Two (2) winners will be chosen to receive:
1. Mentorship, support, and direction to create a 2-3 minute professional video highlighting their work to be shown at the World Parks Congress in Sydney, Australia in November 2014,
2. A featured profile on the CoalitionWILD website and Challenge website
3. A feature in the CoalitionWILD newsletter and WCPA newsletter
4. Become a CoalitionWILD Ambassador
Top 10 winners will receive international exposure via the CoalitionWILD, IUCN, WCPA and World Parks Congress websites and on site at the World Parks Congress via posters and/or multimedia display, including in a dedicated session under Stream 8 – Inspiring a New Generation. Two “People’s Choice” winners will also be chosen via a public voting process, and will receive a prize of either a one year subscription to Vimeo Plus, or a one year Dropbox Premium account.
Thanks to generous support from the IUCN WCPA, Global Environment Facility (GEF) and UNDP, two (2) Challenge participants from GEF eligible countries (http://www.thegef.org/gef/country_profile) with projects selected by the International Judging Panel will receive sponsorship to attend the World Parks Congress.
What the organisers are asking: Help us spread the word! And there’s lots of ways to do it.
1. Visit http://pushingboundaries.coalitionwild.org
2. Share the link! And if using social media, throw in #PushingBoundaries so we can support your efforts.
3. Like and share our posts on facebook: www.facebook.com/coalitionwild
4. Submit a project yourself!
5. Encourage others to submit. There are a lot of prizes to give away!
Get in touch with the CoalitionWild if you have any questions. On behalf of the entire Pushing Boundaries team, thank you for helping to spread the word. They look forward to creating an exciting movement of young people that wouldn’t be possible without your help.
