Catalysing Partnerships for Health
Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur is proud to announce the launch of Imagine The World Anew: A Call for Youth Voices on COVID-19 in Malaysia. This 4 month initiative is in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO) Western Pacific Regional Office (WHO – WPRO), WHO Representative Office to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam, and Singapore, and Social Entrepreneurship to Spur Health (SESH Global).
The open call is seeking to mobilise visionary Malaysian youths who can solve some of the biggest health and social concerns arising from the COVID-19 pandemic. Three exceptional entries will receive RM4,000 in seed grants each, which will be matched by partners to the same or higher amount. In addition, selected teams will receive mentorship opportunities and connections to global networks to crystallize their vision and build it into working solutions that can be adopted at a national and regional level.
Impact Hub Kuala Lumpur Co-Founder & Board Member, Dr. Shariha Khalid Erichsen said, “Youth have been amongst some of the worst impacted groups in our communities as the pandemic has brought long-lasting and new health issues, job losses, disrupted education and negatively impacted their social wellbeing. Unless urgent action is taken, young people are likely to suffer severe and long-lasting impacts from the pandemic. And the best solutions will come from the youths themselves.”
Imagine The World Anew
The competition is looking for entries in 3 key categories:
The first category is ‘Youth-Led Social Innovations in Health,’ focused on finding innovations directly related to the pandemic, such as managing the number of COVID-19 cases or improving contact tracing practices through innovative solutions such as specialised apps or community mobilisation initiatives. The category also welcomes solutions for indirect COVID-19 health problems such as mental health and job losses.
The second category is ‘Youth Messaging’ and the organisers are looking for compelling youth messages and creative works including music, videos, performance pieces and artwork to educate youth on various COVID-19 issues. This can be any pandemic-related messages that contribute to collective health and wellbeing for young people and their loved ones.
The third category for submissions is ‘Futures Thinking & Strategic Planning’ and the organisers are looking for visionary youth who have ideas for overcoming risks and problems related to health or the future of health.
Mobilising Youth Voices
The competition is open to all youth aged 18 to 30 years old and application deadline is 7 May 2021. The judges will be looking for bright sparks and hidden gems who could be undiscovered social innovation leaders.
“Youth have the opportunity to be key actors for health and can help define the future they want. This open call allows them to participate and truly contribute to the development of solutions to some of the biggest challenges posed by the pandemic. It is important that we listen closely to their innovative ideas and ensure that their voices are included in the response and in shaping health policies,” said Dr Ying-Ru Lo, WHO Representative to Malaysia, Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.
“Youth are often at margins when it comes to setting priorities, informing decision-making, and creating public health solutions. This exciting crowdsourcing open call hosted by Impact Hub and partners disrupts this storyline, putting youth front and center. Youth can and will make a difference!” said Dr Joseph Tucker from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Entries can be in Bahasa Malaysia or English and can be submitted individually or in groups of 3 to 4. For more information and to submit your entries, please visit http://bit.ly/ITWA2021
If you would like to collaborate with us on activities and programmes, do drop us an email at [email protected]