Background note

We are looking for potential Changemakers –  that is, young people who are forward-looking and original thinkers, yet who can and do put their ideas into practice. They are confident, assertive and articulate. Most importantly, they are connected within their community: they see themselves as a part of a larger network (or several) and they want to have a part in shaping these networks.

Candidates will be between 16 and 19 years old on 31 December 2008. They have to be reasonably fluent in English, as this is the language of the Guildford forum. They have to be able to attend the forum from 17-23 January 2009 and, if elected by the entire group of participants, to represent them at the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland from 27 January to 1 February. (They also have to be available on the days in between.)

We want a living, breathing, diverse group of people from all walks of life who consider themselves hands-on activists.

Since we are looking for new blood for the Changemakers network, applicants who have taken part in earlier British Council projects are not eligible.

Becoming a Changemaker takes longer than one or two weeks: applicants have to be prepared to commit to Global Changemakers for three to five years – but in return, the British Council commits to the Changemakers. The engagement may take a number of forms: for instance, taking part in regional or global Think Tanks, participating in awareness raising campaigns and developing and running community projects on their return home. These projects will be supported by the Global Changemakers team, by country offices and by partner organisations.

As Global Changemakers is planned to extend to all 110 countries covered by the British Council, we will only consider up to three candidates per country, and we will choose a maximum of two participants per country. Please note that the overall number of participants in the Guildford forum 2009 is 60, so we will not be able to include participants from all countries in any given year. However, due to the wishes of the WEF and the British Council’s ongoing commitment to diversity, we will ensure a geographic spread among the participants.

Global Changemakers follows from the Road to Davos project as well as from Learning from the Future. It continues the British Council’s engagement with young activists, bringing them together with global and regional leaders at high-profile events such as the WEF Annual Meeting in Davos and the regional WEF meetings.

Dates

The Guildford Forum begins on the morning of Monday 19 January 2009, and ends after breakfast on Saturday 23 January 2009. Participants will be expected to arrive at the venue on Sunday 18 January, and should aim to leave after breakfast on Saturday 24 January. A small number of rooms will be available for participants arriving on long-haul flights on Saturday 17 January.

Those chosen to be at Davos will be expected to remain in London at the end of the Forum. They will travel to Switzerland on Tuesday 27 January and leave there on Sunday 1 February 2009.

It is therefore critically important that all those shortlisted for the project are available to be in England and Switzerland from Sunday 18 January to Sunday 1 February 2009.

Criteria for selection

Candidates should
•Be aged 16 – 19 (cut-off point 31/12/2008)
•Be active in their communities and show evidence of strong networking capability
•Have an outgoing personality, be confident and assertive, able to stand up in front of their peers, senior and older people and state their views openly and honestly
•Be prepared to be controversial, to ask difficult questions (sensibly and sensitively), and to deal with conflict and conflicting views
•Be ready to contribute and to challenge, and have experience of  discussion on serious issues
•Have good communication skills and be reasonably fluent in English. [All plenary and group sessions at Guildford will be in English.]
•Be ready to continue to commit to developing and working on Community Action Programmes of various kinds with the British Council and partner organisations after the event
•Not have participated in previous British Council projects.

We are looking for a balance of gender and background by region, with the aim of building a diverse group.

Please note that where 16/17-year olds are selected, child protection issues and procedures will apply. These include obtaining parental consent; accompanied travel where required; supervision in the UK by people who are authorised to work with children and young people (who have obtained clearance from the Criminal Records Bureau); etc. Arrangements will be made by the project team in London for all necessary supervision arrangements for the duration of the young people’s time in the UK and Switzerland.

Costs

The project will cover the costs of:

•Flights (economy class) from the country of residence to the UK and return plus any related accommodation (e.g. en route)
•Any required visa charges (see below)
•Full board and lodging in the UK
•Allowance for spending money
•Local transport in the UK, including any necessary ‘meet and greet’ support
•For those chosen to attend the WEF Annual Meeting, flights UK/Switzerland and return, local travel within Switzerland, full board and lodging in Davos and spending money.

Applications

Please submit completed applications forms no later than Monday 22 September 2008 to Loreto Muza (loreto.muza@britishcouncil.cl).

Selected candidates will be asked to produce a two-minute Youtube video on-line.