ADB Youth Initiative - Youth for Better Governance

In 2013, the Asian Development Bank's (ADB) NGO and Civil Society Center (NGOC) launched the ADB Youth Initiative. Its main objective is to empower youth of Asia and the Pacific as development partners by mainstreaming the participation of youth in ADB operations. It facilitates increased cooperation among ADB, young people, and youth-led and focused organizations.

The ADB NGOC and the ADB Youth Initiative has partnered with ASSIST and AsianNGO, a non-profit organization that seeks to achieve sustainable transformation while ensuring improvement of social equity, to create publications, and execute initiatives that build the knowledge and capacity of youth in becoming equipped youth development partners.

The partnership initially launched Youth4Asia, which combines a series of online competitions and a digital knowledge platform that will be used to showcase, disseminate and promote youth-led solutions.

SERIES OF ACTIVITIES

Solutions Search

A competition where youth groups and organizations who cater for the youth submit their ongoing projects that satisfy the need for the current call. These solutions must have proven results that benefitted the community; must be designed/implemented by the youth; must be implemented in an ADB-member country; must be original and not subject to copyright issues.

Knowledge Platform

Youth4Asia involves the creation of an online portal that captures best practices of youth in the region. The goal of the online portal is to serve as an automated database that will gather and showcase activities for the youth and by the youth in Asia. Information shared in this portal shall allow direct inputs from external groups or individuals registered in the system.

Asian Youth Forum

This forum aims at empowering young participants to learn, contribute, and advocate solutions to issues they face today. It provides a great opportunity for young minds coming from diverse national and international backgrounds to leverage this platform to understand various issues in greater detail.

Citizenship & Governance

Poor governance holds back and distorts the process of development, and has a disproportionate impact on the poorer and weaker sections of society. ADB Youth Initiative through its Youth4ASIA Solution Search on Governance is calling organizations with projects on citizenship, governance and anti-corruption to share their best practices to solve this issue. With the theme: "Youth for Better Governance," this year's fourth call will focus on solutions including, but not limited to, the following components:

• Accountability. Public officials must be accountable or answerable for their actions and responsive to the entity from which their authority is derived.
• Participation. This is the involvement of citizens in governance which include monitoring of government service delivery, planning and budgeting, policy and program development, and the like.
• Predictability. This refers to the institutional process of setting, interpreting and implementing laws and other regulations, all of which require a certain degree of political stability.
• Transparency. Transparency is the availability, accessibility, and clarity of government information that can be used by the public.

Projects can involve the use of technology, conduct of monitoring, government audit, policy research, or capacity building. Projects that support the commitments of the countries to the Open Government Partnership is a plus.

Interested applicants should fill-out the application form and submit it along with the requirements (see mechanics) to solutions@youth4asia.org. The deadline for submission is Sunday, 10 January, 2016 (12:00PM, Manila Time).

	*Youth-led organizations or organizations for the youth
	Designed or implemented by the youth
	Implemented in an ADB-developing member country
	Original and should not be subject to copyright issues.
*Youth is defined as individuals between 15-30 years old.

Full Mechanics
	1.	Application procedure
		a. Interested parties can download the application form at www.youth4asia.org/Files/Youth4Asia-Application-Form.pdf b. Participants must fill out the application form in English language and submit filled out application form to: solutions@youth4asia.org using the subject "Solution Search Entry - name of organization." The submitted entry must meet the requirements as listed in the competition details. All incomplete entries will be requested to submit missing requirements or will be disqualified. c. One organization can submit more than one project entry. If the organization is submitting multiple entries, these should be sent in separate application forms and separate emails, following the steps outlined above. d. After the submission deadline, all entries will be reviewed for shortlisting. Shortlisted entries will be notified via email to request for an interview and additional details about the project. e. Shortlisted applicants will be scheduled for an interview either through Skype or phone. Information from the application form, supporting documents and interview minutes will be consolidated for the second and final screening of the selected panel of judges. f. The following are some important points to consider in submitting additional information about your application: i. Applicants should be available for an interview any time of the day either via Skype or phone; (Note: Philippine Time Zone (UTC+08:00)) ii. At least one person from the project should be conversant in English. Assistance from a translator is also welcome. iii. Accomplish the application form correctly and completely. PRINT or TYPE all answers. iv. Submit your application form in .pdf format. iv. Submit your application form together with the following requirements: a. Updated CV of Representative b. Photos of the project implemented c. Copy of Passport (6 months prior to expiry) d. 2x2 Photo of representative vi. Entries and supporting documents should not bear watermarks, signatures, frames or other markings, e.g. date/time stamps, etc. vii. Allowed formats for supporting documents are the following: photos - .gif, .tif., .png, .jpeg; videos - .avi, .mpeg, .mpg, .mov, .wmv, .flv viii. Maximum size of video submitted should not exceed 100MB ix. Minimum size of photo should not be less than 1.5MB. Kindly send the photo using the file formats listed above and not pasted in MS Word. g. Only selected entries will be notified via email.
	2.	Criteria for judging a. Focus in the theme, youth participation and leadership 25% b. Innovation 20% c. Community Impact 25% d. Scalability and Sustainability 30%     100%
	3.	Prizes and information for the winners a. Winners will be notified on what they have won via email and how to claim their prizes; b. Prizes include: i. Certificate of recognition ii. Free promotion in different platforms such as the Youth4Asia website, ADB Publications, and the ADB Youth Initiative blog/website; iii. Winners are entitled to an award package allotted for each search. These will vary and may include ADB Publications, gifts, free support and mentorship, etc.; iv. Linkages to various networks that can provide mentorship and sponsorship opportunities; and v. When held, an all expense paid trip to the awarding ceremony to at least one representative of the project. Note: nature of the awards ceremony will vary by search.
	4.	Terms and Conditions
		By entering this competition, entrants are sharing to ADB the right to use, without restriction, any of the entry material, in whole or part, and in any manner or medium, for promotion and publicity, in-house knowledge work and knowledge publications, and any other not-for-profit means. Entrants agree to the condition of shared ownership with ADB in terms of usage rights, including but not limited to the display, distribution, publishing, transmission, copy, reproduction, or production of derivative works from the project entries. ADB may also divulge the names of the project proponents and of organizations transmitted as part of the entry material. Contact details will remain confidential unless specifically requested or are already available in the public domain.

This opportunity has expired. It was originally available under this link
http://www.youth4asia.org/
but it is no more operating