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Leothon Young SDGs – a challenge aimed at young people

Ecology, gender equality, the development of technology – these are just some of the important issues that young people are extremely interested in these days. And that includes people as young as secondary school age! It was for them that the Leothon Young SDG challenge was created to tap into the ideas of teenage minds.

Konkursowe zmagania wokół wartościowego celu

Teams made up of secondary school students worked on an idea for a local project. It was to address one of the four UN goals chosen for the competition:

Affordable and clean energy,
Innovation, industry and infrastructure,
Sustainable cities and communities,
Responsible consumption and production.

The end result of the participants’ work were reports giving a definition of the challenge with its key elements, presenting existing examples and showing the development process and expected outcomes of their own solution. Teams were able to benefit from mentoring support and with this help developed how their idea would work.

The best 10 groups presented their projects in front of the Jury at the Leothon final on 6 April. The winning 3 teams received cash prizes of respectively: PLN 10,000, PLN 4,000 and PLN 2,000. The students also received cheques with discounts for the first semester of studies in English at Kozminski University amounting to, respectively: 60%, 40%, 20% for each person in the group.

Sustainability, community outreach, air pollution

Three student groups particularly impressed the Jury and took the prize-winning places.

First place was awarded to the 'Baczyński' team from the K. K. Baczyński Secondary School No. 3 in Białystok.

The team developed a project called AreA – make your city sustainable. The developed application will allow for effective communication and education of citizens, promoting sustainable development. The solution, personalised for a given city, allows residents to take action for the environment (e.g. donating used batteries, volunteering) in exchange for benefits, such as discounts on theatre or cinema tickets, or discounts for collected points. The app will have many additional features, including that residents will be able to contribute their ideas or suggestions on how to make the city better and more eco-friendly. Users will also be able to vote on which ideas they think are worthy of being implemented by the local authority.

Second place was awarded to the 'Slapstick' team from the Maria Skłodowska-Curie Secondary School No. 8 with Bilingual Branches in Katowice.

The team worked on the Sowa project aimed at older people in need of assistance. The platform they created would bring together volunteers and older people in need of help or who are simply lonely. The app is to allow volunteers to be assigned to individuals who need help with shopping, going to the doctor or just for company. Volunteers will be able to report what they can help with, where and at what time. The idea with community support can achieve a lot and reach many people in need, achieving the Sustainable Development Goals for society.

Third place went to the team 'Prus4People' from the XXXV Bolesław Prus Secondary School in Warsaw.

The team tackled the significant problem of air pollution in our country. Two solutions were proposed: one was to plant acoustic panels next to roads in Warsaw so that air pollution would be reduced. The second proposal was to create open gardens in each district so that people without gardens could spend time in a pleasant, green environment. The public could take care of the flowerbeds themselves as well as collectively run the designated space so that it meets their needs and is accessible to everyone.

A mine of fresh ideas

The junior version of Leothon exceeded all expectations. The young people approached the challenge with a real commitment motivated above all by a desire to work towards a better future. The ideas created by the high school teams impress with their mature understanding of contemporary issues and thoughtful details. As a result, the organiser and the Partners are even more excited to get to work on the second edition of the competition, which will already take place in the autumn of 2022.

“Young SDG Leaders 2022 Leothon at Kozminski University demonstrated the amazing creativity and engagement of secondary school students. Their SDG focused projects revealed a clear understanding of contemporary challenges and their passion for turning fresh ideas into opportunities for the whole society. Together with our strategic partners “Fundacja empiria i wiedza”, CFA Society Poland and E-mission we are strongly committed to support new generations on this path during the next Leothon “Young SDG Leaders 2023”, which starts in September 2022. “ – Franjo Mlinaric, ALK

„CFA Society Poland would like to thank you for inviting us as a partner in the competition. The level of presentation and commitment of the young people to socially responsible projects and sustainable development goals is awe-inspiring and gives hope that their sensitivity will realistically make the world a kinder place. The passion, preparation and belief in their ability to act for the SDGs was evident in the participants. I make no secret that it was difficult to choose a winner and the level of presentations positively surprised me.

I believe that we will hear about many of the participants again and many more will become local leaders for global change. The Leothon competition is certainly a very worthwhile educational initiative that I foresee success among initiatives that support young and ambitious people committed to improving the reality around them.”

Magdalena Fac-Skhirtladze Deputy Executive Director CFA Society Poland