The theme
Young people solving problems that affect young people.
The purpose
The Youth Solutions Challenge identifies challenges affecting young people, connects youth teams with relevant experts and organisations, and supports those teams to co-design and test practical responses.
It is not simply a competition or a hackathon. It is CLINK’s first demonstration of its ecosystem model, showing what happens when young people, specialist partners, technology and evidence work together.
How the pilot runs
| Stage | Target |
|---|---|
| Listen | 100+ young people engaged. |
| Identify | 20 priority youth problems documented. |
| Select | 10 promising ideas and teams selected. |
| Connect | Relevant specialist partners matched to teams. |
| Co-design | Teams work with experts to validate needs and design responses. |
| Build | 5 multidisciplinary teams develop prototypes or interventions. |
| Test | 3 promising solutions tested with real users and communities. |
| Showcase | Public demonstration of solutions and learning. |
| Continue | 1 to 2 promising solutions connected to post-pilot support, partners or funding pathways. |
What partners contribute
Specialist organisations bring technical expertise, validation and the systems that can sustain a solution. Mentors support teams through the process. Funders and institutions help promising ideas continue beyond the pilot.
How to take part
Young people, mentors, technical experts and partner organisations are all needed. Current calls are listed under opportunities, or you can contact us to discuss how you would like to be involved.
What we will learn
The pilot tests the model itself: whether this way of connecting young people, partners and expertise produces better solutions, what slows teams down, and what should change before the model is scaled.