3 min.
Promoted by the City of Rome, the international Global Junior Challenge competition is organized every other year by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale under the High Patronage of the President of the Italian Republic.
It is a unique opportunity to reflect on the challenges of 21st century education and the role of technology in didactic innovation, social integration, development and the reduction of global poverty.
The competition is open to schools and universities, public and private institutions, cooperatives and cultural associations, companies and individual citizens. The final event will be held in Rome in May 2012.
Admissible projects must be still operative on 31 December 2011 and must concern youth (up to 29 years old) through the use of new technology for training and educational objectives.
The projects compete in categories based on the age of the beneficiaries: up to 10, 15, 18 and 29 years of age.
Moreover, two new categories will be added to the long-standing “ICT for the Insertion of Youth in the Working World” for the 2012 edition. These are: “ICT for the Integration of Immigrants and Refugees” in collaboration with the United National Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC) and “ICT for Sustainable Environmental Development" in partnership with Legambiente.
An international jury will select the winning projects and proclaim the winners.
There are five types of awards: The Global Junior Challenge Award (a statue of the Etruscan she wolf with Romulus and Remus, the symbol of the foundation of the City of Rome) will be presented to the winning projects. The President of the Republic Award (three silver medals) will be presented to the most innovative projects presented by Italian schools. Finally, the Small Fund Award will be presented to projects from developing countries.
Novelties for the 2012 edition include the ICT for the Social Participation of Youth Award in collaboration with the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations to reward projects, presented by the new generations, that produce true social change, the i-Prof Award presented by Intel Italia to the teacher who has designed and produced the most innovative idea to involve as many students as possible (especially the more fragile ones, at risk of exclusion) through state of the art technology.
Prior to the Awards Ceremony, an exhibition area will be set up in the Rome Campidoglio City Hall for finalist projects with workshops, debates and meetings (May 2012).
To present a project please use the on-line application form (www.gjc.it/2011/progetti) or send the completed application by mail (Fondazione Mondo Digitale, via Umbria 7, 00187 Roma), fax (+39.06.42000442) or e-mail (info@gjc.it).
All the information on the competition (categories, regulations, awards, etc.) are on-line at www.gjc.it
