• Thursday, March 28, 2024
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Schmidt Futures urges teens to apply for 2023 Rise Global Challenge

Schmidt Futures urges teens to apply for 2023 Rise Global Challenge

Schmidt Futures in partnership with the Rhodes Trust has announced that young people from around the world, between ages 15-17 to apply for its 2023 Rise Global Challenge.

‘Rise’ finds brilliant people who need opportunity and supports them for life as they work to serve others. In the past and since its inception, the initiative has welcomed over 150,000 people from over 170 countries to its community and selected 200 winners from 69 countries of origin who have showcased their brilliance – from making education more accessible, to mitigating global warming, and developing tools to better detect cancer.

“We look for hidden brilliance, in whatever form it takes, wherever it is in the world,” said Eric Braverman, CEO of Schmidt Futures. “There are so many extraordinary people who could do so much more to make the world better if they only could find opportunity – and each other. We hope to make the longest bet we can imagine on exceptional talent with perseverance, integrity, and care for others.”

Elizabeth Kiss, CEO of the Rhodes Trust said: “We know that amazing things happen when talented people from different backgrounds are brought together and given opportunities to study, collaborate, and innovate. “Rise is an extraordinary opportunity for people from every corner of the world to embark on a lifelong journey of service and impact. Wherever you are, we encourage you to apply. You only know what you can achieve when you try,” she added.

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The Rise program, according to a statement made available to BusinessDay, partners with 30+ global organizations, including NBA Africa, the African Leadership Academy, HALI Network, and BUILD Nigeria, to scour the globe to find brilliant young people who are passionate about building a better world as Schmidt recognises that talent is created equally, but opportunity is not.

Over the last two years, a total of 11 Nigerian students have been selected as Rise Global Winners. Their projects include: starting an international NGO to educate the public and solve pressing social issues including gender equality and gender laws in Nigeria; developing a program that offers teachers training programs, a student-centered curriculum as well as internship opportunities for students to receive quality computer science education in public and private schools; building robotics to automate tasks; and increasing access to STEM opportunities for Nigerian girls, among others.

To celebrate the opening of applications, the ‘Rise To’ creative campaign invites brilliant young minds to continue to turn opportunities into action as they ‘Rise To’ face the world’s most pressing issues.

Over the next two weeks, ‘Rise To’ will feature an integrated digital campaign showcasing the diverse brilliance of Rise Global Winners and inviting more to join the community. The activation will involve celebrating two years and 200 Global Winners across two iconic locations — Times Square in New York and the Burj Khalifa in Dubai.

“Eric and I have been impressed by the optimism, initiative, and curiosity of the young people in the growing Rise community,” said Wendy Schmidt, co-founder of Schmidt Futures and president of the Schmidt Family Foundation. “We are excited to continue expanding this network with the 2023 cohort and can’t wait to see what these talented teens can accomplish when they work together in service for others”.