Cat@lyst youth tilt for social change until May 31

CEBU, Philippines - Socially-conscious young Filipinos still have a chance to transform their ideas for social change into viable programs through Cat@lyst youth challenge which runs until May 31, 2013.

Cat@lyst is a Tattoo-branded initiative being implemented by Globe Bridging Communities, the corporate social responsibility arm of Globe Telecom together with Global Shapers Manila Hub which is part of the World Economic Forum’s international program called Global Shapers Community.

 â€œWe would like to encourage our youth to be a catalyst for change.  We hope that through activities such as this, our youth would develop within themselves a genuine desire to help the country and their fellow citizens by looking for realistic solutions to social problems,” said Dong Ronquillo, Head of Tattoo Nomadic Broadband Business.

Anybody ages 18-30 years old is welcome to present a project that focuses on a specific need and addresses a social issue such as air pollution, traffic enforcement, crime prevention, health care, among others.  They should be able to demonstrate the practicality of the project and how it can be executed technologically via mobile or web while mobilizing stakeholders.

From the ideas presented, 15 will be further honed and developed with the help of Global Shapers, ICT experts, and development professionals.  Five winners will then be chosen and given cash grants of P200,000 each to use for program development, mentorship, and ICT support to see through the ideation, distillation, and incubation of technology-based innovations useful to catalyze change in local communities. 

While the winners will be announced during the Tatt Awards in June, the teams will still continue to work on their projects for a three-month period with the assistance of Globe BridgeCom.  Viable projects may also be adopted as part of Globe BridgeCom’s activities.

Application form may be downloaded from the Cat@lyst website www.catalyst.com.ph to be filled up and submitted via email.  Applicants must also submit a one-minute video entry using an .mp4 or .3gp format with a maximum resolution of 20 Mb to pitch their solution for an existing community problem.  (FREEMAN)