Behind Local Actions 2024

18th of February 2024 - The Global Youth Coalition announced the winners for Local Actions 2024. This initiative will support sixteen exceptional youth leaders from around the world as they embark on road safety projects focusing on four key areas: (1) Advocacy for Policy Change, (2) Community Mobilisation and Awareness, (3) Improving Cities’ Infrastructure and Public Spaces, and (4) Innovation, Data, and Technology. Now in its fourth year, Local Actions is more committed than ever to making a difference.

Getting to identify the projects to support is a journey in itself.  The Youth Coalition goes through a thorough process of inviting members and partners and evaluating their proposals to reach the most impactful outcomes. 

Local Actions Winners 2024

Call for Applications 

The annual cycle kicked off with a Call for Applications. Each applicant had to satisfy a detailed list of requirements to qualify for consideration. This step verified that all potential leaders had the necessary foundation to spearhead a road safety initiative in their communities. The call typically attracted over a hundred proposals from youth worldwide. 

Pre-Selection Process
After the application deadline, members of YOURS - Youth for Road Safety and Youth Leadership Board Members of the Youth Coalition began the pre-selection. From the pool of entries, only about twenty met the stringent criteria required to advance. These criteria included the clarity of the road safety issue addressed, youth engagement, solution innovation, alignment with advocacy priorities, linkage to the Sustainable Development Goals, and potential for sustainable impact, among others.

This year’s pre-selection committee was made up of ten people. Ali Zayerzadeh from the Road Safety Pioneers, Claudia Batz from the George Institute for Global Health, Gema Granados from the Global Health Advocacy Incubator, and Maria Fernanda Ramirez from Despacio. Pre-Selection Committee members from the Youth Coalition’s Leadership Board include Deepanshu Gupta, Estiara Ellizar, Linda Nekesa Masibo, Simon Patrick Obi, and Oliva Nalwadda. YOURS Senior Project Manager Ivan Viquez Solorzano was also a member. 

Pitch Day 
The top twenty candidates were invited to present their projects on Pitch Day. Here, they had twenty minutes to make their case—ten for the presentation and ten for questions and answers—before a selection committee.

This year’s Selection Committee was made up of nine people: Aicha Anina from Michelin Corporate Foundation, Michele Khalife from TotalEnergies Foundation, Molly Stoneman and Raquel Barrios from YOURS, Taifur Rahman and Sabrina Gander from the Global Road Safety Partnership, and Linda Nekesa Masibo, Haidarsho Makulshoev, and Deepanshu Gupta from the Youth Coalition. 

Michele Khalife from TotalEnergies Foundation shared, "Supporting Local Actions aligned with our mission to empower youth and promote sustainable safety solutions at a grassroots level," highlighting the importance of Pitch Day in discovering projects that resonated with their values.

Project Implementation 
Following the selection process, sixteen projects were selected for implementation, as led by leaders of the Youth Coalition. These projects will run from six months to one year and address key road safety and mobility issues across communities worldwide. 

The Youth Coalition will support the winners through funding, mentorship, access to partnerships, a global platform, and more. Once the projects have been completed, the winners will create a comprehensive report detailing their progress in hitting their goals, objectives, and Key Performance Indicators. 

As we close another year of selections, we at YOURS and the Global Youth Coalition are excited for the year ahead with Local Actions. The potential for significant impact is immense, and we are eager to see how these sixteen projects unfold. We invite everyone to stay updated on the progress of these transformative projects through the Coalition’s website.

Aicha Anina from the Michelin Corporate Foundation mentioned: "Our involvement with Local Actions reflected our commitment to fostering safer roads through innovative community-driven projects.

For more details on the 2024 winners and their innovative projects, or to explore previous Local Actions initiatives, please visit our website.