UNLEASH is a global initiative that brings together young leaders, experts, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our mission is to empower and unite passionate youth and engage cross-sector partners to generate and grow solutions to achieve the SDGs.
We envision to be the most impactful youth innovation platform for the SDGs.
2. UNLEASH is a global initiative that brings together young leaders,
experts, and entrepreneurs to develop innovative solutions to the
17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Our mission is to empower and unite passionate youth and
engage cross-sector partners to generate and grow solutions to
achieve the SDGs.
We envision to be the most impactful youth innovation platform
for the SDGs.
Bringing SDG
innovation to local
challenges
3. Introducing
UNLEASH Hacks
UNLEASH Hacks are localized, scalable, and cost-efficient innovation
processes designed to address sustainability challenges in specific contexts
around the world. By leveraging the UNLEASH community and
methodology, the Hacks are built on robust foundations and can be
adapted to local needs.
Young people participating in a Hack work together to come up with ideas
that can create real positive impact in their local communities, while gaining
innovation tools and skills for the future.
Since the Hacks launch in 2020, 43 Hacks have taken place; each focusing
on one region and one sustainability challenge. This year, the Hacks
continue under the leadership of 36 UNLEASH Ambassadors all over the
world.
4. UNLEASH HACKS
Mental Health Europe
UNLEASH HACKS Mental Health Europe happens on 9th and 16th of April,
and accept talents between 20 and 35 years old from all over the world.
The hack is organized to find impactful solutions for nine million Europeans
aged 10-19 that are living with mental health disorders. Anxiety and
depression make half of the cases. In the age of 15-19 this affects 16-19% of
EU citizens. Mental health disorders are still highly stigmatized.
A report from UNICEF states that there are 5 key priority interventions for
European institutions and national governments that could reduce the
problems with anxiety and stress among European youth. The hack aims to
address these interventions by making young talents from around Europe
develop innovative solutions that also target the Sustainable Development
Goals 3, 4 and 11.
5. UNLEASH Hacks Methodology
The UNLEASH Hacks are sprint-like innovation processes where young people come together to -over a short period of
time- collaborate, ideate, design, rapidly prototype, and pitch their solutions to a sustainability challenge.
They Hacks best fit the earliest stages of the UNLEASH methodology, where the challenge is not yet well-defined, and many
ideas are welcome:
Day 1 Day 2
Teams of young talents collaborate with local
stakeholders to frame and research
sustainability challenges based on community
needs, and generate innovative ideas with
potential for scale.
Teams of young talents make their ideas
tangible by building a rapid prototype in
actionable and testable ways, before pitching
their solution to a panel of design-thinking and
development experts.
User & Expert
Feedback
Teams validate their
problem framing with
problem-owners in the
impacted communities.
Problem Framing Ideation Prototyping Pitching
Week between
Hack days
Executive Summary & Partnerships
6. Virtual collaboration
Talents navigate the Innovation
Process in Miro, a virtual
collaborative whiteboard.
Participants are able to digitally
collaborate, visually co-creating
solutions, and brainstorming
together remotely.
UNLEASH provides templates and
guidelines for Miro and has adapted
its methodology to fit this virtual
format.
Executive Summary & Partnerships
7. 43
HACKS HAVE TAKEN
PLACE IN 23 DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES
250+
LOCAL PARTNERS HAVE
JOINED THE HACKS
9 IN10
TALENTS WERE SATISFIED WITH
PARTICIPATING IN UNLEASH
HACKS 2021
273
INNOVATIVE IDEAS
TARGETING THE SDGs
HAVE BEEN DEVELOPED
94%
OF TALENTS WOULD RECOMMEND
OTHERS TO PARTICIPATE IN
UNLEASH HACKS IN THE FUTURE
1400+
HACK PARTICIPANTS
WELCOMED TO THE
UNLEASH COMMUNITY
Hacks results at a glance *
* These are cumulative results of the Hacks program in 2020 and 2021
* Figures of satisfaction among participants are taken from the Feedback Survey sent to all participantspost program
Executive Summary & Partnerships
9. Partner opportunities
Ecosystem Partner
Amplify the Hack and
support the participating
teams
Co-Host
Support the organization
and execution of the Hack.
Sponsors
Provide financial support
to the organization of the
Hack and/or in-kind
contributions to teams and
their solutions.
UNLEASH Hacks welcome three types of partnerships:
Executive Summary & Partnerships
10. Hacks Playbook
Partner benefits
Co-Host
Partner
Ecosystem
Partners
Sponsor
(financial) /
Grant Givers
Ecosystem
Engagement
Get access to an ecosystem of talents,
partners, & ideas from the UNLEASH Hack
✅ ✅ ✅
Branding Logo in Hack materials & partnership title ✅ ✅ ✅
Experts & judges Get a seat on the judging panel for the Hack
or provide experts from your organization
❌ ✅ ✅
Comms / SoMe Get featured in UNLEASH official Social
Media channels in one collective post
❌ ❌ ✅
Speaking Slots Stage time at the Hack opening and closing
(note: Hacks may take place digitally)
❌ ❌ ✅
Depending on the type of partnership, partners get
different benefits:
11. Hacks Concept
Participation opportunities include, but are not limited to:
TALENT DEVELOPMENT: Support the participation of young people from
your organization, network, and/or region and help them become SDG-
leaders.
SOLUTION SUPPORT: Engage with teams behind ideas relevant to your
mission to get inspired and help speed the flow from lab to marketplace.
EXPERTS & JUDGES: Have experts from your organization and network
guide the thematic work of talents and nominate judges to select the best
ideas developed.
FINANCIAL SUPPORT: Support the UNLEASH Hacks movement by
providing financial support to the organization of the event.
Areas of collaboration
Executive Summary & Partnerships
12. Why partner with UNLEASH Hacks?
3. ACHIEVE RECOGNITION for
your sustainability efforts and
share your role as an SDG-
frontrunner in the eyes of a
global audience.
2. UNEARTH NEW SOLUTIONS by
supporting the development,
implementation, and scaling of
solutions to SDG challenges
strategically important to your
mission and context, developed
and led by youth.
1. ATTRACT TOP TALENTS to your
organization by showcasing your
own work to hundreds of young
people from your region, each
with strong networks and proven
talent and drive.
4. GET ACCESS to a community of
passionate and local
changemakers, who can help
test, brainstorm and develop
new ideas.
Executive Summary & Partnerships
13. Why are the
Hacks unique?
Localized
In the Hacks, solutions are defined and developed by
locals for locals to place problem owners in the center of
needs-driven innovation. Hacks activate the entire local
ecosystem and involve the affected communities.
Community led
The Hacks are led by UNLEASH Ambassadors and local
organizing team, who bring the innovation process back
to their community and anchor the Hack in a challenge
they are close to. Organizers gain leadership skills and
create local impact, while spreading innovation tools and
skills to more local youth.
Compact innovation processes
The Hacks are two-day events that leverage the
UNLEASH methodology, zooming in on a few stages of
the innovation process.
Executive Summary & Partnerships
14. What do
people say?
“The hackathon gave me a platform to explore and hack one of the
pressing issues of healthcare in my country, i.e., maternal mortality.
Working for 2 continuous days, framing the problem, undergoing
the ideation process, and learning more about my country and the
prospect of solutions in several SDGs, I have developed myself
with further motivation and knowledge to keep working towards
sustainability in Bangladesh.” – Talent at Bangladesh Hack
“After being part of UNLEASH 2019 as talent, joining the
UNLEASH Hacks as an expert was a blast. How I missed the
vibrant collaborative atmosphere! Helping talents with solutions
addressed to our home country, especially the Amazon region, was the
cherry on top.” – Expert at Brazil Hack
“The UNLEASH digital hackathon was full of fun, learning, and
friendship. We had an opportunity to explore our creativity and our
potential, pushing us to our limits. It has been a rewarding two
days.” – Team of talents at Nepal Hack
Executive Summary & Partnerships
