KINGSTON, Jamaica – The GraceKennedy Foundation (GKF) is challenging Jamaican youth to Be The Change in a new competition which highlights the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
The GKF Be The Change Challenge will be launched on social media (staring September 9, 2020) and is being staged in the weeks leading up to the Foundation’s annual public lecture on September 30, which will also focus on the SDGs.
“The Be The Change Challenge is about more than just raising awareness of the SDGs, it is about challenging young Jamaicans to think innovatively, creatively, and ambitiously about how they can become sustainability leaders in their own right,” explained Caroline Mahfood, CEO of GKF.
“The SDGs are a roadmap to the future we want for our children, and it is vitally important that we include them in the discussion, because they are the ones who will live with consequences of the decisions we make today,” she continued.
Be The Change Challenge Criteria
Young people between the ages of 13 and 25 years can enter the competition by posting an original graphics or a short video on Instagram which features one of the 17 SDGs and why it is important to them. Videos should be 30 to 45 seconds long with a caption that includes the hashtags #BTCCJA #SDGs #GKFLecture2020 and tags @GraceKennedyGrp. Posts must attract a minimum of 100 likes on Instagram to qualify for the competition, and participants must be located in Jamaica and attending a secondary or tertiary institution.
“We are excited to be offering a grand prize of J$100,000 to the winner of the competition, which must be put towards a sustainable development project for his or her community or school,” said Mahfood. “We are looking forward to working with our winner to ensure that the chosen project is a success,” she added.
The winner of the competition will also receive an Alcatel 10.1 inch, 16 GB tablet and the first runner up will receive a tablet and a gift basket from Grace Foods. The entry which attracts the most ‘likes’ on Instagram will receive a J$15,000 gift voucher, courtesy of GraceKennedy.
Winners of the Be The Change Challenge will be announced during the GKF annual public lecture.
This year’s lecture is being presented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) which is the lead UN agency on the SDGs.
The lecture will be delivered by Dr Margaret Jones Williams, the UNDP Deputy Resident Representative for Suriname, who will be presenting virtually from her base in Paramaribo on the topic The Decade of Action Begins. The Sustainable Development Goals Leaving No One Behind.
The SDGs were adopted by all UN Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
For more information on the Be The Change Challenge Competition and the 2020 GKF annual public lecture, visit the GraceKennedy (GK) Group on Instagram, Facebook or Twitter.
