Learning Can’t Wait: Keep the Doors to Education Open

Call for Ideas

Are you a student between the ages of 16 and 24?

Here at the Arab-German Young Academy of Sciences and Humanities (AGYA) we can’t wait for your ideas on how to support children and families during the COVID-19 pandemic. Convey your solution to make sure it benefits children and families in Germany or in Arab countries. You will get the chance to win an online training that will help you discover more about you as a person and prepare you for your career. The training with MightyReal will be a great opportunity for you to boost your storytelling and interaction skills. Additionally, first place winners will get an individual online training with communication professional and coach Anne Hodgson.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been a global hardship to nearly all of us. That said, school closures, remote learning, difficult access to education and impaired public health services have especially affected the lives of over one billion students worldwide. In the process of finding solutions, students have mostly been left out. It is about time to change that:

Eager to share your ideas for promoting either education or health during the ongoing challenges and difficulties caused by the pandemic? This contest is perfect for you! Submit your solution in form of a short description and a video. You can either work individually or in a group of up to three people. For more details on the submission process, please read the information below. The AGYA-Team is looking forward to hearing from you!

Check out our second call on surmounting the COVID-19 pandemic here

What are we looking for:

Innovative ideas promoting solutions for children and their families, specifically targeting the education sector. Ideas should aim at mitigating and overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your solution shall target specific issues of your country related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Ways to support remote teaching and learning (for example, make up for learning losses due to school closures);
  • Ideas to promote the personal interaction between teachers and students; 
  • Prepare for future crises (for example, address the widening gaps in learning outcomes or developing courses for teachers and students to improve their digital skills).

All submissions should be suitable for printable or digital dissemination. A brief description of your idea in written form must be supported by a short presentation of your idea in video format, produced and edited by your group or yourself.

Participants: The idea contest will be conducted in two groups: 

  1. preparatory and high school students (age 16-18) 
  2. undergraduate and graduate students (age 19-24)

You can either submit the idea individually or as a group of up to three people.

Submissions are welcome from everyone residing in Germany and Arab countries who fit into one of the two groups. The content of your idea can be presented in Arabic, English, or German but the registration form must be submitted in English.

 

Idea Evaluation

Submissions in Arabic, English, and German will be reviewed by native speaking expert panel. All submissions will be judged based on overarching criteria that apply to all submitted ideas (e.g. originality of the idea; the extent to which the idea addresses challenges caused by COVID-19; the extent to which the idea improves the ability to deal with difficulties during and after the pandemic). Five shortlisted submissions will be translated into English and get a final review by a jury of Arabic- and German-speaking AGYA members. In this final review process, the winners of the idea contest will be decided.

Members in Charge

This is a project of the AGYA Working Groups Arab and German Education and Health and Society.

Prizes

The three winners (1st to 3rd places of both groups) will be invited to participate in an online training/workshop in 2022, organized by internationally regarded professionals of MightyReal. The training will focus on promoting transferable skills (for example, collaboration, communication, or leadership) through improvisational techniques and exercises such as storytelling. In addition, the 1st place winners of both groups will be able to participate in a tailored training with professional communication coach Anne Hodgson. The trainings will be held in English. All submissions will receive honourable mentions or will be listed in an online presentation format.

How to register?

If you want to apply online please follow the online registration link below. The form requests some personal data from you or your group, contains the idea submission guidelines, and a brief description of your idea. It also requires the digital signature to accept the submission guidelines, to confirm the correctness of your personal data and a consent for processing them.

Registration (Online)

If you don’t have a GoogleMail account you can simply download the registration form as pdf-file and send it to idea.contest(at)agya.info.

Download: Registration (PDF)

The submission guidelines, the correctness of your personal data and a consent for processing them, require your signature or the signature of one of your parent or legal guardian. You can print the corresponding documents and send a signed scan to idea.contest(at)agya.info.

Download: Guidelines & Signatures (PDF)

The deadline for the submission is 15 November 2022.

Timeline 2022

15 November Deadline for submitting ideas
30 November End of review phase through panel of judges
December Idea Contest award ceremony and conferences (tbc.)
December Trainings for the Idea Contest winners (tbc.)

Find the Second Call Here

The second call is looking for innovative ideas promoting solutions for children and their families, specifically targeting the education sector. Ideas should aim at mitigating and overcoming the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The applicant’s solution shall target specific issues of your country related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Examples include but are not limited to:

  • Ways to support remote teaching and learning (for example, make up for learning losses due to school closures);
  • Ideas to promote the personal interaction between teachers and students;
  • Prepare for future crises (for example, address the widening gaps in learning outcomes or developing courses for teachers and students to improve their digital skills).

The Call for Application is open until 15 November 2022.