The YTH Initiative (formerly YTH) is an initiative of ETR, a nonprofit organization founded in 1981 with offices across California and employees around the United States. Using innovative methods and new media, the YTH Initiative advances the health and wellness of young people through technology. YTH empowers young people to make informed decisions about their health.
YTH, an initiative of ETR, brings you LIYT NEXT (Leadership Innovation Youth and Technology), the second iteration of this funding opportunity designed with youth/young adults and made exclusively for them. We will be selecting ten cohorts of 3-5 youth aged 18-29 to participate in a national competition during this funding cycle. These cohorts will have to work with community mentors and supporting organizations to create an innovative idea around enhancing conversations about HIV prevention and related disparity. At the end of this twelve-month process, one cohort will have received a total of $10,000 to bring their idea to life! Along the way, each cohort will receive specialized training and resources based on their innovation goals and identified project needs. In year one, six youth innovators created various products centered around youth, tech, and HIV prevention. Crafting educational apps, culturally appropriate games, a virtual talk show, and an informational youth-centered retreat, our year one innovators exceeded all expectations. They showcased how young voices could change the world. Intending to inspire, we look forward to assisting youth and young adults in creating innovations for the next generation!
The goal of this project is to stimulate, and support youth driven and youth-centered innovation for increasing access and utilization of HIV prevention, testing, and treatment services by identifying, supporting and co-creating solutions with youth living with or affected by HIV.
- Cohorts of 3-5 youth aged 18-29 (must be within this age range when cohorts are selected)
- US resident
- Priority given to applicants of color
- Priority given to LGBTQ applicants
- Priority given to young people living with or affected by HIV
- Leadership experience (volunteering, community engagement organizing or mobilizing)
- An innovative idea for HIV prevention (testing, treatment, interventions, education, businesses)
- Connection to an organization doing existing youth engagement or HIV prevention work
Orientation February- March 2021 | Ideation March-July 2021 | Implementation July-October 2021 |
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Ten cohorts of youth will be selected from national recruitment to compete in a pitch competition, pitching their innovative idea after a month of training, connecting, and capacity building. Only 3-5 cohorts will be selected to move to the next phase. | Each cohort chosen will receive $5,000 to bring their innovation to life. Over five months, they will receive training and mentors to help guide their process. | Once the innovations are complete, each cohort will test their innovation and prepare for a final pitch at the YTH live 2021 Global conference. Based on the final pitch, project process, and innovation level, one winning cohort will receive an additional incentive of $5,000 for implementation. |
Applications will be accepted between January 14th 2021 – February 28th 2021 March 31st 2021 (deadline extended)
No applications will be accepted after March 31st, 2021, at 11:59 pm PDT.
Make sure to double-check that you meet the eligibility requirements before applying. Applications will be accepted during the above listed time- period only, no exceptions! Grantees will be notified by email that LIYT would like to invest in their innovation. Once our judges have selected grantees, we will host an orientation webinar to ensure organizations and grantees are on the same page.
All applying cohorts will be required to submit a video along with their applications. Videos should 1) Include all cohort members (as a group, if safe to do so or sequentially), 2) Identify a challenge in HIV prevention, 3) Describe your proposed solution, and 4) How you plan to utilize your grantee funds if chosen.
- Only submissions made on the grant’s management portal will be considered.
- Only complete applications will be reviewed.
- Videos should be no longer than 3 minutes.
Our judges’ team will review submitted applications, consisting of a mix of judges from various backgrounds. ( Youth, BIPOC (black, indigenous, people of color), LGBTQ community members, and public health practitioners.)
This is scheduled to be a month application and selection process and, selected awardees will be announced by 04/12/2021. Due to the high demand for applicants, non-selected applicants will be notified no later than 04/26/2021.
Chris Walker
[email protected]
Michael Everett
[email protected]
ETR, YTH, LIYT
www.etr.org
https://yth.org/liyt
This opportunity is made available through a Positive Action for Youth grant from ViiV Healthcare.