Launched in 2025, the Sustainovate Challenge aims to remove hurdles for young, underserved students so they can build the capacity to undertake innovative sustainable development projects. The central mission of the project is not only to upskill its target students but also to make them aware of strategies by which they can positively contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals and the planet’s health. To this end, the project is already developing a comprehensive handbook to guide young readers in pitching their project ideas by drawing on waste management strategies, air-cleansing mechanisms, school-level sustainable steps, and community recycling. This would be supplemented by a collection of case studies for students to learn about the different environmental activists who have ventured to establish eco-friendly projects.
The project will then organize interactive sessions where students can brainstorm initial project ideas, sift through information, and ask questions to polish their projects. They would also be supported by the project’s fundraiser, whose proceeds would go toward procuring digital tools and journals to help students materialize their projects. The project will culminate in a business-pitch competition where students will have the chance to pitch their business ideas to panels of venture capitalists to acquire funding for the final implementation of their projects.