{"id":18448,"date":"2024-11-18T01:33:01","date_gmt":"2024-11-17T22:33:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.unhabitatyouth.org\/?p=18448"},"modified":"2024-11-26T14:09:38","modified_gmt":"2024-11-26T11:09:38","slug":"young-gamechangers-initiatives-5x5-challenge-equips-youth-with-event-participation-skills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.unhabitatyouth.org\/en\/young-gamechangers-initiatives-5x5-challenge-equips-youth-with-event-participation-skills\/","title":{"rendered":"5×5 Youth Challenge Equips Young People with Event Participation Skills"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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18 November 2024, Cairo.<\/i><\/b> – <\/span>Imagine your first time at an international event. You are excited but also a little nervous\u2014how do you represent your community, share your ideas, and connect with people worldwide? It can feel overwhelming, especially for young attendees trying to make their voices heard. The 5×5 Youth Challenge was designed for that purpose, a simple yet impactful way to help young people turn those nerves into confidence and those challenges into opportunities.<\/span><\/p>

The 5×5 Challenge, launched by the Young Gamechangers Initiative (YGI) at WUF12, is a five-day interactive experience designed to teach essential soft skills through five small, daily tasks. Think of it as a toolkit for navigating big events like a pro. The tasks ranged from lighthearted icebreakers like \u201cAsk a stranger to take your picture\u201d to more intentional actions like \u201cAttend an event and ask a speaker a question about their presentation.\u201d Designed by urban professionals and engagement experts, the challenge made it easy for participants to step out of their comfort zones and maximise their time at the forum.<\/span><\/p>

How does the 5×5 Challenge work?<\/strong><\/p>

The 5×5 Challenge was all about combining fun with learning. It started with participants joining a vibrant WhatsApp group moderated by UN-Habitat staff, where they could stay updated and connected. Each person also received a <\/span>carnet<\/span><\/i> (a little booklet inspired by a traveller\u2019s passport) to track their progress and collect stamps as they completed tasks.<\/span><\/p>

Here\u2019s how it played out step by step:<\/span><\/p>

Step 1 | Joining the challenge<\/b><\/p>

A person joins the 5×5 Challenge WhatsApp community moderated by UN-Habitat personnel. The group is the go-to space for quick updates, announcements, and sharing tips. In addition to this, a participant grabs a physical <\/span>carnet<\/span><\/i> to start tracking their success.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Figure 1. The 5×5 Carnet for the stamp collection – inspired by the passport of a pilgrim, the carnet helps to keep track of the progress of completing the challenge, day by day.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t

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Step 2<\/b> |<\/span> Daily challenges drop<\/b><\/p>

Each day, the 5×5 team released a fresh set of tasks designed to help youth build skills like breaking the ice, making meaningful connections, and asking great questions. Whether you were practicing outreach as \u201cThe Communicator\u201d or connecting as \u201cThe Networker,\u201d there was something for everyone.<\/span><\/p>

Step 3 | Stamp your success<\/b><\/p>

When tasks are completed,<\/b> participants logtheir progress in theWUF12 App, and head to the\u00a0 stamp collection point to receive a stamp. Each task had a score tracked on the leaderboard which added a little friendly competition!<\/span><\/p>

Step 4 | Completing the challenge<\/b><\/p>

After five days of fun and learning, scores were tallied, and the top scorers earned awesome prizes, like Future Generations Zone t-shirts or woven bags handcrafted by Ecuadorian women from the indigenous people of Kichwa from Otavalo.<\/span><\/p>

Step 5 | Keep the connections alive\u00a0<\/b><\/p>

Even after the forum ended, the 5×5 Challenge community stayed buzzing, celebrating everyone\u2019s achievements. Plus, UN-Habitat is followed-up with a post-challenge evaluation to gather feedback and connect with youth eager for future opportunities.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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Figure 2. The Children & Youth Track includes the timings and locations of collecting a 5×5 stamp (in dark purple) for the successful completion of the Challenge. The locations are selected strategically to point young people to the highlights of the programme, e.g. the room where the Children & Youth Assembly when it is about to begin, after the Children & Youth Roundtable, at the respective location etc.<\/span><\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/section>\n\t\t\t\t

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