Now on its second year, the Safe and Sound Cities (S²Cities) program is currently looking to add more local governments to its roster of participating cities. This new call for participants builds upon its 2021 pilot implementation in Envigado, Colombia, and Bandung, Indonesia.
The S²Cities Program aims to improve young people’s safety and wellbeing in urban environments, with the support of local administration and stakeholders. Led by Global Infrastructure Basel Foundation, in partnership with ICLEI, hosted by Swiss Philanthropy Foundation, and with the support of Fondation Botnar, S²Cities serves as a platform for meaningful youth engagement in ideating and implementing solutions to safety and inclusivity challenges.
The first ASEAN Youth Development Index released in 2017 places the population of young people ages 15-34 years old at around 213-million. With their sheer number, unconventional thinking, and new viewpoints, the youth have enormous potential to be key contributors to local sustainable development.
By participating in the S²Cities Program, cities will be supported in improving urban safety for young people. The program will create an exciting and new way for city officials to engage with young people, enabling better understanding of urban safety and what needs to be done to improve it.
Specifically, chosen cities will receive the following support:
- Support in the establishment of a youth hub
- Expert analysis of urban safety status quo
- Training and capacity development of city staff in understanding urban safety and youth engagement
- Participation in an annual youth innovation challenge and award program
- Access to a global learning network
- Note that the program will not be providing direct financial contributions to cities.
Interested cities throughout Southeast Asia can apply by reading the details in the INVITATION LETTER and accomplishing the EXPRESSION OF INTEREST TEMPLATE and SUPPORTING QUESTIONNAIRE and sending to iclei-sea@iclei.org on or before 26 August 2022. Please note that as of writing, the inclusion of SEA cities (except those in Indonesia) in the project is not yet approved and guaranteed.
UPDATE: DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO 26 AUGUST 2022.
