A global social entrepreneurship programme
From Ideas
to Solutions
BeChangeMaker is a global social entrepreneurship programme for young people who want to turn community challenges into practical solutions.
Through learning, teamwork, coaching and mentoring, participants develop their ideas, strengthen their skills and prepare to take their solutions from local communities to a global journey.
Get updates and be the first to know when applications open.
Since 2017
Launched by WorldSkills International with HP Foundation and UNESCO-UNEVOC
From 2027, coordinated by YMCA Europe
The Programme
Build more than an idea.
Learn, connect, grow and take your idea further.
Learn
Practical learning for real challenges.
Develop practical skills in social entrepreneurship, business development, impact and more.
Connect
Join a global community.
Meet young people, mentors, experts and partners from different countries and communities.
Grow
Get coaching and mentoring.
Work with coaches and mentors who can help you test your ideas, strengthen your team and grow.
Be seen
Take your idea to a global programme.
Develop your solution, prepare your pitch and get the opportunity to present your work through the global journey.
The Journey
Your journey starts with an idea.
From local discovery to global competition and a community that continues beyond the programme.
01
RISE LOCAL
Discover. Connect. Start building.
Discover the opportunity through local spaces, partners and community access points. Connect with your local YMCA or activation centre and start shaping your idea with support on the ground.
02
COMPETE GLOBAL
Develop. Test. Pitch.
Selected teams enter the global BeChangeMaker journey. Work with your team to develop your idea, receive training, coaching and mentoring, test your solution and prepare for a global pitch. Present your solution alongside teams from around the world.
03
BECHANGEMAKER TOGETHER
Stay connected. Keep building.
The journey does not end with the competition. Through alumni relationships, mentoring, learning resources and future opportunities, BeChangeMaker continues to connect people who want to learn, collaborate and build solutions together.
Be the first to know when applications open.
About BeChangeMaker
10 Years of Impact
105,000+
Applications received and processed since 2017.
59,000+
Young social entrepreneurs developed through the programme.
Hundreds
Of teams supported and accelerated.
50%
Of teams progressed to a more advanced project stage.
From WorldSkills to a New Chapter
BeChangeMaker was launched in 2017 by WorldSkills International, with support from HP Foundation and UNESCO-UNEVOC.
For the past 10 years, the programme has supported young people in developing social entrepreneurship ideas through learning, coaching, mentoring, teamwork and opportunities to take their ideas further.
A New Chapter Begins in 2027.
Starting in 2027, YMCA Europe will take on the lead partner role and guide the next phase of BeChangeMaker’s development.
The next chapter will strengthen the connection between local activation and the global journey, creating more opportunities for young people to engage through local YMCA spaces and partners before progressing into the global programme.
The vision is to build a long-term ecosystem where participants, alumni, mentors and partners can continue learning, collaborating and creating opportunities for social impact beyond one programme cycle.
Hosted by
Founding Partners
Testimonials
Ideas become solutions when people build.
Testimonials from BeChangeMaker participants.
Happy PadsWinner 2022
From personal experience to global impact.
Sisters Kalkidan and Wubit turned menstrual health challenges they witnessed in Ethiopia into Happy Pads, a sustainable and affordable menstrual health venture. Through BeChangeMaker 2022 they received mentoring, business support and global exposure — and went on to win the competition. They have since taken the solution beyond Ethiopia, launching Happy Pads in the United States.
Kalkidan and WubitHappy Pads · Ethiopia
SekofiaBeChangeMaker 2024
Revolutionising health inequalities across Africa.
Driven by personal experience of healthcare inequality, Ochong Aduma and Nino Nwachukwu created Sekofia to improve access to health insurance across Africa. Through BeChangeMaker 2024 they gained international exposure, practical business knowledge and a global network of mentors and potential partners. The programme helped them move from thinking like students to thinking like entrepreneurs.
Ochong Aduma and Nino NwachukwuSekofia · Nigeria
Global community
You’re not building alone.
A global community of young people, mentors and partners working on different challenges with a shared ambition: to build practical solutions.
59,000+Young people, since 2017
Teams by continent
Africa52.2%Asia25.7%Americas14.0%Europe7.6%Oceania0.6%
Colour shows relative team participation by region, 2017–2026. Country outlines: Natural Earth via world-atlas, public domain.
Contact
Let’s build what’s next.
Have a question, an idea or an opportunity to collaborate?
Ready to be part of BeChangeMaker?
Start with an idea. Find your people. Build a solution.
Be the first to know when applications open.