In 2019, UNICEF Nicaragua joined forces with the Managua Hub as well as Plan International, the Scouts, the UNDP, the Bluefields Indian and Caribbean University (BICU) and Fundación Zamora Terán, to organize the 2nd edition of the Youth Challenge in Nicaragua, a program aimed at young people aged 14 to 24, in which they develop skills and are empowered to take actions towards difficulties they face on a daily basis. The Youth Challenge program is part of an alliance called “Generation Unlimited” whose objective is “to ensure that by 2030 all young people have access to quality education, training or employment”. The aim of this Youth Challenge is to inspire young people with brilliant ideas, specifically youth without the resources to bring them to life, including those who face discrimination on a daily basis due to their gender or disability and those disadvantaged by poverty. Generation Unlimited (GenU) is a global multisector partnership created to meet the urgent need for expanded education, skill development and employment opportunities for young people aged 10-24. By bridging secondary-age education and training to employment and entrepreneurship, GenU will support every young person to thrive in the world of work and become productive problem solvers and engaged members of society. Participants of the Youth Challenge Nicaragua took part in one of the three available 3-day Bootcamps in which they incubated a social entrepreneurship project. After these workshops, the most promising proposal in each Bootcamp was selected and awarded USD 2,000 each in funding to help the implementation of the projects. The finalists also receive on-going mentoring during 6 months to move their projects forward and bring them to life. In June 2020, a national selection process will be held to select the winning project, which will then participate in the global competition in which the winning team will be awarded additional funding of up to USD 20,000 along with Generation Unlimited Partners ‘ tailor-made global incubation program to support them to scale.

In Nicaragua, the Managua Hub was involved in 2 of the 3 Bootcamps: 1) in Bluefields, through the participation of 2 Shapers as facilitators of the event, and 2) in Managua at the Centro de Innovación, through the participation of 2 Shapers, as facilitator and mentor.