UPSHIFT
A programme that teaches young people to change the environment around them
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What is UPSHIFT?
UPSHIFT is a global UNICEF programme that encourages young people to become drivers of change in their communities. The programme combines training, mentorship, and initial funding for idea development, transforming youth motivation into real projects with social impact. At the core of the program is a human-centered approach focused on people and their needs. In this way, UPSHIFT builds in participants the skills needed not just to generate ideas, but to implement sustainable solutions that bring real value to the community.
What does UPSHIFT do?
UPSHIFT begins with one important skill: learning to look at the world around you with new eyes. Young people learn to observe carefully what is happening in their community — what difficulties people face, what makes them feel excluded or unheard, and what challenges they live with every day. They talk to different people, gather opinions, and explore real-life stories. They learn not just to ask questions, but to listen. Not just to assume, but to understand the true nature of a problem. Gradually, small groups of participants form around shared interests and ideas — and begin thinking together about possible solutions. This is how the first projects emerge.
In a specially designed learning environment, they go through a series of workshops where they generate ideas, experiment with different approaches, build prototypes, and test them. The process is experiential and dynamic — learning through action, where every idea is shaped, developed, and improved with the support of facilitators and mentors. In the end, each group presents its project to a jury. The most promising proposals receive additional support — individual mentorship and initial resources to bring their idea to life.
This is the moment when UPSHIFT transforms from inspiration into action — and participants move from simply learning to creating real, long-lasting change.
What skills does the program develop?
UPSHIFT is an experience that changes the way young people see themselves and the world around them. While seeking solutions to real problems, they develop skills that cannot be learned in the classroom alone — they learn to listen, to plan, to work together, to persuade, and to not give up.
This is a programme in which an idea becomes a project, and a project becomes personal confidence that change starts with you.
How does UPSHIFT work?
UPSHIFT begins with inspiration — stories, conversations, and ideas that make young people reflect on what they want to change around them. We meet them in schools, youth centers, spaces, and communities — wherever they already live, learn, and dream.
Then comes the core training module — a series of practical workshops in which participants gradually engage with the method step by step. They explore problems, conduct interviews, come up with solutions, test them, and refine them — together with experienced facilitators and mentors. This is not just training, but a space for experimentation, collaboration, and shared search for meaning.
After the workshops, field action begins. Ideas that show potential receive mentorship and initial resources so participants can implement them in their communities. UPSHIFT is not an endpoint, but a starting point — toward more conscious participation, meaningful leadership, and an active role in creating change.
Who are the participants?
UPSHIFT is designed for young people aged 14 to 19. They can be students, volunteers, members of interest-based clubs, or simply teenagers who feel they have something to say and something to do for the place where they live. The programme is inclusive and also targets young people with fewer opportunities, as well as those who have no prior experience with such initiatives. The most important requirement is one: a willingness to take action.
Why is UPSHIFT important?
UPSHIFT weaves together threads — of ideas, people, and needs — into strong communities that act together. Every step is meaningful: from teamwork to empathy to real change. The result is not just projects, but a shift in mindset — from “someone else should do it” to “I can do it.”
UPSHIFT believes that young people are not just “the future” — they are the present. The programme gives them the skills to be heard, to be active, and to be agents of positive change in their communities.
