In the past year alone, Bangladesh has felt the tremors of nearly 25 earthquakes originating within or close to its borders. Bangladesh is positioned at the juncture of several active tectonic plate boundaries, making earthquakes one of the key environmental concerns for Bangladesh.  With a major earthquake anticipated in the coming years, there is a huge need to develop earthquake preparedness campaigns that can help the public know what to do in the case of an earthquake, and lower the risk to human life.

The human, economic, and environmental costs are high in a country like Bangladesh, so immediate actions, preparedness, and interventions, can have life changing impacts in the aftermath of a disaster. Currently, earthquake preparedness information in Bangladesh is distributed through a number of different channels. Mixed messages have led to a lot of confusion around what exactly to do during an earthquake, how to prepare for one, and what to do in the aftermath to lower vulnerability.

Youth of the present generation are in the best position to receive and engage in media awareness campaigns - they interact with media more regularly, and absorb more information on a daily basis, than any other generation before. UNDP Bangladesh wants to leverage this massive potential to bring youth into the conversation on earthquake preparedness – we know the youth of Bangladesh as smart, innovative, and socially conscious. We want to work with you as partners and leaders in development. The only question that remains is – are you ready for a challenge?

UNDP Bangladesh is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for young talents interested in earthquake preparedness and passionate about active citizenship. We are inviting Youth Teams from across Bangladesh to compete as part of an Innovation Challenge Fund.

1)   Design a proposal for an earthquake-related smartphone application which can be rolled out on a national basis

2)   The app should build social awareness on techniques and steps everyday persons can take to prepare themselves: for before, during, and after, an earthquake to lower their vulnerability

3)   The app can also provide extra information which might be helpful to know about earthquakes, such as causes, and factors which can make you more vulnerable during an earthquake.

• Make a team of 2-4 persons, between the ages of 18-30.
• No individual applications with be accepted.
• Members may belong to the same or different universities, volunteer groups, scout groups, or youth groups. Your team must have at least one male and one female member.
• Develop an idea for a smart phone app. Consider what kinds of information you would want to see in such an app, what would be the easiest way to convey the information, and what kind of look and feel the app should have.
• Draft a proposal based on your idea. The App proposal can be submitted in graphic, cartoon or pictorial form and must include step by step information on:

1. What people should do before an earthquake
2. What people should do during an earthquake
3. What people should do after an earthquake
4. A rationale on why this app will work
5. Use cases and  a use case diagram.
6. Design flow of the application is required.
7. It could be a software prototype or presentation slide with detail flow of the application. A functional mockup is encouraged.

-    The deadline for submission of your proposal has been extended to October 07, 2016. Apps submission must be sent to yepc.bd@undp.org by midnight of October 7th BD time, 2016. The subject line must read: “Challenge Fund One Proposal: Submitted by [Team Member Names]; [University/Address], [Contact Number]. It can also be submitted by uploading your designed app on google drive/drop-box/One drive and share the link for access.

• Shortlisted Proposals will be reviewed by a long list panel, of which the top 5 proposals will be identified.
• The 5 identified teams will meet with a panel of mentors and technical advisors, who will assist them in developing a full campaign proposal over the course of a week.
• The 5 teams will resubmit and the top 3 will be identified.
• The top three of each challenge will be invited to present their unique solution in front of panel of judges and Honorable Minister on Youth Innovation Day.
• The winning team of each Challenge will be awarded a prize of USD $3,000. The runner-up team will receive USD $2000. The remaining teams will be given a Certificate of Recognition and Crest awarded by UNDP Bangladesh.
• Winning teams will also be given technical assistance and reflection sessions with the UNDP Youth Team toward developing and successfully launching their app by December 2016.

In the past year alone, Bangladesh has felt tremors of nearly 25 earthquakes originating within or close to its borders. Bangladesh is positioned at the juncture of several active tectonic plate boundaries, making earthquakes one of the key environmental concerns for Bangladesh.  With a major earthquake anticipated in the coming years, there is a huge need to develop earthquake preparedness campaigns that can help the public know what to do in the case of an earthquake, and lower the risk to human life.

Universities in particular, present a unique set of challenges. Raising awareness of earthquake preparedness on a campus helps students to understand what  immediate actions, preparedness efforts, and interventions, can have life changing impacts if an earthquake hits while they are in dormitories, lecture halls, or in large auditoriums. Currently, earthquake preparedness information in Bangladesh is distributed through a number of different channels. Mixed messages have led to a lot of confusion around what exactly people can do  during an earthquake, how to prepare for one, and what to do in the aftermath to lower their vulnerability.

Youth of the present generation are in the best position to receive and engage in media awareness campaigns - they interact with media more regularly, and absorb more information on a daily basis, than any other generation before. UNDP Bangladesh wants to leverage this massive potential to bring youth into the conversation on earthquake preparedness – we know the youth of Bangladesh are smart, innovative, and socially conscious. We want to work with you as partners and leaders in development. The only question that remains is – are you ready for a challenge?

UNDP Bangladesh is pleased to announce an exciting opportunity for young talents interested in earthquake preparedness and passionate about active citizenship. We are inviting Youth Teams from across Bangladesh to compete as part of an Innovation Challenge Fund.

1)   Design a proposal for a campus-based earthquake campaign. The campaign should be as creative and cost-efficient as possible, and can involve any medium.

2)   The campaign should build social awareness on techniques and steps students can take: to prepare themselves for an earthquake; stay safe during an earthquake; and lower their vulnerability after an earthquake.

3)   The campaign can also provide extra information which might be helpful to know about earthquakes, such as ‘What Causes an Earthquake?’, ‘What factors can make you more vulnerable during an Earthquake?’, or ‘Where on my campus can I go to learn more about campus safety?’

-  Make a team of 2-4 persons, between the ages of 18-30.

-  No individual applications with be accepted.

- Members may belong to the same or different universities, volunteer groups, scout groups, or youth groups.

-   Your team must have at least one male and one female member.

-  Develop an idea for a campus-based earthquake preparedness campaign. Consider what kinds of information you would want to see in such a campaign as a student, what would be the easiest way to convey the information, and what kind of look and feel the campaign should have.

-  Draft a proposal based on your idea. Proposals must be submitted via www.wetransfer.com or www.dropbox.com in any one of the following formats:

• Video: Duration: 2-3 minutes, with a minimum resolution of 1280x720p
• Photo: Maximum 3 photos with good resolution
• Document/PDF: 1 page, 150-300 word limit.
• Infographic: 1 page, in JPEG/PDF file.

-   The deadline for submission of your proposal has been extended to October 07, 2016. Apps submission must be sent to yepc.bd@undp.org by midnight of October 7th BD time, 2016. The subject line must read: “Challenge Fund Two Proposal: Submitted by [Team Member Names]; [University], [Location].

 The proposal must include:

• Basic idea of what messaging the campaign will focus on
• A rationale of why this messaging will work.

• Proposals will be reviewed by a long list panel, of which the top 5 proposals will be identified. 
• The 5 identified teams will meet with a panel of mentors and technical advisors, who will assist them in developing a full campaign proposal over the course of a week.
• The 5 teams will resubmit and a top 3 will be identified.
• The top three of each challenge will be invited to present their unique solution in front of panel of judges and Honorable Minister on Youth Innovation Day.
• The winning team of each Challenge will be awarded a prize of USD $3,000. The runner-up team will receive USD $2000. The remaining teams will be given a Certificate of Recognition and Crest awarded by UNDP Bangladesh.
• Winning teams will also be given technical assistance and reflection sessions with the UNDP Youth Team toward developing and successfully launching their campaign by December 2016.