WHO WE ARE

UNLEASH is a non-profit organization with a mission to accelerate positive change toward the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by mobilizing young talented people in community leadership, problem-solving, and launching social and environmental solutions.

Our vision is to be the world’s most inclusive platform for young people to co-create a sustainable future.

From brainstorming potential ideas to scaling impactful solutions, our programs focus on:

Engaging youth from around the globe with the passion and drive to ignite change by challenging traditional approaches and ways of thinking.

Developing next-generation ideas and partnering talents with individuals, companies, NGOs, government agencies, investors, and foundations that are at the forefront of innovation and global development.

Supporting winning ideas towards implementation through ongoing support and a global network of partners.

Engaging youth from around the globe with the passion and drive to ignite change by challenging traditional approaches and ways of thinking

Supporting winning ideas towards implementation through ongoing support and a global network of partners.

Our Values

Impact Driven

The best solutions are designed and implemented together with all stakeholders involved.

Agency

Everyone deserves the ability to make the decisions that are best suited for their context and problem.

Diversity
and Inclusion

Mobilizing people from every background and experience is necessary to solve the world’s most pressing challenges.

Community

No problem is solved alone; it requires a strong community to provide the support needed for success.

Optimism

We believe in a passionate community who creates positive impact (and has fun while doing so!).

Our Story

In 2015, the 193 UN Member States adopted the Agenda 2030, 17 Sustainable Development Goals with 169 (!) targets, to ensure that the world’s most complex and interconnected issues could be addressed. The SDGs present an urgent call for a better and more sustainable future.

One year later in Copenhagen (Denmark) a small group of global and impact-driven organizations decided to join forces to make a valuable contribution to the SDGs.

Their best bet for success? Unleashing the potential of youth! The initiative aimed to gather 1000 young people in a different location each year to co-create innovative solutions for the SDGs, inviting them to bring in their fresh perspectives and disruptive ideas.

This ambition formed the foundation of UNLEASH. Since the first Innovation Lab in 2017, UNLEASH has grown from an initiative that hosts annual innovation labs to a movement with several programs that bring together, support, and mobilize young changemakers throughout the year. Until 2030 and beyond, we will continue building UNLEASH as a movement for real and scalable positive change.

These are some of the most important milestones in our story so far:

The UN adopts Agenda 2030

The Agenda 2030 is a global partnership and development plan, focusing on 17 Sustainable Development Goals for a better, more sustainable future.

Innovation Lab Denmark

For the first time, UNLEASH unites 1000 young people from across the globe. The Lab takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Innovation Lab China

The third UNLEASH Innovation Lab receives more than 9000 (!) applications, of which 1000 young people are selected to gather in the megacity of Shenzhen in China.

March
Launch of UNLEASH Hacks

The first local Hacks take place across 6 time zones and are attended by 350 participants.

UNLEASH Community platform

UNLEASH launches a community platform, creating a central digital meeting point for all UNLEASH alumni across the globe.

Innovation Lab India

The Innovation Lab happens in Karnataka, India from the December 3 to 10, 2022.

UNLEASH is founded

The initiative has the mission to connect and engage 1000 young people yearly to develop innovative solutions addressing the SDGs.

Innovation Lab Singapore

During the 8-day Lab, youth from more than 100 different countries co-create solutions at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and Nanyang Technological University (NTU).

UNLEASH Plus

UNLEASH launches a new program to support teams of entrepreneurs to further develop their SDG solutions toward large-scale impact.

November
UNLEASH Ambassadors program

The UNLEASH Ambassador program was launched with the purpose of selecting and training motivated UNLEASH representatives to engage youth in their communities to make a positive local impact.

Innovation Lab Greenland

The Innovation Lab takes place in Nuuk, Greenland, between August 20 – 27, 2022.

Innovation Lab Rwanda

The first Innovation Lab on the African continent takes place in Kigali, Rwanda, in December 2023.