SWP Youth
SWP Youth in a nutshell
Created in 2019 under the impetus of the Youth Strategy of the Swiss Water Partnership, SWP Youth aims at:
- enabling and empowering youth to participate in water-related issues
- creating an active community of young water professionals, students and future water leaders;
- acting as a platform for launching youth-led initiatives.
SWP Youth is an initiative for and by young people, aiming at strengthening the involvement of youth in the water for development sector, both in Switzerland and globally. SWP Youth is therefore a platform where youth can organise and participate in trainings, mentorships and other capacity-building activities.
Latest news
Winning Projects of the 2024 Water Challenge
For the fifth consecutive year the Water Challenge empowers young water talents in realizing their innovative projects aimed at tackling critical water issues.
SWP Youth at IC Forum Basel 2024
Unlock insights on rising water conflicts and the importance of generational perspectives in fostering global peace from Nadira Mukhamejan (SWP Youth Coordinator) at IC Forum Basel 2024.
Swiss Junior Rapporteur at Stockholm World Water Week 2024
SWP Youth Coordinator Nadira Mukhamejan has been selected to be a Junior Rapporteur to the Stockholm World Water Week 2024
New events
SWP Youth General Assembly
Register for our in-person and online General Assembly taking place on 19th June in Lucerne,…
SWP Youth Networkshops@EBP Zurich
Join our favourite in-person event! For the 5th time come to discuss real-world water challenges…
Winners Ceremony Water Challenge 2023
Join us online for the winners’ ceremony of the SWP Youth Water Challenge 2023!
Youth initiatives
Every year, our number of youth-led initiatives is growing and flourishing across the planet. Do you want to be part of the community? We highly encourage SWP Youth members to launch their own initiatives! We can provide seed funding, advisors and Secretariat support for your project. Of course, you are also highly encouraged to join an already existing initiative.
Are you no longer a Youth? You can still contribute by supporting the initiatives.
See how you can support us
Students and young professionals under 30 years are invited to exchange with water experts to gain insight into their everyday business. This initiative links young water talents in Switzerland to professionals of the Swiss water for development sector.
SWP Youth is part of the Global Youth Movement for Water, a coalition of organisations active in the water sector. The Movement gathers youth-led structures to pool resources to increase young peoples’ bargaining power. The intention is for youth to influence water management decision making and stimulate concrete actions towards their representation.
Our annual call for proposals provides seed funding and mentor guidance to the most innovative and promising youth projects. These youth-led projects from across the world are accompanied during one year.
Water stressed is a podcast by SWP Youth about global problems related to water. In every episode, our hosts Francesco Campo and Donato Patrissi discuss their fears about a quickly changing world. Through interviews with experts and professionals, they try to understand the challenges of the future and if we should, indeed, be water stressed.
Discover water by researching some of the most fascinating aspects that the aquatic sector has to offer. SWP members make their expertise available to secondary school students interested in exploring water subjects in their graduation works.
The Stockholm Junior Water Prize – Switzerland recognizes young students between 15 and 20 years old who have conducted outstanding school projects written on water and sanitation issues with proven environmental, scientific, social, or technological significance.
People
The SWP Youth is organised in a decentralised structure consisting of members, Youth coordinators, a Youth Focal Point within the Secretariat, and Youth advisors.
Members
Youth Coordinators
Youth Coordinators act as a representation, coordination and communication point between the SWP Youth and the SWP steering board, secretariat and member organisations.
Youth Advisors
Youth Advisors are individuals from SWP member organisations that are above 30 and volunteer to provide guidance and feedback to SWP Youth members.
Matura Mentoring Team
Learn more about Maturamentoring here
Secretariat
SWP Youth benefits from the support of a Youth Focal Point for the coordination, the member management, and the organisation of activities and events.
Become a member of SWP Youth
Anyone fulfilling the following criteria is welcome to become a member of SWP Youth:
- be between 15 and 31 years of age
- have a base in Switzerland (either for residency, studies, research or regular professional activities)
- be interested in Water for Development
To become a member of SWP Youth, you do not need to have affiliation with an existing SWP member organisation. However, if you are already a part of one such member organisation, you are encouraged to join individually as a member of SWP Youth. Note: There is no membership fee for joining SWP Youth.
Our sponsors
We kindly thank the following sponsors for their support.
