We created Empowered for Peace because the children in today’s classrooms will be leading our world by 2050. They deserve an education that prepares them not just for tests, but for life. This innovation gives young people a platform to imagine, explore, and solve real-world problems—igniting a trajectory of learning that’s grounded in creativity, collaboration, and purpose. It’s a new school of thought—one where students aren’t just learning about the world, but actively shaping it.
From its inception, Empowered for Peace has been dedicated to harvesting fresh ideas from young people as starting points for initiatives with global impact. We created the Empowered for Peace Innovation Pyramid—a simple yet scalable model designed to help ideas evolve from imaginative thought into impactful, real-world action. This model now forms the foundation of all our work.
In practice, Empowered for Peace is a community based initiative that challenges youth to collaboratively design peaceful, commercially viable solutions to real-world problems. It begins with bold, unfiltered ideas from young minds and begins a four-stage innovation journey: refining ideas through research and feasibility studies, pitching to investors, and launching real-world projects. This becomes a multicultural, cross generational initiative.
Our first challenge is inviting primary schools around the globe to participate in a free, creative, and impactful challenge, that brings peace-building and problem-solving directly into the classroom.
At the heart of this initiative is a powerful, open-ended question for children aged 8 to 12: “How would you make the world a better place?" Imagine a world where everyone feels safe, happy, and included—what’s one idea that could help us create that world?
Recognising the unhindered imagination of young minds, the challenge is designed to amplify student voices and encourage fresh ideas.
The Empowered for Peace Challenge has already sparked global interest and action, even in its early stages. While the first round of student submissions is still underway, the response from communities, educators, and aligned organisations has been overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
The challenge has been featured and promoted by a growing number of partners across multiple platforms—websites, social media, and newsletters—signaling a strong alignment with global values around youth empowerment, peace-building, and creative problem-solving. These partners recognise the unique potential of the challenge to engage young minds in meaningful action and have actively shared it with their networks to broaden its reach.
What’s most exciting is the sense of shared ownership and excitement that’s already being generated. Educators have expressed appreciation for the free, inclusive format and the way it integrates creativity, collaboration, and social impact into classroom life. Parents and community leaders have voiced their support for initiatives that build young people’s confidence and amplify their voices in shaping the future.
Although it is early days, the energy is palpable. The infrastructure is in place, schools are coming on board, and the pipeline for powerful, youth-led ideas is beginning to flow. Empowered for Peace is laying the groundwork for a movement that goes far beyond a single challenge.
From an idea in 2015, repeated exposure has refined the concept with a practical "ideas to impact" challenge. Primary schools around the globe to participate in a free, creative, and impactful challenge, that brings peace-building and problem-solving directly into the classroom.
At the heart of this initiative is a powerful, open-ended question for children aged 8 to 12: “How would you make the world a better place?"
Imagine a world where everyone feels safe, happy, and included—what’s one idea that could help us create that world?
Recognising the unhindered imagination of young minds, the challenge is designed to amplify student voices and encourage fresh ideas. Participating schools allow one-hour during class time for students to discuss the question and come up with their ideas. During this hour, students are invited to self-select into small groups, fostering ownership and peer-led teamwork. Each group brainstorms freely, recording or writing down every idea without judgment. This open process helps children develop compassion, confidence, and creative thinking, while learning that all ideas matter.
Following the brainstorming phase, all ideas are collated and presented to the same group of students. The process then moves into a democratic vote and the Top 5 ideas are submitted to the Ideas to Impact challenge.
Getting started with Empowered for Peace is simple and inspiring. Schools can arrange their own "ideas to impact" sessions as part of their curriculum, or join the challenge. For their own sessions:
Begin by choosing a real-world issue—local or global—that matters to your community. Invite grade school students (ages 10 and up) to form small self-selected teams and imagine bold, creative solutions. Integrate the project into your school curriculum over a semester, giving students regular space to collaborate, present, and vote on the best ideas. The top solutions then rise up the Innovation Pyramid, where university students self-select to conduct feasibility studies. From there, the most viable projects can be pitched to investors for real-world implementation.
To participate in the "Ideas to impact" Challenge, the students consider their answers to one question - How would you make the world a better place? Imagine a world where everyone feels safe, happy, and included—what’s one idea that could help us create that world? Schools follow the simple 6-step process outlined on the Empowered for Peace website and submit their Top 5 ideas. The Top 5 global ideas will move up the Empowered for Peace Innovation Pyramid for feasibility studies and potential funding for real-world implementation.
