About the Kofi Annan Changemakers Initiative

Each year, a group of 12 to 14 young leaders are selected to join the Kofi Annan Changemakers initiative. The young changemakers, aged between 18 and 30 years old, are chosen based on their commitment to the public good at the global, regional, national or local level. They have already initiated or significantly contributed to initiatives for positive change and will join the Kofi Annan Changemakers programme to further their learning and capacity for positive action.

Aligned with Kofi Annan’s strong belief in the importance of youth leadership, the Kofi Annan Foundation has designed the Changemakers initiative in three parts:

1. Dialogue and mutual learning between this new generation of changemakers and friends and colleagues of Kofi Annan and the Foundation on topics such as ethical leadership, building resilience and bridging divides.
2. Insight into the “Kofi Annan Way” throughout the year-long programme to teach and bring to life the values and approaches underpinning the work of Kofi Annan and his colleagues.
3. Pairing each Changemaker with a mentor who will provide advice, inspiration and support during the programme.

The Mentorship

Each Changemaker is paired with a mentor who, over a period of 12 months, is expected to provide general advice, help build their confidence and resilience, expand their network, and facilitate their access to expertise. A major part of the mentorship is supporting the Changemaker in the development and implementation of their respective seed grant projects.

The Kofi Annan Changemakers cycle starts in February each year, where 12 to 14 Mentors from our pool of Mentors are chosen and paired with a Changemaker for the year-long programme.

A Mentoring Coordinator is the focal point between the pool of Mentors and the Kofi Annan Foundation to identify a suitable pairing, considering the Mentors’ background and availability.

Mentorship Involves:

1. Being available as a Mentor for the entire 12-month programme. More details are included in the form.
2. Signing a Letter of Engagement with the assigned Mentee to determine the Mentor-Mentee relationship.
3. Being available to join selected online sessions and sessions and activities of the in-person module in Geneva in November.
4. Providing the Mentee with support, guidance, and advice for the development and implementation of the seed grant project.
5. Abiding by the Terms of Reference for Mentorship (will be provided)

Mentorship is done voluntarily and does not entail any financial compensation.

Join our pool of Mentors

Interested persons are invited to fill out an expression of interest form to join the pool of Mentors. Completed forms are reviewed by the Kofi Annan Foundation on a rolling basis.

At the beginning of each new programmatic cycle, the Kofi Annan Foundation will select Mentors from the pool and check availability. Depending on the number of mentors available and the number of Changemakers selected for each cohort, not all potential mentors may be called upon in any given year.

The Kofi Annan Foundation reviews the received forms on a rolling basis and will notify you of the next steps.