The Peace First Challenge: How It Works

PHASE 1: CHOOSE

When you begin the Challenge, you’ll start by choosing an injustice (a social problem

that causes harm or creates inequity, such as violence, poverty, or racism) that you want to address in your community. You’ll also enter information about your location and choose a title for your project. When you finish this stage, you’ll have your very own project page on PeaceFirst.Org, which you’ll add to throughout the Challenge and can share with others to showcase your work. 

PHASE 2: UNDERSTAND

Once you’ve chosen the injustice you want to address, you’ll be guided through a series of activities to help you better understand the injustice. You’ll talk to others in your community, working to identify root causes and potential solutions.  You’ll then create a Compassionate Insight - a mission statement for your project, similar to a Theory of Change, identifying the injustice you want to solve, its root cause, and the solution you plan to put into action. After you create your Compassionate Insight, a member of our team will review it and give you feedback. You may be asked to make some clarifications before you move forward. 

PHASE 3: PLAN

Once your Compassionate Insight has been approved by one of our experienced youth social change leaders, we’ll give you the tools to create a strategic plan and budget of up to $250 for your project. Once you complete your plan and budget, a member of our team will review it and provide personalized feedback. When your plan is approved, you’ll be asked to submit some documentation (to show us that you’re a real person and meet our age eligibility guidelines). You’ll also participate in a one-on-one video call with a Fellow-in-Residence from your region to talk through the implementation of your project. They’ll be able to offer advice on key challenges you might have. . After these steps, we’ll be able to approve your mini-grant application.

PHASE 4: ACT

Our team will send your mini-grant directly to you - really, to you! - or to a trusted adult if you prefer. Then it’s time to put your plan into action! We require you to implement the project within three months of receiving the funds. As you implement your project in the real world, our team will be available for questions and feedback, and you can share updates on your progress on your PeaceFirst.Org project page. You might even be featured on our social media! 

PHASE 5: REFLECT

Every leader who receives a grant is required to submit a reflection to Peace First within three months. In your reflection, you’ll share data and feedback about how your project impacted others in your community, and what you’ve learned from the work. This reflection helps us understand the impact of our programs and helps us to improve, and it’s an opportunity for you to take stock of your progress and practice telling your story! After submitting your reflection, you’ll be eligible for future opportunities with Peace First, including additional mini-grants and our Accelerator Program. Your project page will remain active as long as you like, and you can continue using the planning tools and accessing mentorship from our team. 

Wondering if your project meets our eligibility guidelines? Please read this document about what we support.

Wondering what mini-grant funds can be used for? Please read this document about our mini-grants.