Young Courage Award
‘Moral courage: that kind of courage which enables a person to encounter odium, disapproval, or contempt, rather than depart from what he deems the right course.’ (Oxford English Dictionary)
Looking for a way to broaden and develop your work on human rights? Why not by engaging young people in a social media campaign on moral courage?
We are proud to present the Young Courage Award, a non-political recognition with the aim to highlight actions of moral courage. Originally introduced in 2015 by the Raoul Wallenberg Academy, the Young Courage Award is given to young people, who with small resources have made a great human difference and shown evidence of moral courage and commitment. The award is designed to commemorate the altruistic deeds carried out by Raoul Wallenberg in the final years of WWII.
The material included in this Young Courage Award toolkit enables Swedish embassies and consulates to launch their own local nominations campaign and to organize physical and/or digital events, highlighting the importance of human rights and moral courage.
The Young Courage Award is part of SI’s specially adapted toolkits focusing on human rights and democracy, e.g. the Cube Project, Electionville, and To me there’s no other choice, our much used exhibition material about Raoul Wallenberg.
Instructions
Nominations for the Young Courage Award are made digitally through a campaign on social media. For this, SI has compiled several easy-to-use communication components, such as social media posts in words and images, as well as film material, which Swedish embassies freely has at its disposal. For practical reasons it is recommended that local nomination campaigns focus on a slightly older age-group, e.g. 17-25 year-olds.
The international nominations campaign opens once per year on January 27 and coincides with the Holocaust Remembrance Day. This is also to make visible the award’s affiliation with Raoul Wallenberg’s deeds. The call is open just over 8 weeks (up to and including March 31).
The nominations are then collected and preliminary assessed by the foreign mission, who forwards a list of maximum 30 nominees to the Raoul Wallenberg Academy jury in Stockholm.
Potential recipients (a maximum of two per country) are presented by the end of May, followed by the official ceremony in Stockholm on the occasion of the Raoul Wallenberg Remembrance Day, 27 August. Apart from official diplomas, the recipients will also be invited for a ‘travel in Raoul’s footsteps.’
Read more in this project outline (.pdf)
Building blocks
Videos for social media
Video 1 for social media – target group public (download .mp4 from Vimeo)
Voice over script video 1 (Word)
Video 2 for social media – target group youth (download .mp4 from Vimeo)
Voice over script video 2 (Word)
Suggested script for social media video 1 and 2 (Word)
SRT files for local language subtitles (SRT format, English)
Images for social media
Images for social media posts (download from Media Flow Pro)
Suggested script for social media posts (Word)
Other
Nomination sheet (.xlsx)
Diploma (.pdf) (contact SI for print files)
Inspirational stories
The Embassy of Sweden in Paris carried though the Young Courage Award in 2021-22 and made this video during the grand finale. Check out when 15 Young Courage Award laureates from Spain, Hungary, France and Sweden met in Stockholm 25-28 August 2022 to take part in workshops and the prize ceremony.
See also a video with English subtitles put together by the Embassy of Sweden in Madrid who carried through the Young Courage Award in 2021-2022. The video contains an interview with laureate Sara Morales Garcia and the Swedish Embassador to Spain, Teppo Tauriainen.
Financial support
Swedish embassies and consulates may apply for financial support of maximum SEK 40,000 for language translation, local events and/or ceremonies as well as travel and hotel costs for local YCA winners (maximum 2 per country). Part of the sum applied for may also be used for inviting Swedish guest speaker(s).
For projects aiming to strengthen cooperation in the Baltic Sea Region the level of financial support is limited to a maximum of SEK 100,000. Up to 30 per cent of the granted sum may be used for external project management.
Initiatives that include the exhibition in combination with lectures and/or workshop will be prioritised.
How to apply
To apply, please fill out the application form.
The application must be sent in at least two months before the event. Resources are limited and financial support may not be available at the end of the year. Limits may apply.
By filling out the application form you agree to respect the copyright agreement for the images.
Individuals or organisations who would like to show the exhibit should contact the Swedish embassy or consulate in your area.
How to report
After completed event, fill out the project report for toolkits.
Repayments
If more than 10 per cent of the total grant has not been used, then the full amount of unused funds must be repaid to SI. Repayment shall be via UD EKO. When repaying, enter the project’s registration number (available in the agreement) and the name of your organisation in the notification field and notify the project manager in question.
Contact at the Swedish Institute
For more information, please contact Anna Maria Bernitz