Peacebuilding Youth Design Challenge - 90 Minute Info Session & Mini PD Session

Join our Peacebuilding Youth Design Challenge - 90 Minute Immersive PD Session!

Event Details:

🗓 Thursday 15th October, 2026

⏰ 12:00 PM to 1:30 PM AEST

📍This is a virtual event. Zoom links will be sent to all registered attendees

In this session, we'll cover:

• How to introduce design challenges into your school context, and the possibilities of collaborating internally to co-deliver the program, and what ages/class sizes suit best

• Why Peacebuilding is an important topic to engage young people

• How to use the design thinking framework and access the free resources of this challenge to deliver the program

• Opportunities for your students to enter the national Peacebuilding Youth Design Challenge competition to get recognition for their work, and the chance to win prizes and receive further mentoring

• Case studies and examples of incorporating design thinking into your classroom and curriculum, based on learning areas and cross-curriculum priority links. 

• How you can get your students excited by introducing the national challenge competition, where they can get recognition for their work and have the chance to win prizes, and receive further mentoring

This event is perfect for teachers who are new to delivering entrepreneurial learning and design thinking programs or those looking to upskill. It's also a great way to connect with other educators and hear about their experiences.

This event is facilitated by Young Change Agents experienced team, who work with educators and youth across the country to support them with entrepreneurial education.

About the Peacebuilding Youth Design Challenge
Australia is home to hundreds of cultures, languages, and stories. From remote communities to fast-growing regional centres and bustling cities, young people across the country are navigating a world shaped by diversity, digital change, and the need for empathy and understanding.

Every day, young Australians experience the impact of conflict, whether it’s misunderstandings between cultural groups, bullying at school, misinformation online, or the tensions created by history that hasn’t been fully told. At the same time, they are powerful agents of peace: creative thinkers, bridge-builders, storytellers, upstanders, and innovators.

We’re challenging young people aged 10-21 across Australia to participate in the Peacebuilding National Youth Design Challenge from March to November 2026.

This challenge is an opportunity to use creativity, innovation, and empathy to design solutions for a more peaceful world.

As part of this challenge, we're asking young people to focus on one of five key themes: 

1. Bridging Cultural Divides: How might we reduce racism or prejudice in our school or community by promoting empathy and positive interaction?

2. Emotional Resilience & Conflict Skills: How might we create new ways for students to resolve conflict or prevent bullying in safe, respectful, and empowering ways?

3. Peace Through Art & Storytelling: How might we design a creative project that inspires others to take positive action toward a more peaceful community?

4. Reconciliation: How might we support truth-telling and strengthen relationships between First Nations and non-Indigenous young people?

5. Digital Peacebuilding: How might we design tools, spaces, or systems that make the digital world safer, more inclusive, and more supportive for young people?

The challenge is a great way to build your students' confidence, resilience, and general capabilities and encourages them to view problems as opportunities through a social enterprise lens.

Once they complete the challenge, they can enter the national competition to receive feedback on their idea and be in the running for prizes, mentorship and the opportunity to share their idea in the national showcase if selected as a finalist.

The challenge competition is open until early November, 2026.

This is a teacher-led challenge where all resources are provided through the Young Change Agents Entrepreneurial Learning Hub.

This challenge is available as a funded program supported by Young Change Agents and our challenge partners, and there is no cost for schools to take part.

Get access to the resources and learn more about the challenge here.

About Young Change Agents
Young Change Agents is a non- profit social enterprise focused on developing the mindset, skillset and toolset of youth aged 10 - 21. We do this through social entrepreneurship programs combined with educator capacity building, the amplification of youth ideas, and technology platforms that provide badging and ePortfolios. We are equipping young people for their future careers and empowering them to create their own pathways. Learn more about Young Change Agents here.