2024 Global Youth Impact Hackathon
On December 27th and 28th, 2024, WFUNA and Yonsei University hosted the 2024 Global Youth Impact Hackathon (GYIH), sponsored by China Southern Airlines.
On December 27th and 28th, 2024, WFUNA and Yonsei University hosted the 2024 Global Youth Impact Hackathon (GYIH), sponsored by China Southern Airlines.
With 40 participants from 29 universities across 10 countries, this event further proved to be a successful global platform for youth innovation.
Participants were tasked with proposing impactful solutions under three major themes:
- tackling plastic pollution to protect marine life and ecosystems
- providing inclusive digital healthcare and fintech solutions for an aging society
- developing sustainable tourism and transportation solutions to achieve carbon neutrality
Over two days, the teams engaged in designing business models aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). They participated in workshops using the SDGs Toolkit co-developed by WFUNA and UN Academic Impact. The hackathon was followed by mentorship sessions from experts across various fields, including IT, marketing, sustainability, and international affairs. These sessions allowed the teams to refine their ideas into actionable business solutions.
On the second day of the hackathon, each team presented their solution model in an IR pitching session, receiving feedback from a diverse panel of judges. The panel consisted of experts from international organizations, venture capital firms, and academia. The judging criteria focused on the team’s contributions to sustainable development, feasibility, scalability, and potential for global impact.
The grand prize was awarded to “Wakey”—a digital healthcare solution promoting quality sleep and a gentle wake-up experience for aging societies. Second place went to “Fearless Feathers” and “Aging Kids” was awarded third place. All participating teams demonstrated impressive creativity and a strong commitment to solving global challenges.
The 2024 Global Youth Impact Hackathon demonstrated the power of youth-driven innovation in tackling the world’s most pressing challenges.
Yongjae Kim, WFUNA’s Chief Regional Coordinator, emphasized that the hackathon “provided youth from various countries with the opportunity to collaborate on addressing global issues and unleash their potential on the international stage.”
WFUNA is committed to hosting global hackathons in Bangkok in the summer of 2025 and in Daegu in the winter of 2025, aiming to inspire more students to contribute to achieving the UN 2030 Agenda.
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