Fondation Botnar

We are looking for a data visualisation and dashboard consultant. Help us spread the word. We’re looking to translate diverse quantitative and qualitative data into clear and effective dashboards to support learning, reflection, and decision-making. Details are below ⬇️

Five years into its journey, OurCluj continues to grow as a collaborative space for rethinking how cities can support young people to thrive. As part of the global #OurCity initiative, it brings together a diverse network of young people, local authorities, educators, researchers, artists, civil society, and community groups in Cluj-Napoca, Romania, all working together to shape more inclusive, caring, and connected urban systems. OurCluj is a living example of what’s possible when place-based change is grounded in shared values. As a Values-Based partnership, it weaves together efforts across health, education, and civic life, showing how trust, learning, and collaboration can help co-create cities with and for young people. Youth have played an active role in shaping Cluj’s city strategy, and practical studies and tools, such as the interactive Wellbeing System Map and youth group mapping, have also grown from this shared work, offering ways to link evidence and local action to wider change. We were honoured to host Barbara Bulc from SDG CoLab and thankful for her contributions over the past five years, which have helped connect our work in Cluj to broader conversations on meaningful and lasting change. To everyone who has walked this journey with care and commitment: thank you. These five years have laid a strong foundation. The work is just getting started. To hear more about how OurCluj makes youth voices heard, watch this interview with Daria Ciufudean from the Cluj County Students Council ➡️ https://lnkd.in/e4RfRb3z Photo credits: Roland Váczi and Tamás Márkos Centrul Cultural Clujean Department of Public Health, Babeș-Bolyai University InIm Institute FIX Cluj

We are delighted to announce the appointment of our new Chief Programme Officer, Katharina Pompilio-Herold, who will join our team on 1 September 2025. Katharina brings extensive expertise in international cooperation and diplomacy, as well as strong leadership experience in building high-impact teams and portfolios. In her new role, Katharina will be responsible for leading the implementation of our refined strategy and overseeing the overall management and effectiveness of our philanthropic portfolio, focusing our collective efforts on improving the wellbeing of young people in urban and digital spaces around the world. This means saying a heartfelt goodbye to Alexander Schulze, who joined our team in 2022 and has been instrumental in leading our refined strategy process, our first external organisational evaluation and the development of our mental health portfolio to strengthen mental health promotion for young people globally. Alex is moving on to exciting new endeavours, and we wish him all the best. Thank you, Alex!

🌟Consultancy opportunity 🌟 Grand Challenges Canada and Fondation Botnar seek evaluators to support the evaluation of our early outcomes to inform program improvements.   🗓️Submit your expression of interest by July 3!   Learn more: https://lnkd.in/g6zx48HM

We’re excited to celebrate the official launch of the Ghana Alliance – a coordinated platform bringing together partners and organisations in Ghana to advance the wellbeing of young people through collaboration. 🤝 At Fondation Botnar, we believe that meaningful, lasting change is only possible through collective action. The Ghana Alliance was co-developed in this spirit, to strengthen strategic alignment, shared learning, and joint advocacy across sectors and initiatives 🇬🇭. With a strong emphasis on local ownership and youth participation, the Alliance supports partners in building synergies across public education, digital transformation, youth mental health, and liveable cities. At its core, the Alliance reflects a shared commitment to youth agency, participation, and advocacy, placing young people at the centre of shaping change in their communities. 🌍 We’re grateful to see this vision come to life through the close collaboration of the 12 committed member organisations who have co-developed the Alliance and its shared manifesto. Thank you to all our partners for your leadership and continued collaboration in shaping this important effort. We look forward to seeing how the Alliance grows and evolves in the months ahead. #GhanaAlliance #YouthWellbeing #CollectiveAction #YouthParticipation @African Health Promotion Organization DreamOval Foundation Eastern Tech Hub Foundation Ecorys NAP GHANA Global Media Foundation -GLOMEF @Inspired to Act Node Eight STAR-Ghana Foundation Partnership Bureau Practical Education Network Shulem Lake

📢 We’re pleased to partner on SCALE – the System Change Architecture for Learning Excellence – a new initiative to strengthen Ghana’s education system and help young people thrive. Led by the Ghanaian Ministry of Education and supported by philanthropic and private partners, SCALE aims to improve learning by prioritising young people’s wellbeing and holistic development, supporting schools and teachers, and using data to drive decisions. Together, we’re contributing to lasting change by: ✅ Improving literacy, numeracy, and social & emotional skills ✅ Supporting inclusive, locally informed solutions ✅ Building stronger systems for evidence and accountability At Fondation Botnar, we believe education should equip young people not just for exams – but for life. SCALE reflects this by putting young people’s holistic development and voices at the centre of efforts to reimagine education in Ghana. Learn more here: https://lnkd.in/ezGeWhYu Jacobs Foundation , UBS Optimus Foundation #EducationTransformation #YouthWellbeing #SystemChange

Exciting times ahead in Koforidua as we welcome Fondation Botnar on a special visit under the #KofKro Project! Our partners have lined up a powerful series of #youth-led and community-driven activities, all happening concurrently to showcase the impact of #inclusive governance and youth participation: 🔹 Community Action #Learning Exercise & Exchange – Sharing local insights and learning together 🔹 Youth #Parliament Sitting – Elevating young voices in decision-making 🔹 Inclusive #Education Forum – Driving dialogue for a more accessible and equitable education system These impactful engagements will culminate in a grand #Town Hall Meeting, where youth and local authorities will engage in interactive #dialogue to address pressing issues in Koforidua and co-create solutions for #inclusive development. Stay tuned for live updates! #KofKroProject #YouthInGovernance #InclusiveDevelopment #FondationBotnar

🌍 This #AfricaDay 2025, we’re celebrating the energy, ideas, and leadership of young people who are reshaping cities to be more inclusive and responsive to their needs. In cities across Africa, young people are co-creating solutions with civil society, local authorities, and community leaders to build urban systems that reflect their realities and ambitions. Through the OurCity initiative, local partnerships are fostering youth-led change by strengthening civic engagement, expanding digital inclusion, and embedding co-creation in city governance. 📍 🇹🇿 In Tanga, Tanzania, young people are influencing local priorities through a citywide youth forum and contributing to an innovation-friendly environment, including the development of East Africa’s first STEM Park. 📍 🇬🇭 In Koforidua, Ghana, young people are strengthening civic trust, co-creating platforms for governance, digital literacy, and peacebuilding with city leaders and traditional authorities. 👉 Discover how local partnerships are reimagining cities with and for young people: 🔗 https://lnkd.in/e9GzQKgY TangaYetu STAR-Ghana Foundation

At Fondation Botnar, we’re driven by a simple yet powerful mission: to support the wellbeing of young people as they navigate life in increasingly urbanised and digital environments. The discussions this week at the 78th World Health Assembly (WHA78) reaffirm why this mission matters now more than ever. #WHA78 took place amidst an increasingly fractured multilateral order, with massive aid cuts estimated to lead to millions of deaths, disruptions to essential health services and attacks on fundamental human rights. Now, more than ever, is the time for coordinated action to shape a post-2030 agenda for sustainable development – one that no longer overlooks the largest generation of adolescents and young people in history. Key takeaways ⬇️ 🌏 Adolescent health and wellbeing The second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing issues a bold but necessary challenge: invest in adolescence, enable supportive policies, and foster multisectoral collaboration—with young people at the centre. But despite growing evidence and advocacy, young people remain overlooked in global agendas, including the current draft declaration on NCDs and mental health. Fondation Botnar continues to invest in platforms and partnerships that elevate youth voices and leadership to shift this narrative. 🧠 Mental health is a human right At #WHA78, the message was clear: mental health must be fully recognised as a matter of human rights. This includes the decriminalisation of suicide, of more community-centred mental health care, and stronger protections around social and income security—key factors influencing wellbeing. We also need to address the commercial drivers of poor mental health, especially in digital spaces where youth are often targeted by harmful advertising and addictive technologies. 🌐 Trusted health data governance Digital health can accelerate progress towards universal health coverage (UHC) and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, as health systems digitise rapidly, robust governance frameworks must keep pace. Just as civil aviation operates under universal guidelines, a harmonised approach to health data governance can create consistency, foster trust, and enable safe data exchange across borders. Now is the time for integrated action. At Fondation Botnar, we believe that fostering meaningful youth participation and building strong, cross-sectoral partnerships is not just the way forward—it’s the only way to ensure a healthier, more equitable future for young people everywhere. #WHA78 #YouthWellbeing #MentalHealthIsAHumanRight #DigitalHealth Images: © World Health Organization/Pierre Albouy

🌍 With 1.96 billion young people globally, ensuring their health and wellbeing is essential for a better future. The second Lancet Commission on Adolescent Health and Wellbeing, launched yesterday, reinforces this with a powerful message: investing in adolescents delivers a “triple dividend”—benefits for young people today, the adults they’ll become, and the next generation. We couldn’t agree more. Yet, current funding remains inadequate and adolescent health is at a tipping point, with rising noncommunicable diseases and mental health challenges outpacing gains made for younger children—further intensified by climate change, urbanisation, and the aftermath of COVID-19. At Fondation Botnar, we remain deeply committed to rethinking how we address these challenges. Through partnerships with young people and dedicated organisations worldwide—and new efforts alongside the World Health Organization—we are working towards a world that fulfils the rights and supports the wellbeing of all young people. We believe in a future where every young person can thrive, no matter where they live. Achieving this will require bold, cross-sectoral collaboration. 📢 Join the call to action—explore the Commission’s findings and recommendations in full bit.ly/4k14Vgo #AdolescentHealth #GlobalHealth World Health Organization The Lancet Group Murdoch Children's Research Institute (MCRI) Centre for Adolescent Health FIA Foundation Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation Mass General Brigham CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Burnet Institute RMIT University Drexel University University of the Witwatersrand The National Research Foundation of South Africa (NRF)