REGISTER & SUBMIT YOUR STORY
REGISTER & SUBMIT YOUR STORY

FAQ

  • Why was this challenge designed specially for the rainforests? Why are the rainforest so important for the future of humanity?

    • Today, the rainforests represent just 6% of the Earth’s surface, but they are house to 50 million inhabitants and 2/3 of the planet’s entire biodiversity. Tropical forests, which are concentrated in the Amazon, Central Africa, and Southeast Asia, also take the lion’s share of the job of regulating our planet’s climate and absorb approximately 30% of total atmospheric carbon. However, tropical forests are facing a major threat. Only in the last year the Amazon, for example, has suffered the highest rate of deforestation in the last decade.


      That’s why we need the tropical forests standing! They are essential to help us to fight the climate crisis, they are the most biodiverse ecosystems, they can help us to find new ways of economy by empowering their local communities, their different species of plants could be the cure for many diseases and, finally, they are the key to build a prosperous and sustainable future.

  • What is the FIDS methodology (FEEL, IMAGINE, DO, SHARE) and how can I use it to my project?
    • The FIDS framework helps to develop the much required 21st Century Skills in children, builds their social and emotional competences and promotes employability skills. It is not only simple and constructive, it is open-source, accessible, adaptable and replicable. To learn more about our methodology please download our toolkit by clicking HERE & check our official website.
  • Are partially completed projects accepted?
    • The project must go through all 4 stages of FIDS- Feel, Imagine, Do & Share, and be submitted on or before the 30th of September 2021. Due to the difficulties imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, social distancing and the interruption of classes, the Rainforest Kids challenge 2021 will select ongoing initiatives in which students have already carried out at least a couple of actions to transform the problem chosen by the team.
  • Which countries can participate in the Rainforest Challenge?
    • Any child from any country in the world can participate in this challenge if they have had some interaction with rainforests or any local flora and fauna.
      It is open to all children who are committed to climate action. A simple action from one's home, community or neighbourhood can reduce the carbon footprint, thereby saving our most precious natural lungs.
  • When does the challenge starts from?
    • Registration is open from February 17th.
  • By when do I have to submit my story?
    • On or before 30th September 2021.
  • Incase I miss my deadline, can I still submit my story?
    • Yes you can, however your story will not be eligible for the jury process. The project will be in our database and may be eligible for our marketplace.
  • Where can I submit my story?
    • You must create an account and upload your story in this platform: https://rainforestsubmission.dfcworld.com. Here you will be able to describe the details of your project, its impact and also add photos and videos of your story.
  • How is the submission process?

    • It must be done by an adult/ teacher/mentor. See step-by-step below:


      1. Log on

      2. Fill in the required credentials

      3. Start your story

      4. Submit responses to the questions under FEEL-IMAGINE-DO-SHARE

      5. Save and Preview

      6. Go to next - upload photo or Youtube video link (please note that if only one photo is uploaded for each step, the story will be accepted)

      7. Save and Preview

      8. Submit

  • Do I need a responsible teacher on the team? Why?
    • The submission of the project will require a teacher or an adult to upload in the platform. Subsequently information will be communicated to the same contact person.
  • Must I be represented by a school or organization? Does this organization need to be part of the Design for Change network?
    • Yes, it is necessary to submit your story with a school or organization, in any city or community around the world. However, you don’t need to be part of the DFC network yet, but you will be included in our I CAN community if you accept to participate of the Rainforest Kids Challenge :)
  • Can I submit more than 1 story? Can I have more than one team or it must be the same team?
    • Yes, you can submit more than 1 story, with the same team or a different one, from different organisations or schools.
  • In what language can I submit my story?
    • You must choose one of the four languages: English, Portuguese, Spanish and French.
  • How do I document the story?
    • Please remember to take pictures or make small videos capturing each stage of FIDS process.
  • Is there any limit to the number of photos / lenght of videos for the story?
    • Yes, you are required to submit four photos for each of the four steps – Feel, Imagine, Do, And Share. For a video story, the duration of the video cannot be more than 3 minutes.
  • Is it obligatory to upload a video with my story? What should this video have?
    • Both photo and video can be uploaded in the platform, the videos allows for better understanding of the project and will help the jury to understand the project better. The video must be uploaded on Youtube and the link must be copy/pasted at the time of uploading the story. The videos must be subtitled in English - if you don´t know how to do it, get in touch with the DFC partner in your country or DFC Global.
  • Is there a maximum limit of members per team?
    • The teams must have at least 3 students, with no limit of participants - but should preferably have between 5 to 7 students.
  • Is there an ideal age group for the students?
    • There is no limitation, but the main focus of this challenge is to attract children from 8 to 18 years old.
  • What will be the criteria used by the jury to evaluate my story?

    • The DFC Jury goes through each and every entry in detail, and marks it on the basis of:


      FEEL: DEMONSTRATION OF THE UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS’ NEEDS

      Tip: Show the different ways the children went about doing it for higher scores.


      IMAGINE: CONNECTING NEEDS TO IDEAS

      Tip: Share a broad range of relevant ideas for higher scores.


      DO: SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF THE VISION

      Tip: Did the team implement their ideas? Show how they did it for higher scores.


      SHARE: SUCCESSFUL COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT

      Tip: Highlight the impact on the community, the children’s own lives and other unexpected positive results for higher scores.


      Finalists can be contacted by the program team for clarification, if necessary.

  • When and how will the results of the selected stories be released?
    • Information will be shared post the jury in the month of October in the Rainforest Kids Challenge Platform, our social media networks (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) and our local teams will contact you by e-mail or telephone that you provide at the time of registration
  • What will be the prize for the selected projects?
    • A maximum of 4 solutions will be chosen. Each winning solution will earn $2,000.00 (two thousand USD) as an award which will be split in two ways. $1000 will go directly to the winning project as a cash prize and the other $1000 will be donated on behalf of the team to an NGO working for the cause of saving and protecting the rainforests.

      The $1,000.00 (USD), cash prize can be invested in two ways:
      (i) Approximately 500 USD to be used as a celebration with team members [party, outing or any other alternative that students and the educator may choose as long as they respect the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic]
      (ii) Approximately 500 USD, as a financial investment for the continuity and improvement of the awarded project.

      This decision must be taken by mutual agreement between the project members and the educator. The amount in question will be delivered to the educator who will be responsible for the recommendation mentioned above. The teams will send us pictures to share what they have done, so that the same can be shared on social media etc
  • Guideline for choosing an NGO for donation.
    • For the donation of 1000 USD please make sure that the NGO chosen has done credible work to support the cause of rainforests. It must be registered in the local country and have a bank account to receive foreign donations.
  • What is the Be The Change Conference?
    • The annual ‘Be The Change’ (BTC) celebration is a platform for young superheroes from across the world to share their stories of change. Past BTC glimpses can be viewed here: https://dfcworld.com/SITE/celebrate
  • How can I get to know other projects or past stories?