WORLD MERIT OUR PURPOSE AND PRINCIPLES
A GUIDE FOR PARTNERS
INTRODUCTION If, like World Merit, you intend to make great progress for the world, you need your mission, vision and values to be as clear as possible. Our chosen path to progress is through supporting diverse young talent to reach their potential. To do that to scale across beliefs and borders, you need a strong and consistent framework by which you can successfully engage different people, tackling different issues, in different cultures. The following pages detail our purpose and principles and provide the basis by which our partnerships can thrive and our members can flourish.
Chris Arnold CEO & Founder World Merit
WORLD MERIT MISSION, VISION & VALUES
A FRAMEWORK FOR ACTIVE GLOBAL CITIZENS World Merit is a growing community of youth taking action to make a positive difference locally and globally. We support young people of merit in joining and developing innovative projects and programs aimed at achieving the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The bold global agenda of the SDGs, striving to end poverty by 2030 and pursue a sustainable future was unanimously adopted by all 193 Member States of the United Nations. ItIt has has provided provided to operate for positive World Merit an agreed framework for World Merit to operate for outcomes in every country. positive outcomes in every country. Every part of our organisation is designed to mobilise youth for the SDGs, and the United Nations regard World Merit as the global youth movement most aligned with their 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development.
DIPLOMATICALLY TOGETHER FOR PROGRESS World Merit is an apolitical organization that exists to empower youth to build a better future. Our vision is to improve the world by providing young citizens radically inclusive opportunities. These opportunities inspire action and each action is framed by the Sustainable Development Goals. Our members are working to show merit in a coordinated fashion, and our support builds confidence, self-esteem, employability and global citizenship. As an apolitical organization we can work for progress in all communities. Our focus is the upcoming generation and the achieving of goals that are shared by all governments. We are looking to support partners and local authorities in successfully engaging youth, and though we recognise that different regions are progressing at different speeds, our job is to help everyone everywhere accelerate towards all of the United Nations 17 goals and 169 sub-targets.
THE UNITED NATIONS CHARTER To navigate the world successfully we are guided by the principles of the United Nations and the laws of its member states. In addition to World Merit adopting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as our framework for activity, we have also aligned ourselves to its purpose. We are aligned with the statements of article one of the Charter of the United Nations and have full ‘respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples‘ and are looking ‘to achieve international co-operation in solving international problems of an economic, social, cultural, or humanitarian character, and in promoting and encouraging respect for human rights and for fundamental freedoms for all without distinction as to race, sex, language, or religion; and to be a centre for harmonizing the actions of nations in the attainment of these common ends.’
RADICALLY INCLUSIVE One of our key principles is that of radical inclusion. We view all citizens equally and offer opportunities based solely on merit. We don’t differentiate based on religion, gender, sexual orientation, or any other category of human. We work with all young people based on their desire to work for their community and their world. As an example, all World Merit programs are open to all - based on merit. Our international programs have often had participants whose visas have been rejected, of course the prerogative of each government, but that cannot alter the application processes of World Merit itself
THE 80/20 RULE The incredible diversity of World Merit members is one of our strengths. We already represent every country and most communities. To maintain our relevance and ability to scale impact, we have lived the World Merit principle we call the 80/20 rule. This means that 80% of the strategy and implementation of World Merit should come from its members. This builds insight, trust, and a sense of ownership for our community. HQ program attendees
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INTENTIONS FOR IMPACT World Merit intends to prove itself to all partners and members as the leading global youth community.
2030
50 MILLION global citizens developed
To do so we must operate with transparency as this is the best route to quickly developing trust, and we ask our partners to do the same. We are constantly looking for ways to communicate well, especially in regards to the measuring and scaling of our impact. Transparency is a key principle and trust a key aim.
2022
4 MILLION global citizens developed
2018 TAKE ACTION NOW
SETTING PARTNERSHIPS UP FOR SUCCESS Collaboration is one of the four EPIC values of World Merit defined and endorsed by our global community, and partnerships are the only way World Merit can scale effectively. Partners usually have focus areas important to them, and those focus areas are easier to detail than ever before because of the framework of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Our members select SDGs to tackle upon signing up to the World Merit community. Passions are diverse and we have thousands of members working to achieve each of the 17 goals. World Merit has a wide remit across all the Sustainable Development Goals, though we are always pleased to rally our members for calls to action on specific SDGs. Our aim is always to build long term relationships on local, national, and international levels - and as such we have to remain consistent with our own mission, vision, and values whilst respecting and coordinating with the purpose and policies of partners.
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