VISIONARIES JK
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What is the JK Visionaries Award?

The JK VISIONARIES award is the highest honor bestowed by the Inter-American Development Bank to recognize extraordinary organizations that are working in innovative and effective ways to improve lives in Latin America and the Caribbean.

JK VISIONARIES pays tribute to Juscelino Kubitschek, former president of Brazil and the founder of Brasilia. He was a leading visionary in the history of Latin America and the Caribbean who played a fundamental role in establishing the Bank.

WINNERS

New!  

WE HAVE THE HONOR OF ANNOUNCING THE WINNERS OF THE SIXTH EDITION

First Prize - $100,000. Video 

Fundación Kodea   (Chile) Kodea encourages the generation of talent for the digital world and fosters more inclusive technological development by helping to develop computer skills in groups that lack them. Kodea also promotes the creation and adoption of information technology to help Chile transition to the knowledge economy and thrive in the digital era.

Second Prize - $50,000. Video

Alternare, A.C.  (Mexico) It was born 22 years ago with the mission of motivating the self-esteem of people in rural communities and generating a change of attitude toward the use of their natural resources. The organization's integral sustainable development model focuses on strengthening individual, group and community capacities to guarantee food security and sovereignty; eradicate poverty; and promote the conservation and recovery of their natural resources. 

Third Prize - $25,000. Video

Patronato Pro Zona Mazahua A.C  (Mexico) For 22 years it has been providing well-being, integral development, and self-sustainability to indigenous communities. More than 10,000 Mazahua, Otomi, Tseltal, Maya, Mazatec, Chinantec, Purepecha and Me'phaas families in seven Mexican states are no longer in extreme poverty and are now actors in their own development thanks to Patronato’s work on sustainable integral development projects in health, education, food security, sustainable housing, productive projects, cultural rescue and environmental care. 

Fourth Prize - US$25,000. Video

Fundación Forge (Argentina) It was founded in 2005 to facilitate quality job insertion for low-income young people, through an innovative employment and training system. The foundation focuses on the development of social-emotional and digital skills that are essential for success on the job market now. 

Honorable Mentions

Grupo para Promover la Educación y el Desarrollo Sustentable  (Mexico) The organization offers solutions to address poverty by providing training in self-construction of eco-technologies that meet water, food, housing, energy, and waste management needs. It also implements social projects in different areas of Mexico, especially in Oaxaca and Estado de México, where it has training and demonstration centers, and live models for learning, which exhibit more than 30 eco-techniques.

Mais Diferenças  (Brazil) In 2005, the institution was created to contribute to the equality of opportunities for people with disabilities. Through advisory actions, consulting and creation of projects and products for all, the organization seeks to build, articulate, promote, and implement inclusive practices and policies, together with various sectors of society, to ensure human rights.

finalists

We are honored to announce this edition’s finalists:

ORGANIZATION   COUNTRY   WHAT DO THEY DO? 
Alternare, A.C. Mexico It was born 22 years ago with the mission of motivating the self-esteem of rural communities and generating a change of attitude towards the use of their natural resources. The organization's integral sustainable development model focuses on strengthening individual, group and community capacities to guarantee food security and sovereignty; eradicate poverty through productive projects; and promote the conservation and recovery of their natural resources. 
Asociación Civil Danza Perú Peru This non-profit cultural association focuses on social transformation and cultural promotion. Founded by the dancer Vania Masías in 2005 in Peru, this project began with the ambition of training young leaders from the marginalized sectors of the country. The institution trains around 7,000 young people per year.
Asociación Civil por la Igualdad y la Justicia Argentina Founded in 2002, this non-profit organization is dedicated to defending the rights of the most disadvantaged social groups and strengthening democracy in Argentina. Its objectives are to defend the validity of the National Constitution and the principles of the rule of law, to promote compliance with laws protecting vulnerable groups and to eradicate discriminatory practices.
Asociación Civil Ingeniería sin Fronteras Argentina Its mission is to collaborate to achieve a just, inclusive and supportive society, and it focuses on the issues of isolation, lack of community spaces and lack of access to rights, such as safe water and education. It addresses these challenges by building community infrastructure, water supply systems and vehicular bridges, while encouraging community participation, volunteer work and partnerships with the state and other social actors.
Canales Asociación Civil Argentina Since 2003, their mission is to ensure that deaf people are respected and have access to quality sign language education. They created 102 educational materials and trained more than 408 deaf multipliers to carry out projects, school workshops and videos. Their books and videos benefited 72,000 students and they are also the creators of "Videolibros en Señas", the first free virtual library in various sign languages with voiceovers in Spanish.
Ciudad Emergente Chile It is an institution recognized as a producer of urban innovation that seeks to improve the quality of life in developing cities through the management of information platforms and high-impact participatory projects. It was founded in 2011 and its objective is to be the main Latin American center specialized in urban tactics and web applications to collect, disseminate, socialize and coordinate information on the quality of life in developing cities and neighborhoods.
Consejo Cívico de Instituciones de Nuevo León, A.C. Mexico With over 45 years promoting citizen participation by linking, developing and empowering organizations and agents of change, in order to benefit the community and be recognized in Mexico as a leader thanks to his commitment and impact on the construction of peace, justice and citizen participation.
Fundación Artística y Social de la Familia Ayara Colombia It recognizes hip-hop culture and its disciplines as a culture that generates positive changes to provide more opportunities for children and young people, encouraging their citizen participation. They have already implemented projects in more than 300 municipalities in Colombia and have trained more than 50,000 children and adolescents and more than 2,200 women. 
Fundación Ciudadano Inteligente Chile With a decade of experience in 14 countries in the region, the foundation researches the obstacles to citizen empowerment and applies the findings through technological tools that monitor authorities. They also promote the link between communities and their governments, fight corruption, strengthen the work of activists, and enable advocacy on public policy.
Fundación Directorio Legislativo Argentina For the past 10 years, the foundation has been promoting the constitution of autonomous, flexible, democratic and independent spaces, through dialogue with diverse actors from the public, private, academic and civil society sectors. Its work arises from the recognition and appreciation of the political and social plurality of Latin America.
Fundación Forge Argentina It was founded in 2005 to facilitate quality job insertion for young people with low-income resources, through an innovative employment and training system. The foundation focuses on the development of social-emotional and digital skills that are essential for success on the job market now and in the future. 
Fundación Granitos de Paz Colombia Through its innovative and replicable model of comprehensive recovery of vulnerable areas, the foundation provides the tools necessary for hundreds of low-income families to escape poverty and gain access to a dignified standard of living and a promising future. Its strategy focuses on collaboration with public and private entities that share its goals.
Fundación Junior Achievement Argentina Argentina With a century of experience, the foundation prepares young people to be the protagonists of their future through active learning in finance, job preparation and entrepreneurship. Its initiatives connect students to the world of work through face-to-face and virtual programs based on a practical, project-based approach. In this way, young people develop the social and emotional skills necessary for the 21st century.
Fundación Kodea Chile Kodea encourages the generation of talent for the digital world, fostering a more inclusive technological development, the search for computer skills in groups that do not have them and an education that promotes from the adoption of information technologies to technological creation, to support Chile's transition to the knowledge economy and face the challenges of the digital era.
Fundación Nuestros Hijos Chile Created in 1991, its objective is to support children and adolescents whose lives are threatened by cancer and who come from low-income families. The initiative emerged from a group of parents who had or lost a child to cancer and focused on replicating the model of care they received at St. Jude Hospital in the United States.
Fundación Portas Chile The foundation supports young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are students in higher education by accompanying them from the time they enter the university until they graduate and find their first professional job. A good level of retention in the educational system and labor insertion has been achieved through a personal and academic development program.
Fundación Promotora de la Vivienda Costa Rica It is a private development organization, incorporated in Costa Rica in 1987, which seeks to support low-income families in solving their housing and community development needs. For more than 30 years, they have developed housing projects, focusing on the social production of habitat, promoting the participation of citizens and families involved in its design, management, construction and consolidation as an organized and sustainable neighborhood.
Fundación Televisa Mexico Its mission is to inspire and develop the people's potential through media, technological tools and health, educational and cultural actions. The foundation seeks to generate high impact programs (one million people per year), through self-sustaining models, content with social and cultural impact, and the promotion of growth. In addition, its educational programs contribute to the reduction of school dropouts and training in information technologies. 
Fundación Urbanismo Social Chile It was born in 2007 under the name "Gestión Vivienda", motivated by urban inequality in Santiago, Chile. At first, it focused on building quality social housing and then in 2012, it expanded its focus to a global dimension of urbanism, which now also includes the neighborhood and the city. In 2015, it set up offices in new regions, decentralizing its operations. 
Grupo para Promover la Educación y el Desarrollo Sustentable Mexico The organization offers solutions to address poverty and training in the use and self-construction of eco-technologies that meet water, food, housing, energy and waste management needs. It also implements social projects in different areas of Mexico, especially in Oaxaca and Estado de México, where it has training and demonstration centers, and live models for learning, which exhibit more than 30 eco-techniques.
I am a Girl Barbados Its mission is to inspire, empower and provide opportunities for young women to lead and create change. Its strategy includes increasing support for food security and educational stability; raising awareness of the vulnerabilities girls face through digital sustainability; and expanding the provision of "safe spaces" for girls.
Instituto Aliança com o adolescente Brazil Founded in 2002, its mission is to educate individuals, organizations and communities for sustainable development. It develops and improves educational methodologies and products, and disseminates a results-focused social management model that contributes to public policies aimed at fostering social-emotional learning among adolescents and young adults. 
Mais diferenças Brazil In 2005, the institution was created to contribute to the equality of opportunities for people with disabilities. Through advisory actions, consulting and creation of projects and products for all, the organization seeks to build, articulate, promote and implement inclusive practices and policies, together with various sectors of society, to ensure human rights.
Patronato Pro Zona Mazahua A.C. Mexico For 22 years it has been providing well-being, integral development and self-sustainability to indigenous communities. More than 10,000 Mazahua, Otomi, Tseltal, Maya, Mazatec, Chinantec, Purepecha and Me'phaas families in seven Mexican states are no longer in extreme poverty and are now actors in their own development through the model of sustainable integral development with projects in health, education, food security, sustainable integral housing, productive projects, cultural rescue and environmental care. 
Somos el Cambio Mexico Its mission is to transform communities by generating an attitude of change in people by motivating them to carry out projects with social impact. It is currently working on a strategy for all schools to participate in high social impact projects during the next academic year. 
Sustainable Harvest International United States The organization's goal is to address the devastating effects of slash-and-burn agriculture in Central America on people and the planet by partnering with small farmers. The approach is based on providing techniques and practices based on assets the farmers already have. Its programs enable small-scale farmers to improve their families' incomes and the environment with practices that cost less, produce more, and prevent the numerous harmful effects of slash-and-burn and chemically dependent agriculture.  

Winners will be announced in a few weeks. Stay tuned.

The Award

The winning organization will receive US$100,000 in recognition of its work and to encourage its initiative and ongoing efforts to change the lives of the region’s people for the better. A second prize of US$50,000 and third and fourth prizes of US$25,000 each will also be awarded.

The award does not represent an obligation for the recipient to continue to implement the game-changing project that was presented.

The winners will join the Circle of JK Visionaries, gaining access to the Bank’s full set of tools for collaboration and strengthening.

Who can compete?

Non-governmental organizations from member countries of the Bank that are leaders in improving lives, strengthening citizen participation, fostering equitable societies. and promoting social inclusion, with over five years on game-changing projects with proven results.

What are we looking for?

The criteria to select the candidates are:

  • INNOVATION We are seeking organizations that are actively working to solve people's problems with new tools, methods, or techniques, providing value added, and taking a creative approach.
  • RELEVANCE The objective of the organization should be relevant to the development reality of Latin America and the Caribbean and should be aligned with the Bank's mission of improving lives.
  • SUSTAINABILITY. Both the organization and its projects should be sustainable over time and should attend the needs of the present with a view to changing and improving lives in the future.
  • REPLICABILITY We are seeking initiatives that have the potential to be replicated in other countries in the region to improve lives throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.
Application

In order to compete, organizations should include complete an application form and include a link to a video lasting no more than two minutes that answers the following questions:

a. What challenge is your organization solving?

b. Why should it be selected over other organizations?

 

  • Submissions will be accepted until May 29, 2020
Why should you nominate?

The JK award helps fund the winner' future programs and furthers their presence in the international arena. The award recognizes the outstanding contribution of winner institutions and organizations, bringing them prestige and credibility.

Candidates for the Juscelino Kubitschek Award may be nominated by either an individual or another organization such as an academic or research institution, a cultural center, or any other institution in related field. Nominations cannot be submitted by multilateral organizations, Inter-American Development Bank staff (and individuals contractually linked to the IDB), or their family members.

Requirements:

  • All nominations must be submitted electronically using the on-line form and must adhere to the terms and conditions for the award.
  • In the event there is more than one winner per category, the monetary prize will be divided equally among the winners.