Young changemakers are tackling the most pressing issues of our time, but are often stretched and under-resourced. We believe helping them mindfully and ethically adopt AI tools can significantly help reduce this burden and focus more on and therefore scale up their impact in the world
Our LatAm cohort
HaDi is an inclusive platform that brings fun and personalized education to invisible communities. Juan Pablo Cossi • Argentina
Cosecha Colectiva is a living organization that uses food as a tool for social transformation and, through food, addresses many other social issues. Joan Rechberger López • Bolivia
Green Voices is empowering young people in Bolivia to become the next generation of green journalists.
Wara Iris Ruiz Condori • Bolivia
Instituto Pró-Onça protect jaguars and restore their habitats in the Brazilian Cerrado through technology, community engagement, and female leadership. Letícia Benavalli • Brazil
The Bússola Orçamentária de Gênero seeks to address the invisibility of gender inequalities in local public budget planning and execution. Through a digital platform, we offer accessible indicators so that managers, youth, and social organizations can monitor, evaluate, and influence more inclusive public policies. Our approach combines technology, training, and open data with an intersectional and territorial perspective. Natalia Tsuyama • Brazil
Desierto Vestido articulates solutions to the problem of textile waste and incineration in the Atacama Desert Bastián Barria Acevedo • Chile
Impacto Indígena is a platform to change the narrative surrounding Indigenous peoples, shifting them from mere beneficiaries to key partners in driving social impact projects. Venancio Coñuepan • Chile
Second Chance is a migrant-led organization that promotes the socioeconomic integration of migrants and refugees in Latin America through innovative technical training with virtual reality. Jaime Aguilera Rodríguez • Colombia
The Soy Oportunidad Foundation works for the labor and economic inclusion of vulnerable women caregivers through training, support, and partnerships with companies committed to shared responsibility for caregiving. María del Mar Jaramillo • Colombia
Academia del Océano, Ecuador’s first ocean education center, combines a hybrid online-in-person model to democratize environmental and marine education in Latin America. José Francisco Ochoa Ordoñez • Ecuador
At Phagen Tech, we face a critical challenge: the bacterium R. solanacearum, which causes Moko, which affects essential crops in more than 80 countries around the world. Our response is the development of an innovative phage-based biopesticide. José Julián Escobar Ordoñez • Ecuador
MANKA is a community-based solution that combines an artificial intelligence chatbot, digital tools, and in-person workshops to prevent and combat chronic childhood malnutrition in rural and indigenous communities in Ecuador. Andrea Romo • Ecuador
Jóvenes Sanos y Seguros is a program that transforms the city by listening to young people, supporting participation, and building safer, more creative, and inclusive public spaces. Using tools like TED-Ed and Urban Pedagogy, this program invites us to look at things differently, co-create urban solutions, and implement sustainable projects. Pedro José Coello • Ecuador
Generations of Change is an initiative that promotes environmental and civic education for young people to strengthen their role as agents of transformation in their communities. Everilda Felisa Pérez Tzul • Guatemala
Perú te quiero libre is an organization that promotes environmental volunteering in critical pollution zones for the preservation and recovery of natural spaces. Ze Carlos Honorato Pando Espinoza • Perú
The Programme Elements
Regional Cohorts
Our regional cohorts bring together young changemakers, offering them tailored support and connections with AI experts, to improve their teams’ ‘AI readiness’ and adopt new solutions for their initiatives.
An Online Hub
Explore our online hub for real-world case studies of changemakers using AI for good, step-by-step toolkits designed specifically for young changemakers, and curated resources from leading networks and organizations. Coming soon – October 2025
Masterclasses
‘Our masterclasses are designed to equip changemakers with both foundational AI knowledge and practical, hands-on skills to integrate AI into their work. Covering everything from ethical AI use to organisational AI readiness, these sessions will be led by sector leading AI for Good experts. Coming soon – October 2025
The Timeline
Kick-Off Call: 9th – 12th September 2025 – A 2-hour online call to welcome all participants from our LatAm and Europe cohorts, get to know each other, and outline the next steps.
Public Announcement of Participants: Second week of September 2025.
Needs Assessment and Customised Support: September 2025 to March 2026.
Masterclasses: 30th of September to 18th of November 2025.
Launch of our online resource page: September 2025
In-person two-day gathering: December 2025
Kick-Off Call: 9th – 12th September 2025 – A 2-hour online call to welcome all participants from our LatAm and Europe cohorts, get to know each other, and outline the next steps.
Public Announcement of Participants: Second week of September 2025.
Needs Assessment and Customised Support: September 2025 to March 2026.
Masterclasses: 30th of September to 18th of November 2025.
Launch of our online resource page: September 2025
In-person two-day gathering: December 2025
Our Advisory Commitee
Odin is the Lead of Ashoka’s AI LAB, expert on ‘conscious tinkering’ and how to develop AI within organisations, featured in the WEF’s AI for Impact report. Odin Mühlenbein, Ashoka AI LAB, Germany.
Zamina is a visionary AI & ML Expert, Speaker and Fair AI Advocate, pioneering the future of AI, ensuring businesses and changemakers build solutions that are responsible and powerful. Zamina Ahmad (she/her), Shades&Contrast, Germany.
Francielly is an oceanographer and geotechnologist, founder of Benthos.ai, building practical and inclusive AI tools for biodiversity and conservation challenges Francielly Monteiro (she/her), Benthos.ai, Brazil/Germany.
Iva is the founder of the AI dataset annotation company Humans in the Loop and a cofounder of the International Olympiad in AI for high school students. Iva Gumnishka (she/her), Humans in The Loop, Bulgaria.
In Collaboration With
Pro Bono Tech Support
FAQ
Who is ChangemakerXchange.AI for?
Our ChangemakerXchange.AI programme is aimed at young changemakers aged 18-35 improving their communities and the world through social and environmental action. We welcome applications from individuals with diverse backgrounds.
We intentionally bring together a diverse group of changemakers, recognising that social impact and the planetary crisis demand an intersectional and coordinated approach involving various stakeholders. This includes those tackling the root causes and those responding to the societal impacts of these changes.
Who are the partners for the ChangemakerXchange.AI programme?
ChangemakerXchange.AI is an initiative by ChangemakerXchange, an international non-profit organisation with a mission to support young changemakers thrive and deepen or scale their impact in the world.
The initiative is supported by various global partners, including:
SAP, who are supporting the MENA cohort and the overall global initiative
Tech to the Rescue, who are providing Pro-bono tech support for our MENA 2025 cohort.
To learn more about our partnerships, including how to join the effort, please reach out to Nick McGirl at
Who can join the programme?
Our programme consists of three key elements:
– Hub & Online Resources: These are completely free and open to everyone—no registration required (more information September 2025).
– Masterclasses: Also free and available to all, but you’ll need to register in advance as spots are limited (more information September 2025).
– Cohorts: Participation is by application only. ChangemakerXchange conducts a selection process, and only selected changemakers can join and fully benefit from this experience (applications open)
Are there any elimination criteria for joining a cohort?
Country:
(for our cohort in MENA 2025) You must be based or currently living / having impact in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, and Yemen.
Age: For this programme, you must be aged 18–35. Due to permission reasons, we focus on those over 18s. (Please note that changemakers of all ages are welcome to join other activities like Train the Trainer programmes or activities under the Possibilists.)*
Role: You must be the founder/co-founder, leader/co-leader, manager/co-manager (or hold an influential position with decision-making power, e.g. intrapreneur) of a social/environmental venture/organisation which is up and running.
Complete application: The application form must be fully completed – with no open questions or very obviously insufficient answers remaining. Only applications submitted before the deadline will be considered.
*We might be able to accommodate older participants as an exception.
Do I need to be the original founder or co-founder?
No, we also welcome applications from changemakers, who might have joined a programme, venture, or initiative at a later stage. However, it is important that you are in a clearly defined leadership position. We, unfortunately, cannot accept applications from other employees or volunteers.
Does my organisation / project have to fulfil certain criteria?
When reviewing applications to join a ChangemakerXchange.AI cohort, we consider several key factors:
– The current and future impact of the organization, as well as the potential for AI to enhance its work and/or reduce the burden on the team.
– The motivation and willingness of the team and founder to innovate and integrate AI tools.
– Basic tech savviness of the team.
What personal criteria are important to ChangemakerXchange?
Values: Applicants for a ChangemakerXchange cohort should demonstrate an alignment with the ChangemakerXchange values. Character: Applicants should show an entrepreneurial and creative mindset. Motivation: Applicants should show motivation to co-create and collaborate. Diversity: Diversity is also a critical criteria for us. As such, we are putting a strong emphasis on curating cohorts that are diverse in terms of demographics and types of initiatives.
Who covers the costs of my participation in the programme?
ChangemakerXchange will cover ALL COSTS associated with the cohort and programme, such as: capacity-building, programme manager compensation, specialists compensation, facilitation compensation, and post-cohort community engagement activities.
When and how will I hear back if I was selected?
The call for applications for our ChangemakerXchange.AI cohort in MENA will be open from the 18th of March until the 16th of April. You can expect to hear back from us via email between the 28th of April and the 9th of May.
Please note that upon successfully submitting your application, you should receive a thank-you message and a short notification email from with a summary of your responses (please also check your junk folder). If you did not see either, please contact us at
Can I receive feedback on my application?
Unfortunately, we cannot provide individual feedback on each application. But we do send a thorough email to all applicants outlining the full application and selection process, as well as sharing useful resources for changemakers, which has always been appreciated by applicants in the past.
Can my co-founder join instead of me?
ChangemakerXchange invests first and foremost in you as an individual. If you are unable to attend, we unfortunately cannot accept your co-founder as there are other candidates who went through the whole application process and may be on the waitlist.
If I join an AI cohort, will I be able to join your community?
Unfortunately, no. To join our community, you need to be selected for one of our summit programs—currently **Changemakers for Democracy, Education, or the Planet**.
Our community members share a common experience through these summits, which are a core part of our program design. Since the **ChangemakerXchange.AI cohorts** will not go through this experience, they will function as a standalone capacity-building initiative rather than an entry point to our community.
What is your approach to Disability Inclusion?
We strive to be as inclusive as possible as an organisation and for all our activities, including the in-person summits. This includes physical disabilities (i.e. wheelchair accessibility, support for deaf or blind participants), as well as cognitive disabilities (e.g. being neurodiverse). If you have any specific questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to .
Also, if needed, we will prepare a personalised “onboarding toolkit” ahead of the summit to address any specific accessibility needs.
Find out more about new opportunities for changemakers based / with impact in other regions, as well as news around our masterclasses, case studies and free AI resources. Sign up to our waitlist now and stay tuned!
