About the Scholarship
The Z Zurich Foundation creates brighter futures for vulnerable people. Prevention is at the forefront of our work. Our three pillars - adapting to climate change, improving mental well-being, and enabling social equity - are increasingly urgent, complex issues that have far-reaching impacts on individuals, communities and society as a whole.
We focus on helping disadvantaged communities to adapt to a changing climate. We are building a global community dedicated to improving the mental well-being of young people, and we are providing youth with the skills, education and resources they need to reach their full potential. We believe that the key to creating a better future is connection - fostering relationships between those in the know and those most in need, advocating for change and tackling society’s challenges from the ground up. This is why we are committed to supporting impactful leaders to participate in the annual One Young World Summit, the world’s most international community of young leaders.
The Z Zurich Foundation Scholarship 2025 will allow 25 young leaders working on prevention-focused mental well-being projects, adaptation-focused climate resilience projects, or projects enabling social equity through education, employability or entrepreneurship solutions, to participate in the One Young World Summit 2025, which takes place in Munich, Germany from 3 - 6 November.
If you are a young leader working to champion any of these causes, this scholarship could be for you.
Focus Areas
We are seeking young leaders actively driving grassroots initiatives for vulnerable communities in one or more of the following areas:
Adapting to Climate Change
Initiatives that help communities adapt to climate change and build climate resilience. Climate change adaptation focuses on transforming behaviors, systems, and ways of life to protect communities from the impacts of climate change.
Improving Mental Wellbeing
Initiatives focused on prevention and/or promotion of youth mental wellbeing. Promotion fosters enabling environments that enhance young people’s emotional wellbeing, while prevention focuses on identifying and mitigating risk factors for mental health conditions.
Enabling Social Equity
Initiatives tackling barriers to education, employment, and/or entrepreneurship by equipping young people with the resources, knowledge, and skills needed to unlock their potential.
Scholars will receive:
- Access to the One Young World Summit 2025 in Munich.
- Access to additional scholarship programming organised by Z Zurich Foundation. This programming is likely to include pre and post-One Young World Summit sessions, including opportunities to meet and learn with the wider Z Zurich Foundation delegation, and an impact-focused development day pre-Summit.
- Hotel accommodation in Montréal between 1 - 6 November (inclusive).
- Return air travel
- Catering which includes breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Ground transportation between Summit venues in Munich.
Scholarship Eligibility Criteria
- Aged 18 to 30* at the time of the One Young World Summit 2025.
- Passion for local and global issues
- Demonstrated commitment to creating positive change
- Willingness to engage and collaborate with fellow scholarship recipients and Zurich Insurance Group employees who are also attending the Summit.
- Proven impact in a field aligned with the work of the Z Zurich Foundation namely:
- Improving Mental Wellbeing
- Enabling Social Equity
- Adapting to Climate Change
* Most delegates are between the ages of 18 and 30. The One Young World team will consider candidates who are older than 30, pending demonstration of appropriate personal impact, initiative, and willingness to engage. We are not able to accept applications from those who will be aged under 18 at the time of the Summit.