Habitat Young Leader Build

Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build 2016 brings together youth from across the Asia-Pacific region to support families in need of decent housing. Young people volunteer, fundraise and speak out for the need for decent homes as a way out of poverty and toward self-sustainability. The campaign motivates youth to take the lead in building homes and communities, on a Habitat build site and/or online through their social networks.

  1. What is Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build (HYLB)?

  • Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build is a movement to raise awareness of the poverty housing situation in the Asia-Pacific region and grow support for the vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
  • Habitat for Humanity Young Leaders Build 2016 brings together youth from across the Asia-Pacific region and around the world <<<remove as needed>>> to support families in need of housing. The young people volunteer, fundraise and speak out for the need for decent homes as a way out of poverty and toward self-sustainability. The campaign motivates youth to take the lead in building homes and communities, on a Habitat build site and/or online through their social networks.
  • It is Habitat for Humanity’s largest youth movement to date.
  • It is an annual campaign. It was started in 2012 and was known as Habitat for Humanity Youth BUILD until the 2016 campaign.

  1. Why organize HYLB?

  • Habitat Young Leaders Build gives young people in the Asia-Pacific region an avenue to say no to poverty housing. It motivates young people to rally against poverty by volunteering, fundraising and speaking out; by playing a part, taking the lead, and sharing their commitment for the campaign through their social media networks.
  • It enables Habitat for Humanity to expand its supporter base of young people in the Asia-Pacific region through physical and virtual activities, and hence to serve more families in need of a safe, decent and affordable home.

  1. Who participates in HYLB?

  • This year, at least 1 million Habitat supporters from 16 Asia-Pacific countries and one special administrative region are expected to play a part, take the lead and share through their social networks, to raise awareness and funds to fight poverty housing in the Asia-Pacific region.
  • Young people, celebrities and corporate volunteers all play a role in Habitat Young Leaders Build, whether by volunteering to build, fundraising, speaking out or showing their support online.
  • Habitat for Humanity is looking for energetic, passionate young people who share the vision of creating a world where everyone has a decent place to live. These are young people who will reach out to their networks of family and friends in support of Habitat’s work.

  1. Why should I participate in HYLB / What is the housing need?

  • The need for shelter that is safe and affordable is very real in the Asia-Pacific region. The United Nations estimates that more than 500 million people in the Asia-Pacific region live in slums, representing more than half of the world’s slum dwellers. According to the United Nations, 1.6 billion people live without adequate shelter in the world. Habitat Young Leaders Build is your opportunity to show solidarity with Habitat’s cause, say no to inadequate housing, and have a tangible impact on the world.
  • Additional global statistics (UNICEF, Sep 2006) to use if required:
    • Every125 million children younger than 5 have no clean water. Expanded version: More than 125 million children under five years of age live in households without access to an improved drinking-water source, and
    • 280 million children lack proper sanitation. Expanded version: More than 280 million children under five live in households without access to improved sanitation facilities.

  1. What is the timeframe for HYLB?

  • Habitat Young Leaders Build launches on 5 December 2015, to mark International Volunteer Day. Over the following four months, caring and concerned young Habitat supporters will volunteer, fundraise and speak out for the need for decent homes as a way out of poverty and toward self-sustainability.
  • Habitat Young Leaders Build peaks on 2 April 2016. Hundreds of thousands of young people will take part in simultaneous builds and activities across Asia-Pacific or get online to join other supporters supporting the campaign.

  1. How can I get involved in HYLB?

  • There are several ways to get involved in Habitat Young Leaders Build:
  • Play a part. Take the Lead. Share the message with friends and family in person and on social media networks.
  • Rally against poverty by volunteering, fundraising and speaking out.
  • Become a volunteer and build

Donate your time and effort by signing up as a Global Village volunteer for an overseas trip or volunteering for an in-country build, activity or event taking place during the campaign period.

  • Support the vision by raising funds
  • Create an online fundraising page on give2Habitat.org. Click here [TBC] to check out some creative ways you can help Habitat raise the funds to make Habitat Young Leaders Build a success, even if you are unable to join us on a build site. You can also raise funds offline – click here [TBC] to find out more. Invite your family and friends to support you by raising funds in the lead-up to the event.
  • Support someone you know by making a donation to Habitat’s work. Click here [give2Habitat.org] to check out individuals fundraising for Habitat Young Leaders Build. Enter their name in the search box to locate specific support pages.
  • Show your solidarity online

Show your support online by sharing Habitat Young Leaders Build information and news via your social networks like Facebook and Twitter. ‘Like’ the Habitat Young Leaders Build Facebook group. Follow Twitter and Instagram updates with #HabitatYLB. Promote the hashtag #HabitatYLB. Donate and fundraise on Give2Habitat.org. Help us rally support by spreading the word and generating awareness for Habitat Young Leaders Build.

  • Speak out [Advocacy]

Habitat believes that all, including the young, are affected by housing and other relevant policies, or actions of decision-makers. More importantly, young people have their own ways, ideas and suggestions to offer to decision-makers on making housing more affordable and accessible based on the situation in the country in which they are based. Some examples of advocacy actions that you can do:

  • Work with others in groups (coalitions, networks, & partnerships) to support laws and policies on housing.
  • Mobilize others to advocate for decent housing through speaking to them and convincing them. Mobilization can be physical or through social networks.
  • Develop policy positions to offer suggestions to government on what needs to be done.
  • Directly lobby or petition decision-makers such as councillors, local assembly. This can be done by writing letters asking the decision maker to address housing issues.
  • Use social media and other means to communicate with decision-makers on policies that affect housing.
  • List down commitments that your government has made at international level, implementation gaps and proposed solutions.

  1. Who is paying for HYLB?

  • Habitat for Humanity relies on the financial support of corporate sponsors and our online peer-to-peer fundraising initiative – HabitatYLB.org [TBC] or Give2Habitat.org – to make Habitat Young Leaders Build a success. Individuals and groups can participate in peer-to-peer fundraising by setting up a support page at Give2Habitat.org.

  1. Who is supporting HYLB?

  • Several regional and local celebrities and high-profile personalities. <<<Include specific names when available>>>
  • Young people in Australia, Bangladesh, China, Cambodia, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.
  • <<<List names of sponsors; describe the nature of their support when available>>>

  1. What has been the impact of HYLB?

2015

In 2015, when Habitat Young Leaders Build was called Youth Build, it brought together more than 668,000 young people from 15 countries and one special administrative region (SAR). It raised about US$560,000 and helped a record 13,000 low-income families secure decent homes. The estimated “opportunities for people to see” or reach from media coverage and social media posts was over 80 million.

The countries and SAR that participated in the campaign were: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Vietnam.

Refer to infographic (Figure 1) below for detailed figures. Find out more information about various 2015 activities here.

2014

In 2014 when Habitat Young Leaders Build was called Youth BUILD, it brought together more than 800,000 supporters in 11 countries, across 57 sites and raised over US$400,000. Volunteers worked on 950 houses, More than 1,700 low-income families were served. The estimated “opportunities for people to see” or reach from media coverage and social media posts was over 50 million.

The countries and SAR that participated in the campaign were: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Nepal, the Philippines, South Korea, and Thailand.

Refer to infographic (Figure 2) below for detailed figures. Find out more information about various 2014 activities here.

  • List of Celebrities and sponsors who supported Habitat Youth Build in the past is available in Appendix 1.

  1. Explain the 2016 HYLB tagline – PLAY LEAD SHARE

    • PLAY a part by joining the Habitat Young Leaders Build movement to raise awareness of the terrible poverty housing situation in the Asia-Pacific region and around the world.
    • Take the LEAD to help build homes and communities. Lead in the support of the vision of a world where everyone has a decent place to live.
    • SHARE with friends your Habitat Young Leaders Build experience online through your social networks.

  1. Why was the name changed from Habitat Youth BUILD to Habitat Young Leaders Build?

Habitat for Humanity recognizes that the young people of the world are no longer just “leaders of tomorrow” but are the younger “leaders of today.” As passionate individuals engaging their contemporaries, they are collectively taking the lead to be the change in the world that they want to see. We also consider the global possibilities of a movement that started in the Philippines, grew in Asia and the Pacific and recently expanded to Latin America and the Caribbean. The name change reflects this shift.