The UNICEF Yutopia Intrapreneur Fellowship Programme is a six-month, workplace-based initiative designed to empower emerging human resources (HR) professionals to strengthen youth engagement, collaborative leadership and intergenerational collaboration within their organisations.
The programme provides young HR leaders with leadership training, mentorship and practical workplace experience to develop and pilot initiatives that make organisations more responsive to the needs, perspectives and contributions of younger employees. Participating organisations can translate their commitments to youth inclusion into practical, evidence-informed workplace improvements.
The fellowship is particularly relevant to organisations seeking to strengthen their people-management practices, encourage collaboration across generations and create meaningful opportunities for young employees to contribute to organisational development.
About the UNICEF Yutopia Intrapreneur Fellowship
The programme focuses on developing emerging HR leaders who can identify workplace challenges, consult colleagues and design practical solutions that promote youth-centred organisational practices.
Each participating organisation is expected to nominate one emerging HR leader who is under 30 years old and works in human resources, learning and development, people management or a leadership-related function.
Over six months, the fellow will undertake a company-supported workplace assignment, culminating in a pilot-ready initiative designed to improve youth engagement and intergenerational collaboration. The initiative must be grounded in workplace consultations, supported by evidence and reviewed by the organisation.
Who Is Eligible to Participate?
The fellowship targets emerging HR professionals who demonstrate leadership potential and have sufficient organisational access to implement a workplace-based project.
Eligible candidates should meet the following requirements:
- Be under 30 years old.
- Work in an HR, people management, learning and development, or leadership-related function.
- Have at least six to twelve months of tenure within the organisation.
- Have access to colleagues for consultation and the ability to collaborate with a senior organisational sponsor.
- Obtain explicit support from their line manager and the nominating HR leader.
The programme requires organisational endorsement, ensuring that the fellow has the necessary support, access and authority to develop a practical initiative.
What Does the Fellowship Offer?
The six-month programme combines structured learning, mentorship and practical application. Its main components include:
Leadership training: Fellows participate in three workshops, comprising two in-person sessions and one virtual session. The workshops cover collaborative leadership, consultation practices and the process of translating evidence into action.
Mentorship and advisory support: Participants receive check-ins, office hours and troubleshooting support between workshops. This guidance helps fellows navigate workplace challenges and develop feasible initiatives.
Participatory workplace consultations: Fellows conduct company-approved consultations to understand young employees’ experiences of existing workplace policies and practices. These consultations inform the design of youth-centred interventions.
Initiative development: Fellows work towards creating a pilot-ready programme that strengthens youth engagement and collaboration between different generations within their organisations.
Benefits for Fellows and Participating Organisations
The fellowship offers professional development opportunities while helping organisations turn youth inclusion commitments into measurable workplace action.
For fellows, the programme provides a practical leadership assignment that can strengthen communication, collaboration, conflict resolution and evidence-based decision-making skills. Participants gain experience in consulting colleagues, building organisational support and developing initiatives that respond to identified workplace needs.
For organisations, the fellowship creates an opportunity to assess how younger employees experience existing policies and practices. The resulting evidence can help inform improvements in employee engagement, workplace relationships and intergenerational cooperation.
The programme also encourages organisations to invest in emerging HR talent by giving young professionals a visible assignment with the potential to influence organisational culture and people-management practices.
Programme Structure and Expected Outcomes
The fellowship runs for six months and combines three principal workshops, ongoing advisory support, fellow-led consultations and initiative co-creation.
The expected outcome is a company-endorsed, pilot-ready workplace initiative focused on youth engagement and intergenerational collaboration. Completion is assessed through the workplace assignment rather than attendance alone.
Final certification will be awarded by UNICEF YuWaah to fellows who complete the assignment, subject to validation by the organisation’s senior HR sponsor.
Responsibilities of Participating Organisations
Organisations participating in the programme are expected to:
- Nominate one eligible fellow with line-manager approval.
- Appoint a senior HR sponsor to provide guidance and timely decisions.
- Approve the consultation scope and data-handling arrangements before data collection begins.
- Support the feasibility assessment and final approval of the proposed initiative.
There is no programme fee or required financial contribution. The expected time commitment for each fellow is approximately five workshop days and an additional 12–14 hours distributed across the six-month programme.
Data Protection and Responsible Use
All workplace consultations must be voluntary, anonymised and approved by the participating organisation. Findings will be aggregated and handled securely, and no findings will be shared without the organisation’s review and approval.
These safeguards are intended to support responsible data collection and protect participants while enabling evidence-informed workplace improvements.
Application Process and Deadline
Interested organisations should nominate an eligible emerging HR professional and secure the required managerial and senior HR support.
The nomination deadline is 30 October 2026.
For nomination enquiries and further information, organisations should contact by email .
Why Consider the UNICEF Yutopia Intrapreneur Fellowship?
The fellowship offers organisations a structured way to strengthen youth participation while preparing emerging HR professionals for greater leadership responsibilities. By combining training, mentorship, workplace consultation and practical initiative development, the programme helps bridge the gap between youth-inclusion commitments and concrete organisational action.
Eligible organisations are encouraged to nominate a suitable candidate before the deadline.
Application action: Contactemail to enquire about the nomination process.
