Committed to saving children’s lives, uphold their rights, and help them achieve their full potential, UNICEF works devotedly in over 190 countries and territories. Since 2017, we have proudly supported UNICEF through individual donations funding essential initiatives that help communities in crisis. This year, we were honoured to launch our long-term strategic partnership with them, enabling us to contribute on a different level.
→ Read more about Visma’s partnership with UNICEF
UPSHIFT: Unlocking the generational potential to create real change
The UPSHIFT programme by UNICEF is all about building long-term resilience and opening doors for young people aged 10–24 years across the globe, whatever their backgrounds and circumstances. Focused on empowering the next generation of employees, innovators, and leaders, it provides essential skills, tools, and mentorship to help them tackle challenges within their communities.
UPSHIFT is currently active in 51 countries, reaching five million young people across 120 million learning hours. It is integrated into education systems in 10 of these countries, serving diverse needs and reaching over 32,000 schools, with 15 additional countries in advanced planning stages for expansion. The programme offers flexible delivery models, from face-to-face sessions to blended online learning journeys, varying in length from 28–130 hours. These are delivered through either immersive workshops or at a steady pace over several months.
Herve Morin on how UPSHIFT works to empower young people
With years of experience working for UNICEF, Herve Morin, UPSHIFT Global Lead, offers his perspectives on the UPSHIFT programme, its focus on empowering youth, and its impact on their work lives around the world. Here’s what he had to share.
What are the most significant challenges that the UPSHIFT programme addresses?
“At a global level, the challenges that young people face in an ever-evolving labour market are well established, and education systems are struggling to provide the learning experiences needed to develop the skills and mindsets required to thrive in this environment. UPSHIFT is well positioned to help address this as its adaptability tailors the programme to various contexts and policy frameworks – whether focused on entrepreneurship, 21st-century skills, or innovative thinking.
At a local level, UPSHIFT is designed to make sure that young people can decide which challenges to address. We ask them what problems they care about, and each team goes through the UPSHIFT learning journey focused on addressing those specific issues. This ensures a strong personal engagement of participants, which translates into better learning outcomes. Overall, we see that young people are especially concerned about issues related to the environment and climate change.”
What are the key skills UPSHIFT teaches young people, and how do these impact their future?
“UPSHIFT is designed to offer young people a powerful learning experience that goes beyond simply acquiring new skills. Through hands-on, experimental learning approaches, participants develop essential skills for the future, including problem-solving, critical thinking, cooperation, communication, and creativity.
UPSHIFT’s ultimate aim is to inspire a deeper transformation. It’s about creating that moment when young people start seeing themselves differently, beginning to trust in their own ability to learn, adapt, and tackle challenges in other areas of their lives. Pairing these skills with the right mindsets is what truly drives this change.
At UPSHIFT, we focus on fostering an entrepreneurial mindset – proactive, adaptable, and resourceful – as well as a growth mindset. This emphasises the belief that effort and perseverance lead to improvement and can help with overcoming setbacks.”
How does UNICEF ensure equity and inclusivity with UPSHIFT, especially for underrepresented and vulnerable groups?
“Adaptability is one of UPSHIFT’s core strengths, allowing countries flexibility in utilising the programme to support existing efforts that target specific vulnerable groups. Countries tend to run multiple UPSHIFT initiatives simultaneously, with some focused on a broad reach while others are dedicated to specific groups. Within these large-scale approaches, the focus on equity generally has two main aspects.
On one hand, UPSHIFT aims to bridge the urban-rural divide by providing programmes in isolated areas where such opportunities are often rare, even within formal education systems. This can involve full coverage across all government institutions – schools, technical and vocational education and training, youth centres, and so on – or focusing exclusively on remote areas.
On the other hand, UPSHIFT supports gender equity with 56% participants being girls and young women. That’s quite an achievement for a global skills-building programme across over 50 countries.”
Examples of UPSHIFT’s country-specific approaches to equity and inclusivity:
- In Ghana and Bhutan, the programme is integrated within institutions for children and young people with hearing and speech disabilities.
- In Bolivia, it focuses on STEAM learning, specifically robotics, targeting girls from economically disadvantaged families in remote communities.
- In Morocco, it has been deployed within residential shelters for women.
- In Nepal, it supports young women transitioning out of the adult entertainment industry.
- In Egypt, it supports refugees.
- In Burundi it supports populations relocating due to climate change impact.
- UPSHIFT also operates in multiple countries within the European Union:
- In Italy, it initially supported children and young people on the move, including migrants in reception facilities, and has since expanded to schools in disadvantaged areas where dropout rates are high.
- In Croatia, the focus is on building social cohesion between different communities.
- In Poland and Bulgaria, it supports both Ukrainian refugees and vulnerable individuals within host communities.
How important is mentorship in the UPSHIFT programme, and how are mentors chosen?
“Mentorship is at the heart of the UPSHIFT programme. Beyond simply guiding participants through the curriculum, mentors support teams throughout their learning journey, helping them recognise the value of teamwork and view ‘mistakes’ as essential steps towards proficiency.
The selection of mentors depends on the delivery model. In cases where UPSHIFT is delivered through education systems, the aim is to establish a sustainable programme managed by the government. This involves considerable effort to train teachers and other educational professionals to take on mentoring roles.Typically, this includes follow-up refresher courses and thorough monitoring to ensure the programme is implemented consistently across all institutions.
For face-to-face delivery models, UNICEF and partners provide experienced youth mentors who receive additional training in the UPSHIFT methodology and curriculum. With a strong focus on gender equality, the training includes guidance on avoiding gender norms and stereotypes. Since UPSHIFT prioritises positive learning outcomes for participants, mentors are selected carefully to ensure they can effectively support vulnerable groups and promote high-quality project outcomes. Not all experienced mentors are suitable for UPSHIFT, and it is the mentor training process that serves as a selection tool.”
As the programme grows, how does UNICEF ensure that the impact of UPSHIFT remains scalable across different regions and countries?
“A Brookings report noted that government adoption of education innovations is shaped by regional histories, political economies, and the capacity to customise approaches for specific national contexts. This adaptability is a core strength of UPSHIFT, The programme is modular and tailored, with each country’s version shaped through collaboration with local stakeholders.
As the custodian of UPSHIFT, the UNICEF Office of Innovation has developed global resources and technical support packages to facilitate country launches, significantly reducing the time and costs associated with adaptation – saving a total of 16 years of planning across 40 countries.”
Our partnership with UNICEF is a reflection of our commitment to empowering young people and entrepreneurship around the world. We view UPSHIFT as a powerful catalyst for transformation, enabling people to develop entrepreneurial skills, innovate, and lead – regardless of their backgrounds or circumstances. We’re eager to see the continued positive impact of this programme as we continue to support UNICEF’s mission to pave the way for future leaders and innovators.