Innovating Children's Futures

Thomas Davin is the Global Innovation Director at UNICEF. With over two decades of experience in international development and humanitarian work, in this episode of Corporate Unplugged Thomas shares his insights on leveraging innovation to address global challenges affecting children. He emphasizes the critical role of young people as active contributors to climate innovation and highlights UNICEF's efforts to empower youth through initiatives like climate accelerators, which support young innovators in developing impactful solutions. UNICEF's strategic approach to identifying and scaling innovative solutions has stretched to cover 160 countries. Thomas explains how his team identifies key problems affecting children, such as the learning crisis where a significant percentage of children cannot comprehend texts they read. By vetting and adopting successful solutions from various regions, UNICEF aims to address these challenges effectively. Thomas discusses the importance of building future leaders through programs like Upshift, which equips young people with skills in critical thinking and problem-solving. This initiative has reached over 1.5 million adolescents globally, fostering a generation of adaptable and innovative thinkers poised to shape the future. Throughout the episode, Thomas reflects on the power of collaboration and co-creation in solving complex global problems. He underscores the need for bold thinking and unlearning conventional approaches to drive meaningful change. Thomas powerfully expresses his passion for social justice and his vision for a future where every child has equal opportunities for quality education and health. He advocates for hope and empathy as essential elements in addressing global challenges and building a more equitable world. In this episode: UNICEF's focus on accelerating impact for children globally through innovative solutions. Identifying key problems, vetting solutions, and facilitating adoption and scaling of effective interventions. Importance of storytelling and highlighting successful local examples to inspire replication. UNICEF's "Upshifts" curriculum empowering young entrepreneurs and changemakers. Co-creation and "unlearning" as powerful tools to unlock new perspectives. Thomas's personal commitment to social justice and equal opportunities for all children. Advice to leaders on being bold, daring, and continuously challenging themselves and their teams.