Opening for International Consultant for the adaptation of ypeer manual to peacebuilding
Duty Station: Home based (Place of residence; Travel to WB6: (The Western Balkan countries (Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Kosovo) , if required)
Duration of the contract and timeline: September – October, 2019 (maximum 30 working days within a 2 - month period)
Deadline for applications: 31 July, 2019
Background
RYCO is an intergovernmental organisation that stewards and promotes regional, cross-border and intercultural cooperation within and among its six Western Balkan Contracting Parties. The Agreement on Establishment of RYCO was signed by the WB 6 Prime Ministers at the WB Summit held in Paris, on 4 July 2016, within the Berlin Process. RYCO’s unique governance system brings together government and civil society representatives to ensure young people are represented at all levels within the organisation. Its Local Branch Offices ensure RYCO is represented in all the six Contracting Parties, while its Head Office is the organisational hub situated in Tirana.
RYCO’s programme focuses on creating opportunities for young people to engage in activities that build mutual understanding and reconciliation in the civic, social, educational, cultural and sports domains. RYCO initiates and participates in policy making and advocates for reform. It supports the development of a political and social environment that empowers and facilitates youth exchange. In pursuing its mission, RYCO will demonstrate its commitment to human rights, human dignity and the building of peace based on mutual respect and trust.
RYCO’s programming is boosting the competencies of young people, civil society and schools in the region. RYCO is funding initiatives that connect schools and civil society organisations in the region. It invigorates and enhances constructive dialogue. It enables and stimulates intercultural learning and builds mutual understanding. These non-formal education investments are strengthening the competences of young people and encouraging their active citizenship. RYCO supports civil society organisations, schools, and other partners to provide youth from the region with training and cooperation opportunities. The organisation is working closely with partners to assist them in building effective and enduring relations of confidence and cooperation between governments and civil society, and to encourage and foster their capacity to support youth exchange investments.
RYCO is implementing the project “Supporting the Western Balkan's Collective Leadership on Reconciliation: Building Capacity and Momentum for the Regional Youth Cooperation Office (RYCO)” with UNDP Albania, UNICEF Albania and UNFPA Albania. The project is financed by the United Nations Peacebuilding Fund. The project aims to enhance social cohesion and reconciliation among youth across the Western Balkans – as measured by an increasing embrace of diversity, more tolerant attitudes and reduced prejudice and discrimination through providing support to RYCO, as a mechanism, which is endorsed by governments and citizens alike. The project will support RYCO to work in partnership with civil society, education systems and schools, grass roots, youth institutions and youth in general for the consolidation of RYCO as a regionally owned mechanism with the capacity to promote reconciliation, mobility, diversity, democratic values, participation, active citizenship and intercultural learning.
In this context, UNFPA Albania in close consultation with RYCO team will hire an international expert to assist in adapting and updating a youth peer to peer methodology for reaching out to the most vulnerable and hard to reach youth to enable them take initiative, participate in initiatives and engage for peace and trust-building in their communities and beyond. The module should effectively promote multi-ethnic relationships, peace-building, and tolerance among adolescents and youth from communities of diverse ethnic background, as well as ensure prudent gender-balanced activities that empower young women.
In the context of the UN RYCO project the manual and guide should be adapted to be useful tools to strengthen the capacities of young people, especially from the target marginalized groups, become ToTs and able to apply the peer-to-peer learning methodology on the youth, peace and security and amplify/expand outreach to other youth groups and organizations unable to attend the ToT trainings. It should be a tool for girls and boys to be equally equipped to engage, understand and then address the issues that affect personal, community and political security among young people. These tools will focus on collaborative, interactive and face-to-face training methodology, which then will build on each national context and have a specific focus on how is experienced differently by different genders and by young people from various socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds.
The project will organize, through youth-led networks, cross border exchanges and workshops as a tool for youth engagement in peacebuilding and reconciliation issues and generate online information that could help further raise information and knowledge sharing among young people.
Through 15 workshops, around 300 young people from the target youth groups will be empowered and their capacities strengthened using an inclusive life skills peer to peer education approach and exchanges with their peers in the WB61 to better understand realities of each other’s societies and engage in regional dialogue on topics that will support them in building better and peaceful future for themselves and the communities they live in.
Within the planned workshops, three Western Balkan contracting parties (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Kosovo ) where the remembrance of war are stronger, dedicated workshops for girls and young women will be organized. These workshops will focus on women empowerment though peacebuilding and reconciliation approaches. The analysis conducted by RYCO in 2018 as part of the Capacity Building Trainings for Potential RYCO Grantees held during 2018 in WB, pointed out that there exists a need to reach out to most vulnerable and marginalised youth in WB6 who are not necessary well-organised or lack capacities in development of project proposals and managing project activities effectively and efficiently.
Public Policies across the WB6, supporting youth-friendly educational and social services should be designed to better engage hard-to-reach groups such as those in remote areas, from marginalized groups (such as Roma, Egyptian and Ashkali, LGBTI groups, women’s organization, youth leaving with disabilities, internally displaced young people ect.), in poor neighbourhoods or out-of-school, empowering them to engage positively in the construction of a peaceful region. Young individuals and youth organizations with enhanced skills and exposure will be better able to voice their needs and promote solutions. They will be then in a better position to contribute to – and benefit from – an enabling environment with reduced prejudice and discrimination and by creating resilient and peaceful communities.
To address these challenges, United Nations has entered a partnership with RYCO to build capacities in the areas of peacebuilding program design, small grant management, activity management, monitoring and evaluation and themes ranging from education, peacebuilding, to youth engagement.
Reporting Arrangements
The contractor will be directly supervised by:
- The UNFPA Albania Advocacy & Communication Analyst (day to day coordination)
- The UNFPA EECARO Youth Programme Specialist
General Objective
One of the main objectives of this partnership will be to influence building positive relationships in the region among youth, through exchanges and peer to peer information sharing methodology and help raise the capacities of most vulnerable youth to engage, take initiatives, to build and lead innovative solutions to social challenges in their community regarding peace building and trust-building across WB6. The engaged expert under this ToR will provide a solid guide and adapt the training manual on peer to peer education, engagement and networking of young people for peace and trust-building. This consultancy will contribute to Output 2 of the RYCO-UN project to strengthen capacities of youth groups and grassroots organizations to access and use RYCOs resources to engage in peacebuilding and social cohesion activities in the WB6. The target groups would include:
- Youth organizations and individuals in isolated, rural areas, geographic representativeness, youth leaving with disabilities
- Women-only organizations and women led organizations
- Prejudiced youth groups/minorities: Roma, Egyptian & Ashkali organizations, LGBTI groups and women’s survivor’s organizations.
- Young people that are neither in education, employed or in training (NEET)
Specific Objectives
The main task under this consultancy include:
• Desk review of relevant materials/documents/analyses to be provided by CO Albania in consultation with EECARO, other UNFPA COs and RYCO team.
• Conduct consultations with national experts (engaged by COs), relevant partners, such as YPEER (or equivalent), RYCO, etc.
• Collaborate closely with PETRI, Sofia on:
- adapting the youth peer to peer methodology to ensure peer-to-peer methodology, young people’s personal development aspects, and young people experience and other relevant aspects are properly reflected in the manual.
- ToT / manual development workshop organisation, methodology, identification of relevant young participants in the workshop.
Deliverables
1. Perform desk review of relevant materials/documents/analysis and develop the outline of the guide and manual for youth peer to peer training, 4 days
(including skype calls with the larger team - deliver outline 15 days after start of consultancy)
2. Develop/update/adapt the draft guide/manual and training package to peacebuilding, 7 days
including work in WB with local consultants and PETRI (25 days after the delivery of the first
deliverable – submit to UNFPA for review - consultation)
3. Plan and organize an workshop in the Western Balkans with young people on the developed draft
guide and manual, 3 days (1 day preparations + 2 days implementation)
4. Develop the final guide and manual, reflecting comments/remarks and submit the final guide and
manual; 6 days, including work in WB with local consultants and work with PETRI (15 days after the
draft manual and guide, from place of residence)
Timing and Reporting
The consultant will required to produce the deliverables between September – October, 2019. The total duration of the assignment is not expected to exceed 30 working days.
Qualifications and Experience needed
Advanced university degree in Education, Peace & Security, Social Sciences, International Development or relevant disciplines;
• At least 5 years’ experience in intercultural dialogue and learning and/or peacebuilding; education management; community engagement; or youth participation management and leadership;
• Previous working experience in the Western Balkans in the area of education, youth and peace management/ leadership; community engagement an advantage,
• Previous working experience in developing training curricula, manuals, or similar activities;
• Demonstrated ability to deliver under tight timelines;
• Proven ability to build consensus among a broad range of stakeholders including development partners and government both from within and outside the sector;
• Excellent inter-personal and written communication skills in English language, computer literate.
How to apply:
All interested applicants should submit:
- A written letter of application
- A copy of curriculum vitae (CV)
- Your most recent UN P11 form
- Writing sample in English
- Relevant education certificates
- The names and contact information of three references.
- Financial quota for the required task
to UNFPA Albania Country Office, Skenderbej Street, Gurten Building, 2nd Floor Tirana, Albania
or via email at albania.office@unfpa.org no later than 31 July 2019 at 5:00 p.m. (Albania time).
We are no longer accepting applications for this position.
