RYCO and UNFPA are calling for 18 enthusiastic young people, ages 18 to 27 from the Western Balkans 6, who will become peer trainers. The participants will take part in the main training based on y-peer methodology adapted to peacebuilding and reconciliation, and continue to work at local level in their communities with grassroot youth organisations and individuals from hard to reach groups[1].
The training aims to further develop thematic and training competencies of the participants and equip them with the tools needed to engage, understand and then address the issues that affect personal and community peace, safety and security among young people. The participants will become a network of trainers which will teach and transfer the acquired knowledge to other youth from their local communities, ensuring that more young people are taking an active and leading role in peacebuilding activities.
The goal is also for this group to become advocates of peace and security in their environments bringing change to their societies in the long run. This group will work in a multicultural environment of young people together with experts and facilitators starting from June to the end of 2020. The participants need to commit to engaging from the beginning to the end of the process, and their engagement will require up to 30 days (and up to 5 days at a time) during the course of the initiative.
The ToT will kick-start in July with the first sessions, to continue in September with a face-to-face training workshop. After the ToT’s finalization, the participants will have the opportunity to organize and facilitate two local workshops based on the skills acquired during the ToT, during October and November. Best innovative ideas by young people identified in the local workshops (locations in the Western Balkans to be confirmed) will be supported and implemented in the following months.
Participants are expected to work in teams and engage with other participants, as well as to be able to work face-to-face and remotely. Internet connection and willingness to travel for the face-to-face activities is a precondition for the participation.
Eligibility criteria:
- Youth, age of 18-27, all genders, from the Western Balkans 6: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia and Serbia;
- Having some experience in facilitating and/or delivering trainings and workshops with youth;
- Interested in participating in peacebuilding-related activities and general interest in human rights, activism and similar topics;
- Open to learning, growing, challenging opinions and accepting of diverse cultures;
- Open to and some experience in non-formal and informal educational processes;
- Open to understanding variations of human experience and personal identities, including: age, income, race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, social status, area of origin, other;
- Committed to stay engaged in community peer education efforts/networks, advocacy and youth related activities or other youth networks;
- Having leadership spirit and a creative mindset and innovative thinking skills;
- Fluent in English, with other languages as an asset.
Background or experience in working with hard to reach youth groups will be considered an asset.
What we offer
- An opportunity to meet and network with a diverse group of youth activists across the region;
- An opportunity to shape the discussions that the UN, RYCO, policy-makers and decision-makers in the region are conducting around youth and sustaining peace, and advocate for regional youth priorities in national and regional platforms;
- Interactive face-to-face trainings with lead experts on y-peer, peacebuilding, conflict analysis, gender equality and advocacy;
- Certificate of participation in the UN-RYCO project and your name as a Trainer in y-peer to peacebuilding;
- Travel expenses covered and a daily subsistence allowance for the consultation, workshop and dialogue events that will take place in the Western Balkans between July and December 2020.
The deadline for application is 23 June 2020.
[1] Roma, LGBTQ+, youth from rural communities and girls in particular, youth who are not in education, employment and training (NEETs), youth with disabilities, youth coming from conflict-exposed communities, minorities, etc.
*For the UN, all references to Kosovo shall be understood in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999). For RYCO, this designation is without prejudice to positions on status, and is in line with Security Council Resolution 1244 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo Declaration of Independence.
Preuzeto sa: RYCO