Youth Peer Education Assistant

East Jerusalem

Organization: UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
Location: East Jerusalem
Grade: Volunteer - National Specialist - Locally recruited Volunteer
Occupational Groups:
- Youth
- Administrative support
- Education, Learning and Training
- Peace and Development
- PEACE, JUSTICE AND STRONG INSTITUTIONS
Closing Date: Closed

Background

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.

In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.

In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

The UN Volunteer will be based in JErusalem and work for UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund. UNFPA is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man, and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

The Youth (Y)-PEER Programme has worked since 2001 with country partners to build the capacity of national non-governmental organizations and governments to implement, supervise, monitor, and evaluate peer education programmes to prevent HIV/AIDS and improve reproductive health. The Y-PEER Education Network, a youth-to-youth initiative pioneered by UNFPA, is an international network of more than 500 nonprofit organizations and governmental institutions. It develops peer-to-peer education on adolescent and youth related issues, particularly life skills including health related aspects such as health life styles, sexual reproductive health (SRH), and sexual transmitted Infection (STI) preventions.

As is the case for UN staff and partners, the volunteer will make his/her own arrangements for housing and transportation to and from work

Settling-In-Grant will be provided in the event duty station is not within commuting distance from the place of recruitment. A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of ILS 4,641 is provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Life, health and permanent disability insurance are included (health insurance for up to 3 dependents), as well as final repatriation (if applicable) and resettlement allowance for satisfactory service.

Duties and Responsibilities

Under the direct supervision of youth Program Officer, the UN Youth Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

Advocacy/ Communication/ Knowledge sharing:

Assist in the management of the national Y-PEER network and Y-PEER list-serves: set up member roster, ensure distribution of relevant information, publications to all network members and organize monthly in-depth discussion on one Y-PEER related topic ;
Advise hosting partners and UNFPA on the content, design, dissemination and use of Y-PEER materials and communicate the above mentioned with Y-PEER network members for input and suggestions;
Draft information material on the Y-PEER oPt and its activities;
Establish database of information and training material on Y-PEER related issues;
Undertake mapping exercise of youth organizations and other relevant NGOs that work on Y-PEER related issues;
Promote Y-PEER on a national level and ensure greater representation of different NGOs and other institutions within the Y-PEER Network that work on adolescent and youth health, particularly sexual and reproductive health promotion and HIV/AIDS/STIs prevention;

Organization and preparation of trainings:

Assist in the preparation of training material and trainings to be provided to Y-PEER members in the areas such as healthy lifestyles including nutrition; smoking, substance abuse; gender relations; early marriage; vulnerable youth, prevention of STIs including HIV and AIDS;
Mobilize Y-PEERs to expand peer education through workshops/ trainings/ awareness raising sessions targeting young people.

Reporting and filing:

Facilitate collection of information and data on Y-PEER activities: collect and analyze data for monitoring and evaluation purposes and assist in developing financial and narrative for projects Y-PEER members may be involved in;
Write monthly brief reports of the activities and accomplishments of the Y-PEER National Network and share with supervisors;
Assist in processing and filing all Y-PEER related documentation, including official correspondence, requests for payments, financial records, inventory, Y-PEER training database etc

Furthermore, UN Youth Volunteers are required to:

Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Youth Volunteers;
Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/Expected Outputs:

The setting up system of the oPt Chapter of the global Y-PEER network is enhanced; this includes the formation of the YPEER Representative Body in line with the Y-PEER by-laws; the creation of an advisory committee; the organization of regular meetings for Y-PEER members; the launching of Y-PEER oPt website and maintenance of the Facebook page;
Training of trainers and awareness-raising workshops for youth in schools and universities are organized;
Launching of the produced YPEER song and video;
The newly established youth friendly health services (YFHS) clinic/center in Al Quds University are supported.
A linkage between the Y-PEER network activities and the activities of the youth components of the UNFPA CountryProgramme, the UNFPA’s youth NGO pratners programmes and relevant youth activities of other stakeholders are created;
All Y-PEER related activities on national level are organized and UNFPA’s youth NGO partners and the UNFPA Country Officein oPt are assisted in the planning, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of listed activities including scaling up of peer-to-peer programmes;

Competencies

Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.
Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations.
Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.
Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.
Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender;

Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary;

Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

Required Skills and Experience

Education: University Degree in social and behavioural science, sociology, or other related social science field is required.

Required experience : 2 years

Experience Remark:

Demonstrated interest and/or experience (up to 2 years) in working with youth-led organizations/institutions working on youth issues.
Motivated to contribute towards peace and development and to serve others;
Good interpersonal, networking and communication skills;
Willingness to contribute and work as part of a team;
Flexible and open to learning and new experiences;
Respect for diversity and adaptability to other cultures, environments and living conditions;
Computer skills (i.e. Word, Excel, PowerPoint, social media, and others).
Previous participation in Y-PEER trainings would be highly regarded.
Fluency in spoken and written Arabic and English is required

Learning and development are a central part of the UN Youth Volunteer’s assignment and take place before, during and after his or her assignment in the field. Ideally, offering diverse opportunities for learning and development aim to strengthen the volunteer’s skills and competences, improve the quality of the assignment and keep the volunteer’s motivation high.

Learning elements for the UN Youth Volunteer include the development of:

Professional skills: including specific competencies and reflection on assignment-related abilities; and on-the-job skills such as time management, problem solving, team building; and career preparedness such as interview skills, CV preparation, job searching.
Inter-personal skills: including communication and listening skills; multi-cultural awareness and cultural competency; and conflict and stress management.
Volunteering-related skills: including leadership; civic responsibility; and engagement and active participation.

Beyond the learning opportunities provided by UNV, UNFPA will support knowledge and capacity development in the technical areas that are relevant to the UN Youth Volunteer’s assignment. UNFPA will provide, at its expense, UN Youth Volunteers with equal opportunity to participate in training courses and workshops offered to its personnel.

Disclaimer

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

United Nations Volunteers reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this announcement. We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this opening for other openings with United Nations Volunteers with similar assignment description, experience and educational requirements.

This vacancy is now closed.
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