Trainer and Mentor on Youth Activism and Youth Participation

Background

An integral part of the EU accession agenda is to promote the inclusion of civil society and further development of participatory democracies in the region. All the Western Balkan (WB) countries/territories face challenges specifically related to the lack of collaboration between the government and civil society. Also, lack of transparency of existing public mechanisms for support of non-governmental organizations (NGO), mainly at the local level, is perceived as one of the main obstacles for development and functioning of credible civil society. 

Local governments in the WB are one of the key funding providers for NGOs and absence of a conducive financial environment is one of the main challenges civil society is experiencing in the current period. NGOs still largely depend on funding by foreign donors while the government funding mechanisms, which could represent an important alternative support, lack accountability and transparency. 

All the WB countries/territories, and local self-governments, consequently, use similar models for funding of NGOs from public budgets, where common challenges relate to insufficient transparency and/or clear criteria of the selection processes. These uncompleted and often discriminatory models limit the reinforcement of the position and importance of civil society and hamper further development of participatory democracies in the WB Region. 

The Regional Programme on Local Democracy in the Western Balkans 2 (ReLOaD2) is a continuation of the EU-UNDP partnership and previously supported initiative – ReLOaD1 implemented in the four-year period 2017 - 2020.

ReLOaD2 continues to strengthen participatory democracies and the EU integration process in the Western Balkans by empowering civil society and youth to actively take part in decision making and by stimulating an enabling legal and financial environment for civil society. The programme will be implemented in the following IPA beneficiaries: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH), North Macedonia, Kosovo?, Montenegro and Serbia. 

ReLOaD2 in Montenegro will focus on institutionalization of interaction between local governments and NGOs. It will incite partner local governments to use public funding for NGOs in a transparent and development-oriented manner, recognizing local needs and embracing a project-based approach. Also, the Action will promote youth engagement and support implementation of youth initiatives and will work on improvement of their economic perspectives in partner localities.

The following clusters of local self-governments (LSGs) have been selected to participate in the ReLOaD2 programme:

Tara - municipalities of Mojkovac, Kolašin and Pljevlja,Coastal Mates - municipalities of Budva, Herceg Novi, Kotor and Tivat,Together for the North - municipalities of Andrijevica and Berane,Together Nikšic and Plužine - municipalities Nikšic and Plužine,Central region - Capital City Podgorica, Old Royal Capital Cetinje, Municipality Zeta and Municipality Danilovgrad.

The total budget of the ReLOaD2 is EUR 12.63 million, while Montenegrin component is EUR 1.84 million. The Project duration is 48 months (2021 – 2024). Project implementation period started on January 1, 2021.    Working across the region, ReLOaD2 among other activities promotes youth engagement and supports the implementation of youth initiatives and works on the improvement of their economic perspectives in partner localities. While considered critical for strengthening fragile democracies and promoting broad-based social transformations in the Western Balkans, youth engagement in the region leaves a lot to be desired. 

As part of the ReLOaD2 initiative, Research and assessment of the local policies pertaining to youth and youth needs in Montenegro was conducted aiming to assess local youth policies in 15 Montenegrin municipalities as a basis for further improvements in youth policy. The research was focused on the experiences, roles and attitudes of youth in local communities, as well as the identification of their needs, aspirations, and expectations from their communities. All findings, conclusions and recommendations were defined for each of the 15 municipalities, for all areas covered by the research and for different economic sectors, and as such, represent a high-quality basis for adopting and creating national and local policies and programmes and activities aimed at youth. Based on the Research and answers of the young men and women in 15 municipalities, the various topics of youth training are identified among which are: entrepreneurship and starting own business; prevention of discrimination and hate speech; promotion of youth services at the local level, activism and participation of young people in decision-making processes; media literacy; creation of cultural content; mental health and healthy lifestyles, etc.

On this occasion, based on the above-mentioned topics and additional consultations with municipal officials, the ReLOaD2 team is seeking to engage a Trainer on Youth Activism and Youth Participation on the local level. 

Duties and Responsibilities

Objectives of the assignment: 

The objective of the consultancy is to develop training curricula, materials and deliver up to 14 trainings for groups of youth (up to 20 participants per LSG) on the topic of youth activism and youth participation in 14 partner LSGs. It is expected that municipal representatives and local institutions’ representatives (secretaries/departments in LSG in charge for youth policy on the local level and administrators of youth services where applicable) participate in each of the trainings in order to further strengthen cooperation between young people and local institutions and contribute to improving of youth participation in decision making.

The Trainer will be supported by Assistant Trainer in the areas of digital tools usage, creative content presenting, enriching the trainings with features such as scavenger hunts, quizzes, icebreakers, active breaks, mobile applications etc.It is planned to orgnise up to 14 trainings in 14 municipalities from April – October 2023. It is mentioned above that LSGs are organized in clusters of municipalities thus, there is a possibility for some of the trainings, in agreement with UNDP, to be merged for neighboring municipalities.

Job content:

Under the supervision of the UNDP Project Manager, the Trainer is expected to deliver the following results:

1. Preparation of training curriculum and materials – review of the relevant documents (primarily Research and assessment of the local policies pertaining to youth and youth needs in Montenegro, but also other available relevant documents on local, national and European level) and preparation of the training curriculum and materials. The trainer is expected to, together with the Assistant Trainer, brainstorm and develop creative training tools. (i.e. like scavenger hunt tailored to each municipal institutional and situational set up).
2. Training delivery - up to 14 trainings with a possibility that some of the trainings in neighbouring municipalities might be merged in line with agreement with UNDP.
3. Mentorship of groups of young people on the local level that will work on development and implementation of some youth community-based activities following training execution. 
4. Reporting

1. Preparation of training curricula and materials

The Trainer is expected to review all relevant documents related for the task – primarily Research and assessment of the local policies pertaining to youth and youth needs in Montenegro, as well as other relevant documents on local, national level focusing on the specificities for each of the LSGs targeted. EU documents related to youth activism and participation on the local level can serve as an asset. The research will serve the Trainer to prepare for the training delivery.

The Trainer is expected, with the support of Assistant Trainer, to develop comprehensive two-day training package for up to 20 participants, including all relevant supporting materials (curriculum, presentations, handouts, reference materials, links to relevant web pages and videos, evaluation forms, etc.). The trainees will be youth individuals with fewer opportunities such as NEETs, unemployed, youth with temporary/short-term jobs and low standard of living, youth with a low educational background, social or geographical obstacles, etc. It must focus on strengthening their knowledge and skills related to their activism on the local level and participation in decision making processes, while, at the same time, boosting their self-confidence, their access to formal and non-formal education opportunities and integration in society. 

The training is expected to be attended by the representatives of partner LSG, i.e. specifically secretaries/departments in LSG in charge for youth policy on the local level and administrators of youth service (where applicable) in order to improve cooperation and joint work between local policy makers and youth. They are not expected to attend the training during the whole length, unless they want to. This will be agreed before each of the training in communication with respected stakeholders.

All methods and language in training material and during training delivery should be adapted to the characteristics of a youth group. They must be interactive and creative avoiding technical and foreign words and long time slots dedicated to presentation/lecturing (the usage of brainstorming, simulations, case studies, group debate, digital assets and methods, etc is preferred). The Trainer will be supported by an Assistant Trainer in preparation of the training materials by ensuring attractivity to youth with digital tools usage. Also, the Trainer, assisted with the Assistant Trainer, need to develop creative training tools like scavenger hunt tailored to each municipal institutional and situational set up. Contemporary tools and techniques should provoke participants’ curiosity, boost their engagement, and lead to better learning and comprehension. 

The training curriculum should include, but is not limited to:

• Youth Activism – since youth activism is considered as great potential to transform communities, it is essential to highlight the importance of youth activism and all forms it can take with the aim of bringing social change while, at the same time, providing opportunity for youth growth and personal development. 
• Youth Participation – having that participation is a fundamental right, it is important to highlight all forms of youth participation on the local level that provides youth with real opportunities to become involved in decisions that affect them both at individual and systemic level. Training should improve their life-skills, develop knowledge on human rights and citizenship and promote positive civic and community action. One of the opportunities for youth engagement/participation to be presented are local youth services (youth clubs and centres) that are operational in some of the targeted municipalities. At the same time, models of youth participation should be presented, such as: Triangle of Youth Participation, Hart’s Ladder of Participation, etc. Examples of models of institutionalizing youth participation in decision-making processes that affect young people, such as establishing youth advisory groups, youth networks for positive civic engagement, etc should be presented and discussed.
• Youth information - to participate effectively, young people must be given the proper tools, such as information. As stated by the European Youth Information and Counselling Agency (ERYICA), having equal access to quality and free information is a prerequisite for youth to make use of their rights, to make responsible decisions and to participate in society in its social, economic and political dimensions. Having that this is a continuously changing field, this part of the training should give the participants glimpse at knowledge and skills that will help them navigate through the information overload they face in everyday life; provide them with some guidance on how to identify reliable and accurate information and how to access different sources, services and channels of information available today.
• Youth learning mobility – one of the challenges highlighted in the Research and assessment of the local policies pertaining to youth and youth needs in Montenegro was related to lack of opportunities for young people’s mobility across countries and within own country (between regions) in order to develop intercultural skills and promote active citizenship. It is important that young people recognise these opportunities as a means to foster intercultural dialogue and peace specifically in Montenegro where the research recognized hate speech and lack of communication between different cultures within the country as alarming issues.
• Generating ideas – during the training, the participants will be “pitching” some ideas related to youth activism and youth participation in their local communities that they will continue to develop after the training with the mentorship support from the Trainer. This will be an opportunity for them to put into practice learnt during the training, while it might, at the same time, provide some good basis for their further development. Three best and most innovative ideas from each training should be selected and implementation in local communities financially supported by ReLOaD. Hence, it is expected from the Trainer to support trainees in development of realistic and implementable ideas related to the topic.

The training curriculum and relevant materials will be approved by ReLOaD2 project team prior to the training execution.

The time foreseen for this task is up to 3 days.

2. Trainings’ delivery (up to 14 trainings with a possibility that some of the trainings in neighbouring municipalities might be merged in line with agreement with UNDP).

The Trainer will, with the support of Assistant Trainer, deliver up to 14 two-days trainings for young people in 14 partner LSGs, for groups that will consist of up to 20 young people. 

As mentioned above, besides young people that are the key target group and in order to enhance networking and cooperation between young people and partner local communities which is one of the main aspects of the ReLOaD2 programme, the training will be attended by the representatives of partner LSG, i.e. specifically secretaries/departments in LSG in charge for youth policy on the local level and youth services and their administrators where applicable. Potential cooperation that will be developed between those representatives and young people in the training setting can serve as a good basis for their further sustainable cooperation.  The time foreseen for this task is up to 28 days.

3. Mentoring of the few groups of young people that will work on implementation on some ideas related to enhancing youth activism and participation after the training in each of the LSGs

Following each training, the participants will be supported through mentorship by the Trainer, at their respective locations (in each municipality), to further develop the idea. ReLOaD will secure funding for implementation of selected ideas, developed with the support of mentor. Mentoring of young participants will be organized in small groups (3-5 participants per a group, 3-5 groups per a training) and the groups will work on finalization of ideas that emerged during the training. The ideas will be, at the end of the training, pitched to UNDP ReLOaD team and municipal representatives. The ideas are expected to be engaging in the community, interactive and simple and make young people and their needs visible.

The time foreseen for this task is up to 14 days.

4. Reporting

The Trainer will prepare report that will include description of all activities undertaken under this assignment, highlighting main results for each of the training (providing all relevant information such as participants lists, training goals and results achieved, number of trainees, analysis of pre and after-training knowledge, lessons learned and recommendations, training performance evaluation). Additionally, the report should have a specific section dedicated to mentorship that will depict all stages of mentorship. All data presented should be segregated by gender. Draft report should be submitted to the ReLOaD2 Project Manager within seven days after the final training.

The time foreseen for this task is 2 days.

Timing, travel and reporting:   Trainer and Mentor on Youth Activism and Youth Participation is expected to work in Montenegro (Andrijevica, Berane, Cetinje, Danilovgrad, Nikšic, Budva,Herceg Novi, Kolašin, Kotor, Mojkovac, Plužine, Pljevlja, Podgorica, Zeta) in addition to home-based during the assignment in the period from  1 April to  31 October 2023, pursuant to the work plan of assignment’s activities, under an individual contract, for total of up to 47 consultancy days. The travel and accommodation costs for the training venues should be included in the lump sum figure presented in financial offer provided by the Trainer during the application process. The accommodation for the neighbouring municipalities should not be envisaged in the offer since these costs will not be covered due to short distance.

Payments for the consultant`s fee will be realized based on the real delivery, i.e. will be paid upon submitting related timesheets filled in by the Trainer and annexed with participants signed attendance sheets.    

The Trainer and Mentor on Youth Activism and Youth Participation will be responsible for written regular reporting to the UNDP Project Manager and it should contain sufficient detail and information that would allow for the appraisal of the effectiveness to date of the assignment’s activities.  

A tentative timetable of activities will be as follows (and finally agreed with the selected Contractor upon the finalization of the procurement process):

Deliverables (outputs)

Deliverables (outputs)	Deadline and level of effort
Preparation of training curriculum and materials	10 April 2023. (3 days)
Delivery of trainings	15 April 2022 – 15 October 2023 (up to 28 days)
Mentoring of the few groups of young people that will work on implementation on some ideas after the training	17 April – 15 October (up to 14 days)
Reporting	31 October 2023 (2 days)
Total days:	Up to 47 days

Competencies

• Demonstrates integrity by modeling the UN’s values and ethical standards;
• Promotes the vision, mission and strategic goals of UN/UNDP;
• Displays cultural, gender, religion, race, nationality and age sensitivity and adaptability;
• Ability to lead strategic planning, results-based management and reporting;
• Builds strong relationships with clients, focuses on impact and result for the client and responds positively to feedback;
• Consistently approaches work with energy and a positive, constructive attitude;
• Demonstrates good oral and written communication skills;
• Demonstrates ability to manage complexities and work under pressure, as well as conflict resolution skills

 

Required Skills and Experience

Education: 

• University degree in Social Sciences, preferably in pedagogy, psychology, whereas advanced university degree would be an asset;

Experience: 

• At least 5 years of relevant experience in training with various groups including youth – proven experience in the delivery of the trainings in youth sector, organizing or supporting organization of youth events, activities, local initiatives and projects at the local and/or national level
• Thorough understanding/knowledge of youth policies and youth programmes (especially on the local level in Montenegro)
• Advanced communication skills (in online and offline settings);
• Executes day-to-day tasks systematically and efficiently;
• Experience in non-formal education and facilitation 

Language: 

• Excellent knowledge of written and spoken Montenegrin and English is a requirement. 

Criteria for selection:

Combined Scoring method will be used. When using this weighted scoring method, the award of the contract should be made to the individual consultant whose offer has been evaluated and determined as: (i) responsive, compliant, acceptable, and (ii) having received the highest score out of a pre-determined set of weighted technical and financial criteria specific to the solicitation.

• Technical criteria weight - 70% (Background and education 10%; Relevant previous experience 20%; Substantial knowledge/Required competencies 30%; Required language 10%);
• Financial criteria weight - 30%.

Only offerors obtaining a minimum 490 points for technical criteria will be considered for the financial evaluation. For more information on procurement methodology for Individual Contractors, please refer to Procurement Notice.

Application procedure:

Interested applicants are requested to submit their applications by March 23, 2023 by using the Apply now button. The application should contain CV. Please note that UNDP jobsite system allows only one uploading of application document, so please make sure that you merge all your documents into a single file.

Only the short-listed applicants will be contacted and requested to submit a letter of interest including a price quotation indicating the lump sum (in EUR) requested for the work envisaged in the section "Description of Responsibilities".