Adolescent Mental Health and Development Internship, Beijing, China, 2 months

Contract

This is a Internship contract. It usually requires 0 years of experience, depending on education. More about Internship contracts.

UNICEF works in some of the world’s toughest places, to reach the world’s most disadvantaged children. To save their lives. To defend their rights. To help them fulfill their potential.

Across 190 countries and territories, we work for every child, everywhere, every day, to build a better world for everyone.

And we never give up.

For every child, a champion

China is home to 146 million adolescents aged 10-19. Based on the available data from the 2013 national survey by the China Adolescent Mental Health Research Group, an estimated 23% of urban adolescents were found to be suffering from mild to moderate depression and nearly 13% from severe depression.[1] Furthermore, a recent survey conducted by the National Health Commission (NHC) and UNICEF in 2017, covering 15,415 adolescents from 11 provinces, also showed similar prevalence. The survey found that that 17% of adolescents might suffer from depression, 40% reported self-harm at least once in the past 12 months, and over one third reported feelings of anxiety. A total of 30 million children and adolescents under 17 are estimated to have behavioral and emotional problems in China, among which, about 50 to 70% need mental health services but remain untreated.[2]

In response, UNICEF has been working with the National Health Commission (NHC) on the Adolescent Health and Development Demonstration Project (AHDP) to lay the groundwork for improvements in adolescent mental health (AMH) service provision. A comprehensive mental health service package has been included in the AHDP to promote and foster positive mental health and emotional well-being, covering key AMH interventions such as interpersonal skills, emotional regulation, problem-solving and stress management.

Building on the project, in close partnership with the Government, academia and adolescents, UNICEF will design and test an adolescent peer education and support approach in both schools and adolescent communities. The key component of the project is the development of a “peer educators” system to empower adolescents in providing adolescent-friendly, self-directed, easily-accessible, and systematic mental health support to their peers.

Another important area of work is on climate change for UNICEF China. Climate change poses a serious threat to the lives and future of children and young people. While they contribute the least to climate change, they will be the ones facing the most devastating impacts. We should take action to recognize the many links between a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment and children’s rights to be heard and participate. To better support Chinese government at amplifying the rights and voices of youth on climate change strategically, UNICEF is proposing to work with the government in crafting a technical guideline on youth engagement in climate change, starting with establishment of a technical working group and a consultation workshop with youth. Youth from several youth organizations and universities will be invited to share their insights and contribute to the strategies.

[1] China Adolescent Mental Health Research Group. China adolescent mental health report, China Science and Technology Press, 2013. Data was collected using a scale of depression for self-assessment, but scored by the staff with professional qualifications

[2] National Project on Mental Health (2002-2010), China Department for Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health, 2002. In: China Health Information Profile. World Health Organization Regional Office for the Western Pacific, 2010.

How can you make a difference?

Under the supervision of the Adolescent Development Officer, the intern will support:

• Summarizing insights generated from youth organization workshops in August and main messages from the draft report, which will be developed in September.
• Development of Chinese summary of technical guidelines on youth engagement in climate change.
• Editing and polishing of Chinese summary to ensure it is well-articulated and high-quality.
• Other work related to adolescent development and youth engagement.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have…

• Currently enrolled in an undergraduate (third or fourth year), graduate or Ph.D. degree programme in social science, humanities, and communication;
• Have strong academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institution records, or, if not available, a reference letter from an academic supervisor;
• Have no immediate relatives working in any UNICEF offices;
• Fluency in English and Mandarin is required;
• Demonstrated written and verbal communication skills in Chinese;
• Have strong attention to detail and proven ability to prioritize and handle multiple tasks;
• Be confident and enthusiastic when sharing ideas internally;
• Have proficient computer skills, including Microsoft Office Suite (Word, PowerPoint, and Excel)
• Be able to work individually and as part of a team.

For every Child, you demonstrate...

UNICEF’s Core Values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability (CRITAS) underpin everything we do and how we do it. Get acquainted with Our Values Charter: UNICEF Values

UNICEF competencies required for this post are... (1) Builds and maintains partnerships(2) Demonstrates self-awareness and ethical awareness(3)Drive to achieve results for impact(4)Innovates and embraces change(5) Manages ambiguity and complexity(6)Thinks and acts strategically(7)Works collaboratively with others.

During the recruitment process, we test candidates following the competency framework. Familiarize yourself with our competency framework and its different levels: competency framework here.

UNICEF is here to serve the world’s most disadvantaged children and our global workforce must reflect the diversity of those children. The UNICEF family is committed to include everyone, irrespective of their race/ethnicity, age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, nationality, socio-economic background, or any other personal characteristic. We offer a wide range of benefits to our staff, including paid parental leave, breastfeeding breaks and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. UNICEF strongly encourages the use of flexible working arrangements. UNICEF has a zero-tolerance policy on conduct that is incompatible with the aims and objectives of the United Nations and UNICEF, including sexual exploitation and abuse, sexual harassment, abuse of authority and discrimination. UNICEF is committed to promote the protection and safeguarding of all children. All selected candidates will, therefore, undergo rigorous reference and background checks, and will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles. Background checks will include the verification of academic credential(s) and employment history. Selected candidates may be required to provide additional information to conduct a background check.

Remarks:

Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

The selected candidate is solely responsible to ensure that the visa (applicable) and health insurance required to perform the duties of the contract are valid for the entire period of the contract. Selected candidates are subject to confirmation of fully-vaccinated status against SARS-CoV-2 (Covid-19) with a World Health Organization (WHO)-endorsed vaccine, which must be met prior to taking up the assignment. It does not apply to selected candidates who will work remotely and are not expected to work on or visit UNICEF premises, programme delivery locations or directly interact with communities UNICEF works with, nor to travel to perform functions for UNICEF for the duration of their contracts.