Home-based Consultancy: Youth and Adolescent Mobilizer (U-Report On The Move)- (134 Working days), ECARO, O/P Rome, Italy

Contract

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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, Reporting

Scope of Work:

Italy remains one of the main entry points into Europe for refugees and migrants fleeing conflicts, situations of violence and deprivation, including more recently many people from Ukraine. Thus, Italy already hosting one of the largest Ukrainian diaspora communities in Europe, since February 2022 is hosting also people seeking temporary protection, after of the onset of the war. As of December 2022, a total of 173,579 refugees from Ukraine have entered Italy, of whom 92,325 are women and 49,436 are children. The Ministry of the Interior reveals that as of December 31st, 2022, there are also 20.089 UASC in Italy mainly from Ukraine, Egypt, and Tunisia. 2.988 (15%) are girls and 17.101 (85%) are boys. Ukrainian UASC are influencing the age and gender distribution of the overall UASC population in Italy. The number of 17-year-olds has gone down while that of 15-year-olds has gone up and there has also been an increase in the number of girls.

One of the key issues of concern is that UASC and young migrants and refugees do not feel heard and do not have anybody to talk to. Although they should be adequately informed about the decisions that affect them and their opinion taken into account, this does not seem to happen in practice. Building opportunities for them to engage in issues of concern to them in their local community not only supports their present and future civic engagement, but also contributes to their communities and societies. To respond to these challenges, in 2016 UNICEF’s migrant and refugee response in Italy has modelled, piloted, and rolled out U-Report On The Move, an adapted version of U-Report for UASC and young migrants and refugees. U-Report is a user-friendly, cost-effective, anonymous social messaging tool designed to empower youth, ensuring that those who have registered on U-Report, known as U-Reporters, have access to information, speak out on issues that affect them and their communities, encourage citizen-led development and create positive behaviour change. U-Report is available via numerous messaging, social media, and SMS channels, and even works on a basic mobile.

With more than 9,000 U-Reporters registered by March 2023, including more the 600 people from Ukraine, U-Report On The Move in Italy is considered a best practice model within the U-Report community and many of its features are replicated by other On the Move platforms globally. Alongside online promotions via Facebook, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Instagram scale up efforts are being boosted by a team of Social Mobilizers responsible for promoting the platform in reception centres hosting unaccompanied and separated children, young migrants and refugees and fostering their engagement and participation. The digital community relies on a pool of U-Ambassadors, young advocates from the migrant and refugee community who promote registration of U-Reporters and participate in national and international high-level fora. If until January 2022, U-Report On The Move in Italy mostly focused on the needs of refugees and migrants coming from Africa, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East, from February 2022 due to the war in Ukraine, U-Report was activated in support to the crises. Thus, in Italy, activation started with distribution of fliers and cards providing info on U-Report On The Move and QR code for individual support and mobilization activities in several regions in Italy. But there was a need to re-adapt the digital strategy to young Ukrainians’ needs and ways of communicating on social media. U-Report investigated the needs of several young Ukrainians recently arrived in Italy. Thus, some strategies have been put in place, including digital lifesaving and life-protecting material production and translation targeting adolescent and young Ukrainians, together with young mothers <30, all potential users of the platform, set up the organization of online intensive courses of language, online chats on Telegram to meet peers, online tours to virtually visit the main Italian cities, online contests and in presence photography workshop. UNICEF’s ADAP/education response also implemented several activities including for instance access to inclusive and quality learning opportunities through roll out of 21st century skills building and language learning program (Akelius) in both formal and informal education settings; provision of learning materials to support skills and language learning and continuation of Ukrainian online education. During 2023-24 UNICEF will further scale up offline and online activities to reach UASC and young migrants and refugees, including Ukrainian refugee adolescents and young mothers, through expansion of the social and digital mobilization team and outreach to multiple regions in Italy. That will include a UNICEF and AVSI Foundation partnership that will focus on the promotion of the well-being of children and adolescent via a learning phase (a) building paths in schools and in informal education settings, inclusion of the most marginalized (b) in collaboration with Junior Achievement Italy (JA); and ensuring that teachers and educators have the tools and competencies to best help students emotionally and psychosocially.

Key responsibilities include:

• Promote U-Report On The Move platform and all its related activities and tools to increase participation and social inclusion of adolescent and youth online and offline, with a particular focus on Ukrainians.
• Support in researching potential adolescent and youth advocates.
• Regularly track & report on online and offline youth engagement activities, including those of AVSI and JA.

How can you make a difference?

Work assignment overview

Deliverables/ Outputs

Timeline/Deadline

Monthly report on the activities carried out highlighting bottlenecks, main challenges, and opportunities.

11 monthly reports.

11 days, 1 day per month / Each month

Final review report at the end of the contract period.

1 final report.

2 days / End of April 2024

Management of messaging apps (i.e., Telegram) for Ukrainians.

Daily data tracking and analytics of youth engagement on telegram

25 days, approx. 5 days per month / 15 of May 2024

Assist in the development, design, and translation of content material for social media communication channels (Instagram, Tik Tok) for Ukrainians.

20 infographics and audio-visual.

23 days / 15 of May 2024

Assist in the development and implementation of communication content with and for adolescents and youth as part of campaigns and advocacy priorities.

1 contest and 1 workshop creative concept notes and reports

20 days / End of December 2023

Identification of opportunities to improve participation and social inclusion of Ukrainians adolescent and youth.

Participation at JA Italy out of schools’ camps and AVSI activities on socio-recreational, wellbeing in line with established workplan.

22 days / 15 of May 2024

Assist in the development of a digital youth engagement strategy (phase II) for the Ukrainian response.

1 Digital strategy implementation and 1 progress report.

20 days / End of August 2023

Support in researching potential adolescent and youth advocates and supporting them in the preparation for events/media;

3 Human Interest Stories and content for social media platform; document learnings and successes.

11 days / End of March 2024

Total= 134 Working days

At the end of each month, the consultant will agree on the deliverables and numbers of days to be worked during the month. The consultant will be paid against invoice, workplan for the following month and detailed e-mail of the activities done.

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

• Master’s degree in Communication, IT, Development, Social Sciences, Anthropology, Political Science, or other related subjects
• Previous experience working with young refugees and migrants.
• Experience in creating or managing content for young migrants and refugees.
• Good knowledge of graphic design programmes (i.e., Canva, Illustrator, InDesign, Photoshop).
• At least 5 years of experience working with web-based platforms, managing websites, social media platforms and messaging app.
• Excellent knowledge and use of social media channels.
• Fluency in English and Ukrainian.

Desirable:

• Proficiency in either Italian, Russian or French.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF's values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability, and Sustainability (CRITAS).

To view our competency framework, please visit 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.

UNICEF offers reasonable accommodation for consultants/individual contractors with disabilities. This may include, for example, accessible software, travel assistance for missions or personal attendants. We encourage you to disclose your disability during your application in case you need reasonable accommodation during the selection process and afterwards in your assignment.

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 also adheres to strict child safeguarding principles. All selected candidates will be expected to adhere to these standards and principles and will therefore undergo rigorous reference and background checks. 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.

Individuals engaged under a consultancy or individual contract will not be considered “staff members” under the Staff Regulations and Rules of the United Nations and UNICEF’s policies and procedures, and will not be entitled to benefits provided therein (such as leave entitlements and medical insurance coverage). Their conditions of service will be governed by their contract and the General Conditions of Contracts for the Services of Consultants and Individual Contractors. Consultants and individual contractors are responsible for determining their tax liabilities and for the payment of any taxes and/or duties, in accordance with local or other applicable laws.

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 consultants 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 consultancy contracts.