Internship, Adolescent Development and Participation, LACRO, Panama City (Fulltime, 6 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.

UNICEF promotes the rights and welfare of all children and adolescents in everything we do. Together with our allies, we work in 190 countries and territories to transform this commitment into practical actions that benefit all children, especially focusing our efforts on reaching the most vulnerable and excluded, worldwide.

The UNICEF Latin America and Caribbean Regional Office is based in Panama, operating in 36 territories, including 24 country offices.

UNICEF works to put the rights and well-being of the most disadvantaged children at the heart of the social, political, and economic agenda, in line with our equity focus, working across our organization and with our partners in government, civil society and the private sector to support shifts in public policy, fuel social engagement, and increase investment for children.

For information of the work of our organization in the LAC Region, please visit our website: UNICEF LAC Region

For every child, education The second decade of life is a time of transformation. During adolescence, girls and boys begin to interact with the world in new ways – taking chances, learning skills and experiencing unfamiliar emotions. They venture beyond their families to form powerful connections with peers. They search for ways to stand out and belong, to find their place in society and make a difference in their world. Today’s generation of young people is larger than ever before. But far too many are not getting what they need to realize their full range of rights. And through it all, adolescents are too often ignored by policymakers – or worse, viewed as problems or threats.

Investing in adolescents strengthens their ability to advance human rights and build a bright future for themselves, their families and entire countries. UNICEF takes a life-course approach to adolescent development and participation, identifying critical risks and opportunities that have implications for the realization of children’s rights, from the first decade through the second.

How can you make a difference? Under the overall guidance of the Education Specialist, the intern will be responsible for supporting the implementation of the Adolescent Development and Participation workplan with a focus on engaging adolescents and young people across the region and supporting their participation on issues that affect them. Some of the specific tasks expected of the selected intern will be:

• Provide support for the development of an adolescents and youth engagement plan for LAC region. • Facilitate the consolidation of a network of adolescents and young people engaged in the 2030 agenda across the LAC region. • Support the organization of youth-led events and the participation of adolescents and youth in regional and international events, with a focus on education, skills and mental health. • Support the development of youth-friendly knowledge products with a focus on engagement, skills development and advocacy. • Perform ad hoc research on youth engagement strategies and assist in maintaining up-to-date knowledge management. • Compile data, information, and news on subject matter relevant to the work of the team. • Support other functions of the Education team, with a focus on adolescent development and participation.

Modality: Fulltime. The intern will be remote based and work from home. The intern is not expected to travel during the assignment. The intern will be expected to participate in section meetings (remotely), as well as other UNICEF meetings of interest to the intern. Guidance will be provided on a regular basis.

Tentative start date: Monday, 17 January 2022

Duration: This internship is expected to last 6 months, with no possibility of extension.

Payment: UNICEF will provide a monthly stipend during the internship. Actual stipend amount will be based on the location of the selected intern. There is no expectancy of employment at the end of the internship.

To qualify as an advocate for every child you will have… • Currently be enrolled in a degree programme in an undergraduate or graduate school or be a recent graduate [within the last 2 years], in social sciences, education, public administration, international relations or related fields. • Have strong academic performance as demonstrated by recent university or institution records or, if not available, a reference letter from an academic supervisor. • Demonstrated technical writing skills [publications]. • Background in youth engagement and participation, community mobilization, and/or education will be an asset. • Knowledge of LAC Region youth networks and/or organizations will be an asset. • Developing country work experience or familiarity with emergency will be considered an asset. • Fluency in Spanish is required. Knowledge of English will be an asset. • Have no immediate relatives (e.g. father, mother, brother or sister) working in any UNICEF office. • Have no other relatives in the line of authority which the intern will report to.

For every Child, you demonstrate…

UNICEF’s values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, and Accountability (CRITA) and the following core competencies: Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness, Works Collaboratively with others, Builds and Maintains Partnerships, Innovates and Embraces Change, Thinks and Acts Strategically, Drive to achieve impactful results, and Manages ambiguity and complexity.

To view our values and competency framework please visit the following links: Our Values and Our Competencies.

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion within its workforce, and encourages all candidates, irrespective of gender, nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, including persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization.

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.