Re-advertisement - Consultant for establishing youth friendly spaces and services, Bratislava, Slovakia

Contract

This is a Consultancy contract. More about Consultancy 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, hope.

As of April 2023, over 750,000 individuals have entered the Slovak Republic from Ukraine since the beginning of the ongoing war. While the initial influx has significantly decreased, an average of 200 individuals continue to arrive in Slovakia daily. Adolescents and youth from Ukraine who have sought refuge in Slovakia are an underserved population and require assistance, especially the most vulnerable. Many have not had access to formal education or opportunities to interact with peers, highlighting the need for integration into formal and informal learning programs, as well as access to mental health and psychosocial support, sports and leisure activities, and peer interaction. To guarantee a sustainable and holistic approach, UNICEF Slovakia – Ukraine Refugee Response seeks to strengthen the Youth policy system in the Country by working with NIVAM (the National Institute of Education and Youth) and the CSOs working with and for adolescents and young people in the Country to improve the quality of the provision of services to this target population in the country.

How can you make a difference?

UNICEF is therefore seeking a consultant with experience in non-formal education and youth development and participation to develop guidelines to establish innovative and sustainable youth centers for non-formal education, mental health support and social cohesion in Slovakia. The consultant will report to the Adolescent Development Specialist, working in close coordination with the Education team as well as with other colleagues in child protection, health, youth and social policy.

Under the supervision of the Adolescent Development Specialist, and in close collaboration with Education colleagues as well as with other colleagues in child protection, health, youth and social policy, the consultant will provide technical expertise around non-formal education and youth policies in the context of the education and ADAP refugee responses in Slovakia.

More specifically, the consultant will:

1. Conduct a focus group with relevant institutional stakeholders, youth workers and adolescents and young people from the local and refugee community to identify key needs and challenges in terms of delivering quality non-formal education and establishing innovative and sustainable youth services in Slovakia.

2. Based on the findings of the focus group discussion, develop a guide or handbook to deliver quality-nonformal education and establishing youth centers with and for adolescents and young people. The framework for the guide/handbook is as follows:

3. Target audience: NIVAM, youth frontline workers, municipalities, youth organizations and CSOs working with and for adolescents and young people

4. Purpose: To provide guidance and good practices on the establishment of innovative and sustainable youth centers and the provision of quality non-formal education. The vision is to address barriers that prevent services for youth and adolescents to be safe spaces for their integral development and empowerment.

5. Language of the guide / handbook: For the purposes of this assignment, the consultant will submit deliverables linked to the guide / handbook in English and in Slovak. The final products will be then translated into Slovak and Ukrainian as needed.

6. Deliver a “training of trainers” (ToT) webinar on the guide/handbook to the National Institute of Education and Youth (NIVAM) and relevant stakeholders (youth organizations and CSOs working with and for adolescents and young people) in order to improve the quality of youth centers and non-formal education in Slovakia:

7. This ToT webinar can be conducted in English, with Slovak interpretation.

8. The ToT webinar should be designed with the view of its further roll-out by NIVAM to youth workers.

All the products have to be developed through co-creation and meaningful participatory approaches with adolescents and young people from diverse backgrounds and with different needs to assure the inclusivity of the guidelines/services promoted.

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

• Bachelor's degree in Education or related field. In the absence of a University Degree, one additional year of relevant work experience may be considered

• Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required *:

  Required

  Minimum of 3 years of relevant work experience in adolescent development and youth policies (or similar field) at the international level with experience in the Slovak Republic or similar context.

  Understanding of and experience in Slovak youth policies and quality non-formal education

  Fluency in English is required

  Desired

  Experience working within refugee setting is an asset

  Experience working with state and NGO partners is strongly desired

  Experience working in UN organization an asset

  Fluency in Slovak is mandatory

Note: Applicants are asked to provide a financial proposal based on 21 working days to undertake this assignment

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.