Youth and Adolescent Engagement Officer

Volunteering

Overview

Support UNICEF Kiribati in youth engagement programs and initiatives

You have:

• 0-3 years of experience in youth leadership and participation in the Pacific.
• Excellent oral and written skills in English and Kiribati language.
• Excellent drafting, formulation, and reporting skills.
• Experience with briefing note/speech-writing and speech-delivery to various types of audiences would be considered an asset.
• Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive.
• Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national colleagues.
• Familiar with children & youth rights & issues in Kiribati.

Contract

This is a UNV National Youth contract. This kind of contract is known as National UN Volunteer. It is normally only for nationals. More about UNV National Youth contracts.

In Kiribati, children and young people (those under 19 years old) comprise 45% of the population, with adolescents (aged 10-19) making up nearly 20%. These demographic faces significant vulnerabilities, including violence, mental health challenges, and poverty, exacerbated by geographical isolation and climate change risks. Within UNICEF's comprehensive efforts in Kiribati, prioritizing youth participation in programs and fostering their engagement to devise solutions stands as a key focus area, aligning closely with collaborative endeavors in support of our partnership with the Government of Kiribati, civil society organizations and other development partners in the country.

This National UN Volunteer assignment will support UNICEF Kiribati in the mobilization of youth associations and promote youth engagement and participation across the various sectors under UNICEF’s partnership with the Government of Kiribati.

Within the supervision of the Child Protection Officer and support from the Chief of Field Office and other programme leads in the Field Office, the UNV Youth and Adolescent Engagement Officer will:

• Conduct a mapping exercise to identify associations, platforms, and initiatives promoting youth engagement in Kiribati. • Assist UNICEF in networking and actively participating in relevant events, forums, and meetings aimed at fostering youth inclusion and participation in Kiribati. • Lead the development and execution of a cross-sectoral youth engagement plan, incorporating inputs from various stakeholders and ensuring alignment with UNICEF's Multi-Country Program for 2023-2027. • Engage with program leads across different sectors such as Child Protection, Education, WASH, Health, Nutrition, Immunization and Social and Behavior Change Communication (SBC) to identify opportunities for enhancing meaningful youth involvement in their program activities. • Work closely with the Child Protection team under Output 3: Community engagement, youth engagement and social behavioral change to support tackling issues pertaining to adolescent mental health and violence against children and girls. • In partnership with UNICEF’s Communication team, create communication materials utilizing various channels, including social media platforms, blogs, human interest stories, and other multimedia formats to amplify youth voices and highlight success stories from Kiribati. Manage and moderate social media groups for young people to share information, knowledge, tools and resources with one another. • Support the roll-out of various UNICEF Global initiatives for youth, such as the youth advocacy guide, Gen-U, U-report and Voices of Youth. • Spearhead youth-led campaigns, events and activities addressing pertinent issues within UNICEF's focus areas, such as climate action, violence against children, hygiene promotion, nutrition, health, and education, among others, leveraging the energy and creativity of young people to drive positive change.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are encouraged to integrate the UN Volunteers programme mandate within their assignment and promote voluntary action through engagement with communities in the course of their work. As such, UN Volunteers should dedicate a part of their working time to some of the following suggested activities:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take an active part in UNV activities (for instance, in events that mark International Volunteer Day); • Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country; • Provide annual and end-of-assignment self-reports on UN Volunteer actions, results and opportunities.
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.; • Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers; • Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

• Professionalism: demonstrated understanding of operations relevant to UNICEF; technical capabilities or knowledge relevant or transferrable to UNICEF procedures and rules; discretion, political sensitivity, diplomacy and tact to deal with clients; ability to apply good judgement; ability to liaise and coordinate with a range of different actors, especially in senior positions; where appropriate, high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; resourcefulness and willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented; • Integrity: demonstrate the values and ethical standards of the UN and UNICEF in daily activities and behaviours while acting without consideration of personal gains; resist undue political pressure in decision-making; stand by decisions that are in the organization’s interest even if they are unpopular; take prompt action in cases of unprofessional or unethical behaviour; does not abuse power or authority; • Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; excellent interpersonal skills; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic, mixed-gender environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity; sensitivity and adaptability to culture, gender, religion, nationality and age; commitment to implementing the goal of gender equality by ensuring the equal participation and full involvement of women and men in all aspects of UN operations; ability to achieve common goals and provide guidance or training to colleagues; • Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment. • Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities; • Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups; • Flexibility: adaptability and ability to live and work in potentially hazardous and remote conditions, involving physical hardship and little comfort; to operate independently in austere environments for protracted periods; willingness to travel within the area of operations and to transfer to other duty stations within the area of operations as necessary; • Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF's mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

0-3 years of experience in youth leadership and participation in the Pacific. Exposure to international youth initiatives would be considered an asset. • Excellent oral and written skills in English and Kiribati language; excellent drafting, formulation, and reporting skills. Experience with briefing note/speech-writing and speech-delivery to various types of audiences would be considered an asset. • Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, religious and youth organizations and authorities at different levels. • Ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national colleagues.

Skills and experience that are useful in this role are:

Advocacy and presentation skills. Familiar with children & youth rights & issues in Kiribati

The assignment will mostly be based at the UN Office in South Tarawa, Kiribati. There are four publicly funded hospitals and around 20 walk-in medical clinics in the country. There are adequate facilities for routine healthcare on the islands. Located in Tarawa's central town, Tungaru Central Hospital has a tuberculosis ward, x-ray machines, a small laboratory and an operating room. There are healthcare facilities that are equipped to treat minor injuries and common ailments. Kiribati has free and compulsory education for all children between the ages of six and 14. Primary school lasts six years, followed by three years of secondary school. On every inhabited island of Kiribati, there is a primary school, but fewer secondary schools. International or private schools do not exist in the country. Betio and Tarawa are the only urban districts in the Gilbert Group and have the majority of roads that are in good condition. It is necessary to possess a valid driving license in order to drive. Every few minutes, vans carrying around 20 people pass through South Tarawa. Kiribati has many short boat rides between its ports and harbours that allow visitors to hop between islands. As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials.

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Potential interview questions

Added 2 years ago - Updated 1 year ago - Source: unv.org