Youth Engagement National Specialist

Contract

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

Since April 2018, in close collaboration with Nicaraguan public and private Universities as well as other partners, UNICEF Nicaragua has developed a volunteering strategy that aims to promote the participation of adolescents and young people to contribute to the protection and promotion of Children's Rights in the country. This strategy has been designed as a cross-sectoral tool to accelerate the achievement of the three outcomes of the Cooperation Country Programme (2019-2023): child survival and development, quality and equitable education and protecting children against violence, abuse and exploitation.

As mentioned in the Country Programme Document (CPD), volunteering is a programmatic instrument that allows children's rights to be placed on the public agenda, complementing the institutional cooperation of UNICEF with the Nicaraguan State and society. The strategy has also a strong focus on developing University student volunteers’ skills, so they become leaders in promoting Children’s Rights in the country.

During the first years of its implementation, the volunteering strategy achieved significant progress and important results. To date, 481 students from eight private and public Nicaraguan Universities have implemented projects that contributed to Children’s Rights in the country. Through their interventions, 1,182 children and adolescents strengthened their capacity to adopt self-care practices to prevent sexual abuse. In 2020, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the volunteering strategy demonstrated its adaptation potential and contributed to UNICEF’s risk communication efforts with a focus on reaching remote communities.

The initiative has also allowed UNICEF Nicaragua to have a direct contact with communities and reach some of the most vulnerable groups of children. Based on these achievements and learnings as well as the conclusions of an evaluation carried out in 2019, the volunteering strategy is now at a scaling stage in which its integration within the different programme components of the Cooperation Country Programme 2019-2023 is being strengthened. Efforts are also made in order to complement and further integrate the volunteering strategy with other youth development initiatives, especially in the framework of the Generation Unlimited agenda.

Within the delegated authority and under the supervision of the Communications Specialist, the UNV Youth Engagement will: •Lead and facilitate the partnerships established with private and public Universities as well as Civil Society Organizations and State Institutions in order to optimize the development of the volunteering strategy and other youth engagement initiatives. •Establish platforms that both enable online and offline engagement of youth and volunteering opportunities. •In collaboration with partners, coordinate training processes to volunteers, adolescent, and young people: design the methodologies, prepare training materials and organize workshops. •Provide technical support to the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of the volunteers’ projects and youth engagement activities. •Carry out field visits to ensure the quality of the activities and provide technical support to both the Universities and volunteer groups. •In close coordination with the Universities, facilitate the recruitment and organization of new volunteer groups, analyzing and improving the Youth Engagement Strategy. •Promote and facilitate youth positive contributions through social media platforms used to engage with communities on issues that affect them. •Support youth contributions to programmatic priorities, framed on youth engagement as a change strategy in UNICEF´s strategic plan. •Support the usage and implementation of the U-Report platform for the continued involvement of young people. •Develop a UNICEF´s Nicaragua youth engagement strategy on climate and environmental action based on UNICEF’s sectors and comparative advantage including modes of engagement, objectives and expected results. •Support the generation of data and evidence on children rights and climate change to inform strategic youth‐focused programming. •Effectively use and promote data collection, analyzes and usage that support our efforts to improve the lives of children, designed and/or implementing surveys and administrative data systems. •Guarantee the connection between the projects implemented by volunteers and the priorities of UNICEF Country Office, facilitating the coordination with the different programme areas. •Lead the organization of events that make visible and recognize the achievements of the volunteers’ interventions. •Develop the Generation Unlimited agenda, including the organization of the Generation Unlimited Youth Challenges in Nicaragua and other projects that promote youth and adolescents’ skills development, with a focus on innovation. •Facilitate the communication with UNICEF HQ, especially the sections who work on volunteering, youth development and the Generation Unlimited team. •Draft proposals to nurture the youth engagement agenda of the Country Office. •Participate in the planning, monitoring and reporting processes of UNICEF Country Office. •Carry out any other related tasks that may be required or assigned by the supervisor.

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 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.

•As an active UNICEF Nicaragua team member, efficient, timely, responsive, client-friendly and high-quality support rendered to UNICEF and its partners in the accomplishment of her/his functions, including: −Quality technical assistance is provided to the partners and the monitoring, reporting and evaluation of the projects related to the volunteering strategy as well as the development of the youth engagement agenda are guaranteed. −Inputs are timely delivered to the planning, monitoring and reporting processes of the Country Office: Annual Management Plan, End-of-year review and Country Office Annual Report. −The working plans signed with partners under his/her responsibility are fully implemented in an adequate period of time. −The annual targets established by the monitoring and evaluation framework of the volunteering strategy are reached. •Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment. •A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for peace and development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed.

Core Values •Care •Respect •Integrity •Trust •Accountability

Core Competencies •Nurtures, Leads and Manages People (1) •Demonstrates Self Awareness and Ethical Awareness (2) •Works Collaboratively with others (2) •Builds and Maintains Partnerships (2) •Innovates and Embraces Change (2) •Thinks and Acts Strategically (2) •Drives to achieve impactful results (2) •Manages ambiguity and complexity (2)

The incumbent will also show genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary ngagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards UNICEF’s mission and vision, as well as to the UN Core Values.

areas related to youth engagement, community development, children’s rights and/or international cooperation. −Experience working in the UN or other international development organization, or NGO is considered an asset. −Experience working on social innovation and skills development is considered an asset. −Excellent oral and written skills; excellent drafting, formulation, reporting skills; −Accuracy and professionalism in project management; −Excellent interpersonal skills; culturally and socially sensitive; ability to work inclusively and collaboratively with a range of partners, including grassroots community members, youth, as well as Universities, Civil Society Organizations and Government Institutions at different levels(technical and management); −Familiarity with tools and approaches of communications for development; −Ability to work and adapt professionally and effectively in a challenging environment; ability to work effectively in a multicultural team of international and national personnel; −Solid overall computer literacy, including proficiency in various MS Office applications. −Ability to interpret data in a meaningful way, through knowledge and practical experience managing data analysis tools, techniques, and methodologies to improve information-systems and decision-making capacity, based on youth and communities’ feedback.

As this is a national UN Volunteer assignment, the UN Volunteer will be responsible for arranging his/her own housing and other living essentials. National UN Volunteers are part of the malicious insurance plan.