UNFPA Call for Youth Advocacy Group for Education First

Deadline: 26 August, 2012
Open to: young people worldwide who are working to enhance access to education, to improve quality of education/ foster global citizenship
Venue: The Youth Advocacy Group will meet online/through teleconference once a week. An in-person meeting may be called upon as needed, to support and advise the youth representative in the High-Level Steering Committee

Are you a young person working to increase access to education, improving the quality of education and fostering global citizenship? The United Nations wants to hear from you and counts on your support!

Your organization or network can nominate you to be a part of the Youth Advocacy Group for Education First, the UN Secretary-General’s Global Initiative on Education, by sending your CV/résumé and a short written statement to youth@unfpa.org by 26 August 2012.

Background

The Secretary-General will launch Education First, an initiative to promote education and turn the existing momentum into concrete commitment and action in the lead up to 2015 and beyond that will (1) Raise the political profile of education and rally together a broad spectrum of actors; (2) Spur a global movement to achieve quality, relevant and inclusive education for all by 2015, with linked gains for the broad development agenda, including the MDGs; and (3) Generate additional and sufficient funding through sustained advocacy efforts. A youth representative serves on the High-Level Steering Committee of the Initiative to advocate for young people’s
priorities and to provide strategic guidance to the Secretary-General on how to raise the political profile of education on the development agenda and mobilize stronger public and private support, particularly amongst youth networks and organizations.

Objectives

In order to support the youth representative in the High-Level Steering Committee and to engage a broader range of stakeholders, an informal Youth Advocacy Group will be appointed with the task to provide expertise on youth education issues, encourage the mobilization of young people and facilitate the dissemination of information to networks and organizations around the world. There will be two phases of operation for the group, the first from August till the global launch of Education First on 26 September 2012, which will involve intensive preparations the launch, including finalizing a Call to Action. The second phase following the launch until September 2017 will focus on strengthening momentum and increasing support for the five year campaign.

Composition & Eligibility

The Youth Advocacy Group will be composed of 8-10 non-compensated individuals between the ages of 15-24 who are representatives of organizations with demonstrated expertise and experience of working on and advocating for young people, including youth-led organizations, the private sector, media and academia.Such individuals should have demonstrated leadership and activism, and should be able to consult with and reach out to a larger constituency. The Youth Advocacy Group will meet online and through teleconference once a week leading up to the launch and once a month following that. An in-person meeting may be called upon as needed, to support and advise the youth representative in the High-Level Steering Committee. Members will need working knowledge of English and internet access to participate in meetings of the Youth Advocacy Group, with the expectation that they will be able to consult with constituencies who do not necessarily speak English and/or have internet connectivity.

Responsibilities

The Youth Advocacy Group will be responsible for:

  1. Spreading awareness regarding the Initiative amongst their networks and partners;
  2. Facilitate consultations to finalize a Call to Action for the launch of the Initiative;
  3. Providing strategic advice to the youth representative in the High-Level Steering Committee regarding the priorities of young people in relation to education;
  4. Promote the priorities and voices of young people in the advocacy messages, the launch of the Initiative and all activities of the Initiative;
  5. Mobilize young people and governments to make pledges in support of education and hold them accountable for their commitments;

Application and selection process

Nominations for members of the Youth Advocacy Group should be submitted to the Sub-Working Group <youth@unfpa.org> by 26 August 2012 and should include an updated CV/résumé, a short written statement of no more than 500 words by the person making the nomination and, if possible, a short video clip or links to websites, blogs, and social media profiles.This call for nominations is made on behalf of the Sub-Working Group on Youth, which includes the Center for Universal Education at Brookings, the International Network for Education in Emergencies, UNFPA, UNICEF and YPEER together with the Executive Office of the Secretary-General. The SubWorking Group on Youth will compile all nominations received and will conduct a review that takes into account the selection criteria, as well as ensuring regional and gender balance, and accordingly submit a proposal to the Steering Committee.
Young people with disabilities and indigenous young people and particularly encouraged to apply.

If you have any questions, ask them by email (youth@unfpa.org), on Facebook (www.facebook.com/groups/UNFPAyouth) or via Twitter (@UNFPAyouth#educationfirst).

The official website

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