PETRI - Sofia Autumn School on Project Development and Management and Leadership Skills

Call for Applications

PETRI-SOFIA is glad to announce the upcoming

PETRI - Sofia Autumn School on Project Development and Management and Leadership Skills

to be held in Bulgaria,

from the22nd to 28th of November, 2016

Deadline for applicationis 14thof October

Background:

The International Training and Research Institute PETRI – Sofia was established in 2007 as a joint initiative of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the Ministry of Health of Bulgaria, the National Center of Public Health and Analyses and the Y-PEER International Youth Network.

PETRI-Sofia is an international training and research knowledge hub for youth development which addresses sexual and reproductive health of young people, youth participation and youth leadership in the countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and beyond, functioning in the frame of the National Centre of Public Health and Analyses. Its mission is to contribute to increasing capacities in the development and implementation of effective, sustainable and context-specific youth policies, as well as to strengthening education and services in the field of youth development and youth sexual and reproductive health. The center is committed to helping countries – national institutions, professional groups, NGOs and young people by providing innovative training programs, research and technical assistance, as well as by supporting development of partnerships and collaborative networks that bring together a wide range of expertise in the field. PETRI-Sofia acts also as facilitator for exchanging knowledge, sharing resources, and providing solutions for Y-PEER and other partners.

In 2015 the Bulgarian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) supported the activities of PETRI-Sofia through the project “Improvement of the Sexual and Reproductive Health of Adolescents and Young People in the Region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia” in the frame of its development cooperation policy. Two international trainings were successfully organized building expertise of 31 young people from 16 countries in the EECA region and three new fellows joined the PETRI-Sofia Fellowship Program in the frame of the project.

Following the example of this successful cooperation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs continued its support for PETRI-Sofia in 2016 through the project “Development of Youth Leadership in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals, funded in the frame of the Mid-term Programme for Development Assistance and Humanitarian Aid of the Republic of Bulgaria for the period 2016 - 2019.

According to the objectives of the project, PETRI-Sofia will utilize the allocated funds for: capacity-building of young people and youth-led organizations in the area of youth leadership, active citizenship and advocacy for the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals; strengthening the Y-PEER International Youth Network and encouraging the interaction of young people on global level.

In September 2015, the UNGA has adopted a historic 2030 Development Agenda with SDGs at its core. Achieving the objectives set in the 2030 agenda is possible only with sustainable investment in young people, meaningful youth participation and leadership on national, regional and global level. Increasing leadership capacity and expanding leadership base of Y-PEER is critical to position Y-PEER as the leading youth entity in the implementation of the new development agenda on all levels. Additionally, the commitment that no-one is left behind requires the youth - led network is more inclusive and addressing the needs of the most vulnerable and marginalized young people.

In this relation, based on the objectives of the “Development of Youth Leadership in Support of the Sustainable Development Goals” project and following the results of a survey on the needs and preferences of the Y-PEER national networks in the EECA region in terms of capacity building and training modules, PETRI – Sofia is planning PETRI-Sofia Autumn School, that will include two separate modules running in parallel, as follows:

“Project Development and Management”

“Leadership Skills”

The PETRI-Sofia Autumn School will be organized in Borovetz, Bulgaria, from November 22 until November 28, 2016; date of arrival – November 22; date of departure – November 28.

The first module, Project Development and Management was ranked as the most preferred training module by both the young people and the supporting adults from UNFPA and other Y-PEER affiliated NGOs in the PETRI-Sofia Survey on Training Needs for Peer-Educators, Youth Leaders and Focal Points of Y-PEER Networks in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, 2016.

The Leadership Skills module has been successfully implemented in the Arab States region and has received positive evaluations from the participants. Focusing on a combination of communication skills and knowledge about the SDGs, it will be piloted in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region.

Project Development and Management Training

Number of participants:18 participants from Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Georgia, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Moldova, Kosovo* (UNSCR 1244), Serbia, Romania, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine (one participant per country)

Duration of the module: 5 days

Preliminary dates (incl. arrival and departure):22nd to 28th of November, 2016

Main topics to be covered:
Identifying problems, Assessing needs and conducting literature review, Target audiences/groups, Goals and Objectives, Networking with stakeholders, Logic Model overview, Monitoring and evaluation, Budgeting and Budget.

Participant's profile:

Participants should be individuals who have had or expect to have significant input in design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of youth-led projects. Prior peer education experience is encouraged, and participants are expected to be ready to begin a leadership role in the Y-PEER network on the national or international level.

The candidates for the PDM module should meet the following criteria:

Not older than 25 years;
Good command of English (ability to clearly understand and communicate with the group in English);
Nominees have a personal commitment to youth, and adolescents SRH related activities as demonstrated by involvement in work with NGO, CBO, and have shown successful performance;
Have at least 2 years of experience in working with organizations on programmes/project for youth. Nominees who have served in many roles with varied and extensive experiences are favored; those with experience in training peer educators are preferred.Working experience with vulnerable youth is an asset;
Possess proven knowledge of sexually transmitted infections, HIV/AIDS, drug use, youth development, sexual behavior, and broader health promotion;
Be open to learning, growing and receiving constructive criticism, which is evaluated based on an applicant’s statement of intention for the training;
Ability to appreciate the variations of human experience and personal identities, including: age, income, race, ethnicity, religion, creed, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, and geographic home region;
Emotional maturity, self-awareness of comfort/discomfort with various vulnerable groups and behaviors (e.g. injection drug use, sexual behaviors, commercial sex work, etc.) is required;
The nominee should be in position to transfer further knowledge to other youth trainers in country and region;
Last but not the least, the nominee should be in position to stay engaged in in-country peer education efforts, advocacy and youth related activities as a focal point for Y-PEER or other youth networks and work closely with the country office as well as their network in implementation of youth related activities.

Leadership Skills

Duration of the module:5 days

Preliminary dates(incl. arrival and departure):22nd to 28th of November, 2016

Main topics to be covered:

Communication skills, SDGs and young people’s role in their implementation and monitoring, working with marginalized youth, utilizing social media

Participant's profile:

Y-PEER representatives with potential to act as national, regional and global youth leaders. Selected candidates should be eloquent, familiar with the role of young people in development in general and Y-PEER in particular. Prior peer education experience is encouraged. Participants are expected to be ready to dedicate time and efforts in further development and advancement of youth agenda on national and international level.

The candidates for the Leadership Skills module should meet the following criteria:

Not older than 25 years;
Good command of English (ability to clearly understand and communicate with the group in English);
Nominees will have demonstrated a personal commitment to youth, and adolescents SRH related activities as demonstrated by involvement in work with NGO, CBO, and showed successful performance;
Have at least 2 years of experience in working with organizations on programmes/project for youth. Nominees who have served in many roles with varied and extensive experiences are favored. Working experience with vulnerable youth is an asset;
At least three promotional/educational activities on SRHR topics organized/implemented in the period between September 2015 – September 2016;
At least three months experience working as coordinator of group of young people or youth coordinator;
Experience in creating and implementing raising awareness campaigns;
Last but not the least, the nominee should be in position to stay engaged in in-country peer education efforts, advocacy and youth related activities as a focal point for Y-PEER or other youth networks and work closely with the country office as well as their network in implementation of youth related activities.

How to apply:

The Applicants need to send the following documents:

A short Curriculum Vitae;
Completed Application Form;
Passport copyfor the communication with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for visa issuing.

Deadlines:

All applicants shall submit their application documents to their UNFPA’s Country Officetill October 14th. Applications not submitted via the Country office will be disregarded. The UNFPA Country Offices are kindly asked to submit thesets of documents of pre-selected candidates (1 candidate for each module) by21st of October 2016to .

Selected participants will be notified by email by October 25thand PETRI-Sofia will send them the official invitation letters, so that they can start the visa application process as soon as possible. The candidates must apply for visa not later thanNovember 1st.

Languages:

Official language of the training sessions and discussions is English.

Logistical information:

PETRI SOFIA will cover all costs of participants:

Provide participants with flight/bus tickets (participants will be provided with e-tickets);
Organize transfer to/from Sofia airport to/from the hotel;
Provide full board accommodation during the training period in Bulgaria;
Reimburse visa and in-country travel costs of participants (from/to their hometown to/from the airport in case they are located in different cities).

Please note that PETRI-Sofia does not cover the costs for medical/travel insurance. Due to the Bulgarian national regulations,additional DSA will NOT be provided.

Upon successful completion of the training modules, participants will be awarded a National Centre of Public Health and Analyses (NCPHA), UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and PETRI - Sofia signed certificate.

More logistical information shall be shared with the selected participants.

Please feel free to address any queries or concerns about the application or the training to:

Email:
Phone: +359 (2) 954 66 66

Good luck!