Call for Proposals: Young Pacific Leaders Regional Workshop

Deadline: 01-Aug-21

The U.S. Embassy New Zealand Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Department of State is pleased to announce an open competition for organizations interested in submitting proposals to develop and implement a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Regional Workshop on Marine Sustainability, pending the availability of funding. As a Pacific nation, the United States has long been committed to working with partners in the region to ensure continued regional security, as well as economic growth and development.

Young Pacific Leaders is the U.S. government’s signature initiative to engage with emerging leaders in the Pacific region. The program aims to create a network of young Pacific leaders who work across national borders and the four pillars of YPL-environment/resource management, education, civic engagement, and economic and social development—to solve common problems.

The regional workshop will convene emerging leaders, ages 25-35, with ongoing U.S. marine sustainability initiatives in Hawai’i/American Samoa (specific location to be determined in partnership with the U.S. Embassy New Zealand taking into account COVID-19 travel restrictions) to build competencies in developing and sustaining their initiatives to solve regional challenges associated with marine sustainability.

Goals

Goals of the conference should include:

Developing the knowledge and skills of diverse youth in the Pacific Islands, Australia and New Zealand, to become economic and civil society leaders who cooperate across the region to address difficult issues.
Ensuring that emerging Pacific Islands leaders see the United States as a partner in solving regional and global challenges.
Building a network of emerging Pacific leaders that can share best practices and collaborate on shared challenges.

Funding Information

Length of performance period: Up to 24 months
Number of awards anticipated: One
Award amounts: Up to $250,000 USD
Total available funding: Up to $250,000 USD
Anticipated project start date: October 1, 2021.

Eligibility Criteria

U.S. Embassy New Zealand welcomes applications from non-profit organizations/nongovernment organizations (NGOs) and private, public, or state institutions of higher education. For-profit entities are not eligible to apply.

Additional Information

Not-for-profit organizations or universities are invited to submit a proposal that describes how each of the following activities will be administered:

Design and implement a 3-4 day Regional Workshop on Marine Sustainability for young leaders to take place in late 2022 or early 2023 (specific timing to be determined in partnership with the U.S. Embassy New Zealand taking into account COVID-19 travel restrictions). Demonstrating planned coordination with partner organizations knowledgeable in the region is highly encouraged.
The program should accommodate delegates from the following countries: Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Islands of French Polynesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna, and U.S. partners from the American-affiliated Pacific including American Samoa, Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Hawaii.
Delegates should be drawn from Pacific Islands youth, including diaspora populations living in Australia and New Zealand, and Maori, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander peoples, as well as youth working on Pacific issues in Australia and New Zealand. They should be between the ages of 25-35 with a track record of making positive impacts in their community, institution, or company, and have at least two years of professional experience. Proficiency in written and spoken English and citizenship in one of the participating countries is also required.
Delegates should have ongoing initiatives to address challenges related to sustainable marine resource management, aquatic biodiversity conservation, or marine pollution. During the application process, candidates will submit a summary of their initiative, a problem that they are experiencing or that they foresee will hinder their initiative’s sustainability, and their proposed plans to address their identified problem. At the end of the workshop, participants will be asked to submit a finalized development plan for their initiatives using lessons learned from the workshop.
The workshop should help participants develop competencies to accelerate and sustain their projects. Workshop topics should include problem analysis, solution analysis, monitoring and evaluation, branding/marketing, sustainability planning, fund raising/resource mobilization, strategic partnerships, and cross-border collaboration.
The workshop should include information sessions and trainings led by experts from the Pacific region and the United States. Sessions will deepen participants knowledge of current challenges and opportunities in maritime in the Pacific region.
The workshop should include substantive interaction with U.S. government representatives as well as non-government organizations, businesses and think tanks that focus on the Pacific.
The program should also include experiential learning activities, enabling delegates to immerse themselves in relevant areas of the host-country’s community.
Proposals are encouraged to include opening and closing events, to include key speakers from a broad cross section of sectors and to include speakers from both the United States and the Pacific region.
Participants and leaders should have formal and informal opportunities to network with each other to develop collaborative relationships that will persist after the workshop’s conclusion.
Proposals should include management of travel and lodging logistics for all participants, speakers, and staff, as well as venue(s). Proposals must show how grant funds will be used to cover the cost of the venue, transportation, visas, travel insurance, lodging, and meals or per diem for eligible participants, speakers, and staff. All travel funded under the grant agreement should be economy class and must comply with Fly America requirements.
Proposals should include a plan for publicizing both the application opportunity as well as the workshop, to include both traditional and social media, as appropriate, in partnership with the U.S. embassies located in the Pacific region.
Proposals should include a plan for evaluating the program’s goals, including pre- and post-event surveys of participants.
Proposals should include a description of the applicant’s experience with U.S.-Pacific relations, youth leadership development, and event organization as well as experience in and/or ties with organizations in the Asia-Pacific or other international expertise.