Deadline: 25-Sep-23
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok seeks the services of a youth-led/serving organization in Singapore to lead the design, implementation, progress monitoring and reporting of a maximum 15-month project aimed at enhancing inclusive education spaces for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and queer (LGBTIQ+) youth learners in formal education institutions in Singapore.
Specific activities will include co-creating an advocacy approach with students/student networks, building their advocacy skills for inclusion in education, working closely with them to carry out their advocacy activities and to share with their peers, members of their education community and the public about the results of their efforts and experiences of their advocacy journey. The advocacy initiatives carried out by young LGBTIQ+ students together with their allies will support dialogue with educators, parents, student-peers and other youth organizations for creating an enabling education climate that combats discrimination and violence on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity or expression (SOGIE) and where all learners feel safe, included and valued.
Recognizing that no country can achieve inclusive and equitable quality education for all if learners experience violence or feel unwelcome at school, the Education for Health and Well-being team of UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok is keen to engage with youth leaders and learners in the LGBTIQ+ community in Singapore to design and implement a suite of work that delivers on the following two outcomes:
- Youth members of LGBTIQ+ networks have strengthened technical and advocacy skills to promote the creation of LGBTIQ+ inclusive learning spaces; and,
- Learning spaces become more LGBTIQ+ inclusive through implementation of tools and approaches by LGBTIQ+ youth leaders, working in partnership with the education sector.
The project aims to ensure that LGBTIQ+ students and allies in education institutions (universities, vocational centres, schools etc) are empowered and supported in their leading roles as change agents for inclusion in their education setting. These are the youth leaders involved in advocacy approaches that engage their student peers in order to make their learning environments more inclusive for all learners, in particular those who identify as LGBTIQ+. Additional beneficiaries of this youth-led, social change-advocacy shall include the leadership and staff of education settings where youth leaders are implementing activities, with spill-over benefits to families and the general public.
Work Assignment
- Under the overall authority of the Director, UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok, the overall supervision of the Chief of Unit for Inclusive Quality Education, and the direct supervision/guidance of the Regional Advisor on Education for Health and Well-being, and working closely with relevant members of the Education for Health and Well-being Team (HWT), the contractor is expected to perform the following tasks:
- Co-create with students, an advocacy approach and activities for LGBTIQ+ learner inclusion that responds to evidence of LGBTIQ+ learners’ needs and priorities in their respective education setting(s). The advocacy approach should generate original advocacy products in various formats that are relevant to the local context;
- Carry out a rapid mapping of the skills and other capacity-needs to be strengthened among LGBTIQ+ and ally students for them to implement their advocacy approach and activities in Task 1);
- Design and deliver relevant skills/capacity-building workshop(s) for advocacy on LGBTIQ+ learner inclusion, that respond to the needs identified in the rapid mapping in Task 2);
- Incorporate any new or adapted tools for advocacy on LGBTIQ+ learner inclusion in the delivery of skills/capacity-building workshop(s) in Task 3);
- Provide overall coordination of and implementation support to LGBTIQ+ and ally students, of their advocacy approach, activities and products that have been co-created in Task 1). Amplify the reach of the advocacy through diverse (digital and non-digital) channels as appropriate;
- Provide, where relevant, technical and/or financial support (e.g. through small grants) for students to implement their advocacy approaches, activities and products;
- Track and document the progress of implementation by students of their advocacy approaches, activities and products through routine monitoring reports, stories or other means, capturing project reach and results in digital and non-digital formats (e.g. social media engagement; event participation lists etc.);
- Share the achievements, challenges, lessons learned and next steps of students’ advocacy efforts in an in-person meeting organized and funded by UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok (date TBC in consultation with implementing partners).
Duration
- The contractor will be required to work for a maximum period of 15 months spanning the period October 2023 to December 2024.
Work Schedule and Expected Deliverables
- The contractor shall submit the following deliverables (submission dates provisional):
- Inception narrative report containing: updated plan of the advocacy approach, implementation timeline and intended advocacy products; and, results of the rapid mapping of skills/capacity building needs of the students who will implement advocacy activities (30 November 2023)
- Interim narrative progress report on all project activities carried out up to that time, including status updates on: any skills/capacity building workshops implemented with LGBTIQ+ and ally students; and, advocacy tools adapted or created for training activities (31 March 2024)
- Interim narrative progress report on all project activities carried out up to that time, including status updates on: implementation by/with LGBTIQ+ and ally students of their advocacy approach, activities and products, including reporting on numbers reached and results achieved, (31 July 2024)
- Terminal report to close out the project, covering all project activities carried out under the project, including reporting on how the efforts of the students are being promoted and disseminated, plans for next steps, and appendices of all advocacy products created, (20 December 2024)
Location and Travel
- The consultancy is home-based and will take place in the contractor’s usual place of residence/work. Where travel is required by a representative(s) of the contracted organization for any UNESCO- organized meeting for the project, the relevant travel and meeting participation costs will be borne by UNESCO Multisectoral Regional Office in Bangkok.
- The contractor will report directly to, and be supervised by the Regional Advisor for Education for Health and Well-being who will maintain regular communication using available channels.
Eligibility Criteria
- The consultancy is open to suitably qualified youth-led or youth-serving institutions/organizations working in Singapore.
- The organization/institution:
- Required:
- Must have minimum 3 years of related professional experience working with, or on behalf of young people, including LGBTIQ+ young people;
- Must have demonstrated subject matter expertise in one or more of the following: education, gender, human rights, social inclusion and social justice, public policy, social work or other social sciences. This expertise must be demonstrated with at least two (2) references/supporting examples of relevant projects previously implemented.
- IT infrastructure, software and devices to support remote meetings, communication and online/digital data collection, as appropriate.
- Must be able to engage in project implementation meetings with/organized by UNESCO, and provide written technical and financial project reports in the English language.
- Desirable:
- Demonstrated previous experience working with the UN and/or other multilateral, bilateral or civil society development partners.
- Demonstrated previous experience working with formal education institutions, including with teachers and education personnel in leadership roles.
- Required:
- Personnel
- Lead Consultant
- Required:
- Advanced degree (at least Bachelor’s degree) in any of the related areas: education, gender, human rights, development studies, public policy, social work or other social sciences or public health;
- Knowledge and experience (3 – 5 years) in relevant technical areas, including from among the following: youth development; gender equality and social inclusion; human rights literacy and access to justice; health and well-being equity.
- Demonstrated experience in project management in any of the technical areas mentioned above. This expertise must be demonstrated with at least two (2) references/supporting examples of relevant projects previously managed.
- Excellent analytical, writing and communication skills, as demonstrated with at least one writing sample.
- Fluency in spoken and written English.
- Desirable:
- Understanding of the social and political sensitivities associated with youth sexual and reproductive health and rights; HIV responses, including the needs of young key populations; LGBTIQ+ inclusion; SOGIE-based discrimination and violence;
- Demonstrated previous experience in the design and delivery of interventions for youth mobilization and capacity-building among socially marginalized groups.
- Demonstrated previous experience working with formal education institutions, or with learners, teachers and other education personnel in formal learning settings.
- Required:
- Lead Consultant
- Junior Team Members
- Required:
- Minimum 1-year training or experience in a field related to civic engagement, education, social sciences or social justice work;
- Demonstrated experience in working with youth-led groups or networks, including for/with LGBTIQ+ young people. This expertise must be demonstrated with at least one (1) reference/supporting example of relevant project implementation support.
- Desirable:
- Experience in creation and use of communication tools and approaches.
- Required:
For more information, visit UNESCO.