Deadline: 10-Sep-23
The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) invites non-governmental organizations to submit proposals for strengthening the provision of programs and services for youth empowerment, which should be implemented in cooperation with local youth services in Danilovgrad, Nikšić and Savnik.
UNDP, in cooperation with the Ministry of Sports and Youth, implements the project “Socio-economic empowerment of young women and men through effective services for young people”. The project aims to encourage the socio-economic empowerment and development of young women and men through efficient and quality services and programs for young people. This goal will be achieved by improving the effectiveness and coverage of existing gender-responsive youth services and programs at the local level and by developing new such programs and services.
In order to strengthen the provision of programs and services for youth empowerment, which should be implemented in cooperation with local youth services, and to improve the efficiency and scope of gender-responsive services and programs for young people, through this call, UNDP will cooperate with selected NGOs with experience and expertise in the field of work with young people. At the same time, this call seeks to respond to the main challenges that young people face and to contribute to appropriate solutions, based on the analysis presented below.
- Youth welfare. Young people face numerous challenges related to health and safety, and overall well-being. There is also hate speech, including on social networks. Young people highlight the growing problem of division, especially on political grounds, which leads to additional problems such as the rise of hate speech and intolerance. Young people point out that their peers often do not appreciate diversity and have numerous prejudices against people with disabilities and members of minority groups (RE population, LGBTIQA+, NEET, young people from rural areas).
- Access to information. The majority of young people are not familiar with the legislative and strategic framework that applies to them, as well as with the available services for young people. They also lack knowledge about the possibilities of their involvement in decision-making processes. The lack of use of modern and attractive information distribution channels, such as social networks and applications, through which young people could be more effectively informed about opportunities and services in various areas such as education, employment, culture, entrepreneurship, leisure, etc., was recognized.
- Activism and participation. Young people lack knowledge about the possibilities of their involvement in decision-making processes. Activities intended for young people are designed without their participation. Many young people who participated in decision-making activities report that their role was formal and that their suggestions were not taken seriously.
- Informal education. More than two thirds of young people (68%) did not attend any form of non-formal education. Either they point out that this type of education does not exist in their municipality, that they do not need it, or that they do not see its added value, especially in terms of employment opportunities and advancement in career, due to the mentioned perception of the prevailing importance of “connections” in finding a job.
- Free time and creativity. Moreover, youth facilities are mostly concentrated in large areas, and young people from smaller municipalities and remote areas do not have the opportunity to attend sports and cultural events. The largest percentage of young people do not see themselves as creators.
- Youth and institutions/intergenerational gap. In addition to the already mentioned problems, such as lack of information among young people about the possibilities of participation in decision-making and failure to contact local services, it is important to note another gap between young people and institutions.
Funding Information
- Through this call, one (1) project will be financed, in a total amount of up to €25,000.
- Duration of the project: Project proposals should be planned for a period of 7 months, in the period from September 2023 to March 2024.
Activities
- Project proposals should include activities to address the needs of young people in selected municipalities, which should be implemented in close cooperation with youth services. Activities should be designed to ensure full involvement of youth administrators and optimal use of youth service resources (space, networks, etc.).
- The project proposal must include equally distributed activities in all 3 cities – Danilovgrad, Nikšić and Šavnik.
- The proposed activities must be based on the following principles and clearly reflect them:
- not leaving anyone out (including not only empowered and active young people, but also young people with fewer opportunities and in vulnerable situations).
- promotion of gender equality
- protection and safety of children and young people
- participation of young people in all phases of the project (design, implementation, evaluation)
- Proposals should also show how they contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.
- Each proposal should include/provide the following:
- regular activities in/with the youth service, which will be open to all interested young people, which will offer young people regular opportunities to spend quality free time and contribute to their empowerment, in accordance with the analysis of the situation presented in the previous section (e.g. once or twice per week)
- activities of empowerment and capacity building, based on methodologies and principles of informal education and youth work
- activities must deal with specific topics, in accordance with the analysis presented in the previous section, including peer violence as one of the topics
- mechanisms for involving young people in designing, implementing and evaluating activities
- project activities must involve different groups of young people, including young people who are offered fewer opportunities and those in a vulnerable position.
- In addition to youth-oriented activities, proposals should include:
- activities that contribute to the capacity of youth administrators to involve young people, as well as to design and implement service programs for young people (on-the-job training, mentoring, job shadowing, training, etc.). An overview of activities aimed at building the capacity of youth administrators, with learning outcomes, should be included in the project proposal.
- activities that contribute to the networking of youth services with other local actors (NGOs, local institutions, municipalities, schools, faculties, services, etc.) and the establishment of cooperation between these actors, in order to enable a comprehensive response and offer for youth empowerment at the local level.
Target Groups
- The project proposal should include young people from cities where youth services operate, based on identified needs. Project activities must involve different groups of young people, including those who have fewer opportunities and are in a vulnerable position. Activities should be implemented through/in close cooperation with the youth services of the Ministry of Sports and Youth and youth administrators.
Partnerships
- Cooperation and joint work with other local NGOs and other relevant stakeholders is encouraged.
- If the NGO submitting the project proposal is not from the territory of Danilovgrad, Nikšić or Šavnik, it must include at least one partner NGO from one of the cities that will be included. The partner NGO implements part of the activities and part of the budget.
- Broader partnerships will be considered an advantage.
Eligibility Criteria
- In order to be eligible for the evaluation of the project proposal, the NGO applicant must meet all the criteria listed below, otherwise it will not be considered for funding:
- That the NGO has been registered in Montenegro for at least 5 years
- To focus on youth policy, work with young people, youth development
- To have specialized knowledge, expertise and experience in working with young people and empowering young people of at least 5 years
- The project proposal must include activities in all cities in the selected geographic area/LOT
- That project activities are implemented in close cooperation with youth services
- That NGO activities, including public announcements and performances, are fully in line with the principles of non-discrimination and full respect for human rights
- The partner NGO must meet all the criteria listed below:
- that it has been registered in Montenegro for at least 2 years
- to be registered and work in the city covered by the given LOT
- that youth empowerment is one of the areas of work listed in official documents regulating NGO registration
- to have experience in working with young people
- that NGO activities, including public announcements and performances, are fully in line with the principles of non-discrimination and full respect for human rights
For more information, visit UNDP.