Call for Proposals: Empowering Youth Activists for Gender Equality and Advocacy – Ukraine

Deadline: 3-Oct-23

Within its capacity development support to the women’s CSOs and gender equality activists, UN Women is seeking an organization that can provide services on raising awareness, training and information support to young activists and representatives of youth organizations, to enhance their advocacy and communication skills, as well as to facilitate the establishment of new partnerships with women leaders, the government and the media to raise public awareness about gender equality and women’s empowerment agenda, gender mainstreaming in the European integration process, promote positive social norms and communicate the change that they wish to see.

It is envisaged that the chosen organization will collaborate closely with UN Women and its government partners (including the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy of Ukraine, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine), and can, if necessary, sub-contract a creative agency/company to implement capacity development activities and communication campaigns/other initiatives.

Objectives 

• To strengthen capacities of young women and men, including young activists, to advocate for their rights, shift social perceptions around gender roles and meaningfully participate in decision making, through the adoption of innovative capacity-building measures.
• To facilitate youth-led communications/advocacy campaigns aimed at tackling gender-based stereotypes and increasing young women’s participation in political/public life (in partnership with UN Women Ukraine and its government partners (including the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy of Ukraine, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine) and, if necessary, a creative agency sub-contracted by the partner).
• To elevate the voices of young women in the context of Ukraine’s EU integration and gender-responsive recovery.
• To develop intergenerational links between young emerging leaders and prominent women civil society leaders and facilitate joint communications/advocacy campaigns/initiatives for achieving gender equality and women’s empowerment.

Themes

• The selected organization will implement three cycles of capacity development and follow-up communication/advocacy initiatives. The theme of campaigns/initiatives concepts for each cycle of project implementation should be updated based on the lessons learnt and new data of the desk review. The following themes should be considered and further elaborated in the proposal:
  • Cycle 1: Eliminating stereotypes and promoting gender equality in Ukraine. The first campaign’s main tool should be photography.
  • Cycle 2: Increasing young women’s participation in public and political life with the focus on gender mainstreaming in the EU integration and gender-responsive recovery processes.
  • Cycle 3: To be proposed by the selected organization and approved by UN Women.

Funding Information

• The budget range for this proposal should be 180,000.00 USD Min. – 250,000.00 USD Max.

Timeframe

• The approximate duration of the assignment is at least 24 months:  October 2023 – November 2025.

Outputs and Activities

• Output 1.  Women and women’s organizations have improved capacities to participate in the development and monitoring of the governments’ GEWE commitments.
  • Proponents are expected to propose activities contributing to improved capacities of young women and men (aged 18-35), including young feminist activists and representatives of youth organizations, to effectively advocate for their rights and challenge negative public perceptions.
• Activities
  • The action plan for desk review, capacity development and other activities envisaged by the project is developed by the partner and approved by UN Women.
    • Desk review is conducted to systematize information about prevailing social norms, harmful gender stereotypes in various spheres of life in Ukraine (employment and leadership (STEM, military, construction, education,  nursing, etc.) professions, performance of women and men in top business and political positions); household and family (responsibilities for unpaid domestic and care work, male parental leaves, decision-making in the family); gender-based violence; sexual relationships and reproductive health, etc. ) as well as approaches to confronting these stereotypes.
    • Training curricula and materials for learning sessions/webinars/trainings/courses for young women and men on gender equality and confronting stereotypes, leadership, effective advocacy and communication are developed based on the desk review. The training curricula and materials should be relevant to the thematic area of the communication and advocacy campaign/ other initiative the young participants are expected to co-design.
  • Competitive selection of at least 35 young women and men is conducted for each cycle in partnership with UN Women and its government partners (including the Ministry of Social Policy of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, Government Commissioner for Gender Equality Policy of Ukraine, Ministry of Youth and Sports of Ukraine) and, if necessary, a creative agency sub-contracted by the partner.
  • Learning sessions/webinars/trainings/courses are delivered for at least 35 young women and men, including young feminist activists and representatives of youth organizations, in each cycle in an engaging and interactive manner.
• Output 2. Women’s rights activists increasingly collaborate with media to challenge patriarchal social norms and advocate for their priorities.
  • Proponents are expected to propose activities contributing to strengthened collaboration between young women and men, including young feminist activists and representatives of youth organizations, and well-established women’s organizations, government and private sector through collaborative design and implementation of a communication and advocacy campaign/other initiative.
• Activities
  • Concepts for communication and advocacy campaign / other initiative aimed at overcoming gender-based stereotypes and promoting equal participation of women and men in all spheres of life are developed by participants of each of the three cycles of the learning sessions/webinars/trainings/courses. Detailed concept of a competition for youth teams/individuals on the communication and advocacy campaign concept/ other initiative is developed, indicating how mentoring support will be provided, how the winners will be determined, etc. The competition will engage young women and men who completed the training.
    • Mentoring support is provided for youth teams/individuals to develop concepts for communication and advocacy campaign/other initiative for each cycle.
    • The competition to select the best communication and advocacy campaign/other initiative concept to be further developed and implemented by a creative agency, sub-contracted by the partner (if necessary), is organized for each cycle.
    • The final event of the competition for selection of winners is conducted for each cycle. All members of the jury must be agreed and approved by UN Women. The event can include pitching of the communication and advocacy campaign/ other initiative concepts.
  • For each cycle, at least three women impact stories are prepared and disseminated and an information campaign/initiative is conducted/implemented aimed at promoting the competition.

Competencies

• Technical/functional competencies required
  • Minimum 2 years of experience relevant for the ToR (providing professional training, mentoring and career coaching services, communication campaigns and media engagement; record of activities on gender equality and women’s rights issues).
  • Track record of minimum 2 assignments undertaken with similar value, nature and complexity over the last 2 years (For JV/Consortium/Association, all Parties cumulatively should meet requirement).
  • Experience in working with young women and men on their capacity strengthening and empowerment, including trainings, raising awareness activities, advocacy campaigns.
  • Experience in engaging with multiple stakeholders, including but not limited to government agencies, civil society organizations and the private sector.
• Other competencies, which while not required, can be an asset for the performance of services
  • Prior experience of working with UN/UN Women.
  • Previous experience of implementing initiatives using an innovative approach.

For more information, visit UN Women.