Back NUN Community Volunteer - Youth Resource Center Coordinator, Ernakulam in Kerala

THIS POSITION IS BASED IN ERNAKULAM IN KERALA

The United Nations Volunteers (UNV) programme is the UN organization that promotes volunteerism to support peace and development worldwide. Volunteerism can transform the pace and nature of development and it benefits both society at large and the individual volunteer. UNV contributes to peace and development by advocating for volunteerism globally, encouraging partners to integrate volunteerism into development programming, and mobilizing volunteers.

In most cultures volunteerism is deeply embedded in long-established, ancient traditions of sharing and support within the communities. In this context, UN Volunteers take part in various forms of volunteerism and play a role in development and peace together with co-workers, host agencies and local communities.

In all assignments, UN Volunteers promote volunteerism through their action and conduct. Engaging in volunteer activity can effectively and positively enrich their understanding of local and social realities, as well as create a bridge between themselves and the people in their host community. This will make the time they spend as UN Volunteers even more rewarding and productive.

Organizational Context & Project Description

The Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MoYAS) and UNV/UNDP have been implementing the project “Strengthening Nehru Yuva Kendra Sangathan (NYKS) and National Service Scheme (NSS) -two the Youth Volunteer Schemes of MoYAS. The project seeks to provide catalytic support to NYKS and NSS to facilitate youth participation in peace and sustainable development programmes leading to realization of their full social, economic and human potential. The project also seeks to help young people to gain a strong sense of civic engagement to bring about positive transformation in their communities.

Youth Resource Centre (YRC) is being set up in select districts under the auspices of NYKS to provide learning opportunities for youth by introducing life skills, soft skills, vocational skills in parallel with the career counselling etc. It will also provide them with a platform to share and exchange youth-related experiences in a more structured way which will not only empower them but will also contribute significantly to the social, economic development and nation building.  

With the aim of creating a one stop knowledge centre for youth, the Youth Resource Centre will have the following objective:

• Facilitating access to Information:  To provide information and create awareness on opportunities for skilling, training, jobs & employment, livelihood options and other such issues concerning youth of the district at one place. Information on government schemes and programmes benefiting youth will be focused upon;
• Providing training on life skills/soft skills: To provide trainings on life skills and other local requirements in collaboration with technical organization/departments present in the district. • Promoting Entrepreneurship:  To promote social entrepreneurship and generate livelihood opportunities for youth.
• Promoting youth leadership and social empowerment:  To promote socio-economic empowerment of rural youth through enabling access to available resources.
• Influencing the community: Ownership of the YRC by youth of the district is considered essential for its sustainability. YRC will not be a standalone skill transfer centre but will comprehensively address various issues of youth in the district and involve local community on a sustained basis.

Conditions of Service

A 12-month contract; with subsequent contract extensions subject to availability of funding, operational necessity and satisfactory performance.

A Volunteer Living Allowance (VLA) of Rs. 20,726.75 (Rupees Twenty-Thousand Seven Hundred Twenty-Six and Paise Seventy Five only) will be provided monthly to cover housing, utilities and normal cost of living expenses. Further, one-time payment of Rs. 6,800 (Rupees Six Thousand Eight Hundred only) will be paid for buying health insurance which must have a minimum coverage of INR 500,000 (annual).  In addition to the above, life insurance and medical evacuation of the candidate will be covered by UNV.

Interested candidates should submit their applications at  http://www.in.undp.org/content/india/en/home/operations/careers/.

Living Conditions:

Ernakulam refers to the eastern, mainland portion of the city of Kochi in central Kerala and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. the City of Ernakulam features a Tropical monsoon climate. Since the region lies in the south western coastal state of Kerala, the climate is tropical, with only minor differences in temperatures between day and night, as well as over the year. Summer lasts from March to May, and is followed by the South-west monsoon from June to September. October and November form the post monsoon or retreating monsoon season. Winter from December through February is slightly cooler, and windy, due to winds from the Western Ghats. The City is drenched in the monsoonal season by heavy showers. The average annual rainfall is 3000 mm. The South-west monsoon generally sets in during the last week of May. After July the rainfall decreases. On an average, there are 124 rainy days in a year. The maximum average temperature of the City in the summer season is 33 degree Celsius while the minimum temperature recorded is 22.5 degrees Celsius. The winter season records a maximum average of 29 degree Celsius and a minimum average of 20 degree Celsius.

Under the direct supervision of the District Youth Coordinator (DYC) and overall guidance from the National Programme Manager, the UN Community Volunteer will undertake the following tasks:

• Prepare detailed annual activity plan for the YRC.
• Provide orientation training on computer to the enrolled youth in small batches.
• Arrange Resource persons/Experts as per requirements for various activities of the YRC.
• Coordinate with all stakeholders for the implementation of the activities under the supervision of UNV-DYC. 
• Prepare detailed report of the activities conducted by YRC.
• Maintain records of all activities conducted by YRC.
• Support in developing IEC materials for NYKS to be disseminated among youth of the district.
• Assist UNV DYC in creating Information Hub which will access to host of information related to Government schemes for Youth empowerment and development.
• Organize information dissemination sessions about Skilling/vocational training opportunities on a fixed day every month.
• Organize lectures by Senior Government functionaries, elected representatives /experts/Business Leaders.
• Collect, compile and maintain reference/reading materials related to youth empowerment.
• Organize career guidance/ counselling sessions for identified jobs on a regular basis.
• Organize motivational talks by eminent personalities.
• Develop mentorship by creating a cadre of Youth Mentors to support youth as peer educators/experts. 
• Organize Career Counselling Sessions in batches to engage youth to understand their abilities, identify the right job opportunities within the local environment and would provide training on career opportunities. 
• Organize counselling sessions on skilling/vocational training.
• Organize sessions to introduce Social Entrepreneurship by Social Entrepreneurs periodically.
• Facilitate exposure/learning visit for selected youths to small industries to expose them on entrepreneurship.
• Organize sessions with representatives from financial institutions, District Industry Center (DIC) officials, lead bank managers/NABARD etc.
• Organize information sessions on different successful livelihood models in rural areas piloted by CBO’s/NGO’s/others. 
• Organize sessions on soft skills, life skills, language proficiency etc.
• Organize sessions on e-Governance, financial literacy and digital literacy.
• Promote opportunities for volunteering and participating in solidarity actions for communities.
• Any other task related to functioning of the YRC.

Furthermore, UN Volunteers are required to:

• Strengthen their knowledge and understanding of the concept of volunteerism by reading relevant UNV and external publications and take active part in UNV activities (for instance in events that mark International Volunteer Day);
• Be acquainted with and build on traditional and/or local forms of volunteerism in the host country;
• Reflect on the type and quality of voluntary action that they are undertaking, including participation in ongoing reflection activities;
• Contribute articles/write-ups on field experiences and submit them for UNV publications/websites, newsletters, press releases, etc.;
• Assist with the UNV Buddy Programme for newly-arrived UN Volunteers;
• Promote or advise local groups in the use of online volunteering, or encourage relevant local individuals and organizations to use the UNV Online Volunteering service whenever technically possible.

Results/Expected Outputs

• Strengthened youth outreach in the project activities;
• Strengthened partnerships and coordination among the stakeholders;
• Rural youth empowered and their participation enhanced;
• Age, Gender and Diversity (AGD) perspective is systematically applied, integrated and documented in all activities throughout the assignment
• A final statement of achievements towards volunteerism for development during the assignment, such as reporting on the number of volunteers mobilized, activities participated in and capacities developed

Integrity and professionalism: demonstrated expertise in area of specialty and ability to apply good judgment; high degree of autonomy, personal initiative and ability to take ownership; willingness to accept wide responsibilities and ability to work independently under established procedures in a politically sensitive environment, while exercising discretion, impartiality and neutrality; ability to manage information objectively, accurately and confidentially; responsive and client-oriented.

Accountability: mature and responsible; ability to operate in compliance with organizational rules and regulations.

Commitment to continuous learning: initiative and willingness to learn new skills and stay abreast of new developments in area of expertise; ability to adapt to changes in work environment.

Planning and organizing: effective organizational and problem-solving skills and ability to manage a large volume of work in an efficient and timely manner; ability to establish priorities and to plan, coordinate and monitor (own) work; ability to work under pressure, with conflicting deadlines, and to handle multiple concurrent projects/activities.

Teamwork and respect for diversity: ability to operate effectively across organizational boundaries; ability to establish and maintain effective partnerships and harmonious working relations in a multi-cultural, multi-ethnic environment with sensitivity and respect for diversity and gender;

Communication: proven interpersonal skills; good spoken and written communication skills, including ability to prepare clear and concise reports; ability to conduct presentations, articulate options and positions concisely; ability to make and defend recommendations; ability to communicate and empathize with staff (including national staff), military personnel, volunteers, counterparts and local interlocutors coming from very diverse backgrounds; ability to maintain composure and remain helpful towards the staff, but objective, without showing personal interest; capacity to transfer information and knowledge to a wide range of different target groups;

Flexibility, adaptability, and ability and willingness to operate independently in austere, remote and potentially hazardous environments for protracted periods, involving physical hardship and little comfort, and including possible extensive travel within the area of operations; willingness to transfer to other duty stations within area of operations as may be necessary;

Genuine commitment towards the principles of voluntary engagement, which includes solidarity, compassion, reciprocity and self-reliance; and commitment towards the UN core values.

Bachelors' Degree

Diploma/Certificate in Microsoft Office (MS Office, MS Excel) is essential.

At least 1-year experience in imparting vocational training/life-skill training/career counselling. Experience in imparting computer training would be an added advantage.

Proficiency in Computer operations

United Nations Volunteers is an equal opportunity programme which welcomes applications from qualified professionals. We are committed to achieving diversity in terms of gender, nationality and culture.

United Nations Volunteers reserves the right to select one or more candidates from this announcement.  We may also retain applications and consider candidates applying to this opening for other openings with United Nations Volunteers with similar assignment description, experience and educational requirements.

Contract Duration: One year with possibility of extension