Development of National Youth Service Position Paper 224 views

Location of Assignment: Harare

Duration of Assignment: 10 Days

Reports to: The Executive Director

Introduction and Background

The National Youth Service is a program that was introduced in 2000 by the then Minister for Gender, Youth and Employment- the late Border Gezi. Its purpose was to transform and empower youths for nation building through life skills training and leadership development. The first training camp was established in mount Darwin in 2001.Since then, the program has been condemned by various CSOs for gross human rights violations on behalf of ZANU PF. According to the 10th post cabinet briefing of 13 April 2021, cabinet adopted and approved the re-introduction of the National Youth service Training program which was presented by the Minister of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation Dr Kirsty Coventry. Following this announcement, we facilitated a virtual youth dialogue wherein youth from across Zimbabwe expressed reservations towards the re-introduction of the NYS. As part of our policy advocacy work, we intend to engage a consultant to develop a position paper on the NYS.

Purpose of assignment

The purpose of the assignment is to develop a Policy Recommendation Paper about the National Youth Service that articulates the youth’s position on the kind of a National Youth Service program they prefer.

Objectives

The objectives of the assignment are to develop a comprehensive position paper on the re introduction of the national youth service that does the following key issues: Review the strengths and shortcomings of the NYS policy framework of Zimbabwe as conceptualized and implemented by the Government in both the past [2001-2017] and the future (as proposed by Cabinet in April 2021]; Draw comparative examples of successful NYS programs in Africa and beyond (e.g South Africa, Ghana, Nigeria, Norway, Canada); Suggest recommendations on how a progressive NYS could be re-modelled, clearly outlining the model to be adopted, the program focus, the program’s syllabus, and the utilization of graduates of the program.

Consultant Technical Requirement

We require the effort to be carried out by a consultant with the following expertise: Appropriate qualification (post graduate qualification) in Development Work, Social Sciences, or closely related field; At least 5 years demonstrated knowledge and experience in developing policy briefs; Knowledge and experience in conducting policy advocacy work; Strong understanding of the Civil Society and the development work context in Zimbabwe; Clearly stated references for work previously performed.

Roles and Responsibilities of Consultant

The consultant is expected to produce a comprehensive NYS position paper informed by guidelines in section 3 above.

Deliverables

The consultant is expected to produce the following critical outputs/deliverables: Produce a comprehensive NYS Position Paper (maximum 10 pages including cover page); Executive summary of less than 2 pages summarizing the key points raised in the Position Paper.

Scheduling

The assignment is expected to commence as early as possible upon signing of contract by both parties.

Payment

FULL Payment will only be done AT THE END OF THE ASSIGNMENT.