UNAOC Young Peacebuilders in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) Programme 2017

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United Nations Alliances of Civilizations (UNAOC) was established in 2005, at the political initiative of Mr. Kofi Annan and co-sponsored by the Governments of Spain and Turkey. UNAOC works towards a more socially inclusive world, by building mutual respect among peoples of different cultural and religious identities, and highlighting the will of the world’s majority to reject extremism and embrace diversity. Guided by the principle that youth are key actors to achieve peace, UNAOC develops educational programming to enhance the ability of young people and their organizations to foster mutual respect, understanding and long-term positive relationships between peoples of different cultures and religions. The Young Peacebuilders in Middle East and North Africa (MENA) edition is designed to engage young women and young men from the MENA region in an intercultural dialogue and peacebuilding experience. The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies in their communities and globally. The programme is implemented in collaboration with the Generations For Peace. The aim is to support the growth of networks of young peacebuilders who are equipped with the tools to address stereotypes, prejudice and polarization in order to build more inclusive and peaceful societies in their communities and globally.   20 selected participants will learn and collaborate online and in-person during – participants will interact online through a series of facilitated modules and in-person during a one-week workshop in Amman, Jordan . In order to participate, applicants must commit to completing all phases of the programme, outlined below. Online involvement is part-time, while the workshop is a full time, one-week experience. Participation in the results-sharing symposium is also mandatory. During the programme, participants will:

• Learn about other cultures, faiths and worldviews within and beyond the group to foster intercultural cohesion and collaboration;
• Learn about stereotypes and how to critically analyze them to reduce their prevalence;
• Understand different perspectives in identity-based conflict and gain tools to develop solutions at local, national and regional level and transform conflicts peacefully;
• Develop competences to use different forms of media or expressive arts as a way to create alternative narratives, reduce polarization and promote social inclusion.

Programme components:

• Part 1: online phase (2 months). Participants access the course through an online collaborative platform provided by UNAOC. UNAOC and other trainers facilitate the first few modules of the curriculum, giving an opportunity to participants to get to know each other prior to their first in-person meeting. They also start getting exposed to tools and concepts, engage in discussion and start reflecting on their individual and joint action. Time commitment: 2 to 3 hours per week to complete the modules (some work can be completed offline).
• Part 2: face-to-face workshop (1 week). All participants travel to Amman, Jordan to complete modules and field visits with trainers and facilitators. They also work together on the development of the group final products and their own action plans. Time commitment: one week (5 working days + 3 days for travel, arrival and departure activities).
• Part 3: online follow-up phase (3/4 months). Participants stay connected through the online platform, improve their final products and report on the implementation of their action plans. Each participant must commit to complete three follow up actions in the months following the workshop. This part consolidates the network and follow-up mechanisms, ensuring the members of the group continue to support each other after the end of the programme.
• Part 4: results sharing symposium (1 day). Participants are invited to participate in a symposium during which they share their experience, lessons learned, achievements and recommendations with a broader audience of practitioners, policy makers, media and the general public. They also engage with this audience on topics related to intercultural dialogue, peace and security. Time commitment: 3 days (1 day symposium + 2 days for travel, arrival and departure activities).

Tentative timeline and logistics

• July-August 2017: Call for Applications
• By September 30, 2017: Selected participants are notified
• November 2017-January 2018: Online phase: Selected participants take part in introductory online modules
• January 2018: Participants travel to Amman, Jordan to take part in one week workshops
• February-April 2018: Final online phase: Participants finalize their work online and commit to conduct three follow up activities in the three months following the workshop
• May 2018: Results-sharing symposium (location to be determined)

Language: The working language of the programme is English. Diversity: We are committed to ensuring diversity of age, region, gender, culture, ethnicity, socio-economic and religious/non-religious backgrounds. We are committed to ensuring equal access for youth participants with disabilities.

Costs covered by the organizers

As an official policy, the organizers of Young Peacebuilders programme do not require payment of any participation fee. All selected youth participants will be provided with

• Round-trip travel (international or domestic flight, economy class) to Amman, Jordan for the face-to-face workshop as well as to the city of the symposium;
• Shared accommodation (double-rooms), with a participant from the same gender, in the city of the workshop and the city of the symposium;
• Meals and coffee breaks during the official duration of the workshops in Amman and the symposium;
• Shuttles or reimbursement of transportation to/from the airport and hotel in Amman and city of the symposium.

Costs covered by the participants

For the workshop and symposium, youth participants will be responsible for their transportation to and from the airport in their country of residence, as well as any personal and incidental expenses incurred outside of the official portions of the workshop, such as souvenirs, equipment, additional food, etc.   Eligibility criteria (all requirements must be met in order to be considered eligible):

1. Age: Be 18-25 years of age at the time of applying for the programme and for its total duration (October-December 2016). To be considered eligible, applicants must be born on or between June 1, 1992 and August 31, 1999. No exceptions will be made.
2. Region: Be a citizen of one of the following MENA region countries Algeria, Bahrain, Djibouti, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, State of Palestine, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, Yemen
3. Organization: Be active (staff, volunteer, etc.) in a non-government and non-for-profit youth-led organization, network, initiative or movement (led by youth for the benefit of youth) and have the ability to consult with and reach a wider group of young people, audience or network, including at the grassroots and community level.
4. Commitment: demonstrate commitment to diversity and pluralism, nonviolence, peaceful and inclusive societies. The organizations and networks represented should: Adhere to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the principles and values of the Charter of the United Nations; have internal democratic and transparent processes of leadership, decision-making and consultation; be independent, unaffiliated with any political party.
5. Language: Command of English is sufficient to take part in the online phase and in-person workshop. The applicant understands English very well; possesses intermediate to fluent levels of English, which allow her/him to participate to the conversation and input.
6. Prior experience: the applicant has never taken part in a programme of UNAOC (Summer School, Youth Solidarity Fund, Intercultural Innovation Award, Plural+, PeaceApp, Youth Event at the UNAOC Global Forum, Fellowship Program)
7. Passport: In order to be accepted in this programme, selected applicants must hold an international passport valid until at least November 1, 2018. Failure to provide a copy in due time will result in cancellation of participation.
8. The application is duly completed, submitted by the deadline and contains all supporting documentation, requested as part of the call. Half-complete applications or applications filled in other languages than English will not be reviewed and considered.

Selection criteria:

1. Motivation and contribution to the programme: the applicant demonstrates that she/he is highly motivated to complete all portions of the programme and will do their best to contribute.
2. Interest in themes: the applicant shows some experience in issues related to intercultural dialogue, peacebuilding and the UNAOC mandate through examples of initiatives he/she is part of or is demonstrating a great interest to get involved in this set of issues.
3. Experience and potential: The applicant is at the beginning stages of his/her involvement or career in the field of peacebuilding, intercultural dialogue, community work and has specific goals to improve his/her skills and to make contribution to peace.
4. Outreach: The applicant and his/her organization have the capacity and motivation to absorb and disseminate the lessons learned back to their community, organization and to a wider network or audience.
5. Future impact and follow up: the applicant expressed his/her strong commitment to complete the follow-up actions of the programme (completing a personal action plan; making presentations to organization and local schools; producing a media/information piece).

In order to be considered complete and valid, application package must include the following and be submitted through the online application system available at apply.unaoc.org:

• An application form, completed and certified by the applicant;
• A copy of the identification page of your international passport.

Word/character limit for each question in the application form needs to be respected. The application system automatically counts words and characters. The application deadline is August 31, 2017, 11:59 PM Eastern Daylight Time (New York). For more information, visit https://www.unaoc.org/what-we-do/projects/young-peacebuilders-in-mena/

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