Call for Applications at the International Institute for Youth Development PETRI – Sofia for 2 positions of Fellow:

•  Youth Fellow interested in online community coordination and content editing  for “Speak Act Change” platform;
•  Y-PEER International Fellow interested in advocacy initiatives implementation and youth participation on regional level;

The International Institute for Youth Development PETRI – Sofia is a knowledge hub and regional resource center at the National Center of Public Health and Analyses (NCPHA), Bulgaria, that supports youth empowerment in the areas of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), gender equality and peace-building in the region of Eastern Europe and Central Asia and beyond. Established in 2007, as a joint initiative of UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, NCPHA and the Y-PEER International Network, PETRI Sofia has over 9 years of experience working on peer education standardization, youth leadership, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE), youth-adult partnership, research, monitoring and evaluation, training and information sharing in the field of HIV prevention and SRHR of young people.

PETRI – Sofia is an implementing partner of the UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia in capacity building and research and is helping to improve the access of young people to SRHR education and services, with a special focus on addressing the needs of vulnerable/underprivileged young people and young key populations. In this regard, as part of the Annual Work Plan for 2017, PETRI – Sofia will develop an online platform for advocacy, youth participation and sexual and reproductive health and rights, aiming to provide space for networking and partnership for relevant stakeholders with a focus on the ICPD review and SDGs monitoring and implementation. As always, PETRI-Sofia would like to have young people at the heart of all of its work, and would like to give young professionals the opportunity to build and lead the platform.

Call for Application is for the selection of the next PETRI Fellows and the period of fellowship should be from  01.06.2019 to 23.12.2019   Please indicate all convenient periods in your application form.

Applicants are eligible being from this region/countries: Eastern Europe and Central Asia (Armenia, Albania, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kosovo, Republic of Macedonia, Tajikistan, Turkey, Ukraine, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova,  Serbia, Turkmenistan).

On the following link you can check documents, , which includes detailed information about the fellowship as well as the Application Form > https://drive.google.com/…/1YD5mwdNri-FEUKZnA-_ilJC0MlQQU0x…

Accommodation and living allowance, as well as travel expenses and visa costs are included.

All applications, including following documents should be submitted to petri.bulgaria@gmail.com no later than 24th May, 2019:

• Application form;
• CV (Curriculum Vitae);
• Recommendation letter from the Head of the relevant UNFPA CO /youth specialist/liaison officer or other relevant representative is a must;
• Recommendation letter/s prepared by a National Network Focal Point of Y-PEER/ Leader / Coordinator, Head of candidate’s NGO, or other partner or network, closely related to the work of the candidate would be asset/s;

ONLY fully completed applications sent before the deadline will be accepted and reviewed.

PETRI-Sofia Team wishes you Good luck!

Do you want your voice to be heard, to express your needs as a young person from Europe, Central Asia, Canada or the US? Do you want to have an impact and a say about what is happening with the Sustainable Development Goals and the challenges young people face globally?

Fill in the online consultation form by the 18th of March! It will serve as a way to gather perspectives, stories, contributions, and actions from a broad base of young people across the UNECE Region* on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and a subset of the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly. These include SDG 4 (education), 8 (jobs), 10 (reducing inequalities), 13 (climate change), 16 (peace & institutions), and 17 (partnerships / means of implementation).

The outcomes of the e-consultation will serve as an input into to the discussion of the youth pre-meeting and the Regional Forum on Sustainable Development which will take place next week in Geneva, Switzerland, and will gather high-level governmental representatives, representatives of UN agencies and other organizations and institutions,  youth activists and leaders from the UNECE Region. Your answers will be highly valuable!

*United Nations Economic Commission for Europe members include: Albania, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Canada, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Montenegro, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, United States of America, and Uzbekistan.

The Report from the UNFPA Regional Youth Hacathon – “Leave No One Behind – Innovating to Go Beyond Inclusion” which took place in Istanbul, Turkey, in December 2018, is ready and we have the pleasure to share it with all of you here!

At the Regional Youth Hackathon that took place in ATOLYE from 10th to 12th of December 2018, participants reflected on the complexities of building an inclusive and just world, and strategies for overcoming stigma and discrimination to provide equal opportunities for all youth.

The three-day sharing and learning experience gathered activists and young people representing regional youth networks and NGOs. The event included networks of key populations and vulnerable groups from 16 countries, as well as representatives from UNFPA Eastern Europe and Central Asia Regional Office, UNFPA Country Offices in Armenia, Moldova, Serbia, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Ukraine, and representatives from Y-PEER and PETRI-Sofia.

The participants exchanged know-how across cultures and organizations during structured workshops, and provided support and feedback to their peers in more casual, intimate conversations. Participants all came together to shape a transdisciplinary innovation platform, and built a common framework for encouraging meaningful youth engagement and participation.

What were the highlights? Participants identified human connection and personal stories as a powerful tool for building empathy among diverse groups of people and overcoming discrimination. At the policy level, youth stressed the need for more resources in education and skill-building activities, and new intersectoral and political partnerships to promote employment and representation.

Youth participants emphasized the need for mobility and empowerment trainings which are created and provided by peers so that youth claims their decision making capacity from an early age. While conventional ways of engaging with fellow youth, such as international networks and UN processes were mentioned, participants also recognized the potential of the internet and new technologies to break down societal barriers and broaden the youth engagement base.

Check out the video from the Hackathon here as well!