Terms of Reference (ToR)
The Regional Career and Leadership Camp | Online, 15-18 December 2021
Roma Education Fund (REF) is looking for two external independent Trainers, or a Team of Trainers, to design and deliver a four-day skills training within the project “EU Regional Action for Education: Increased education opportunities for Roma students in Western Balkans and Turkey“.
The deadline is 5. December 2021
Background
The Roma Education Fund (REF) is an international foundation established in 2005 and dedicated to closing the gap in educational outcomes between Roma and non-Roma. With an active and growing network of representative offices across Central, Eastern, South-Eastern Europe and Turkey, REF provides grants and scholarships to entities and individuals who share its belief in quality, inclusive education and desegregated schools and classrooms.
Increased education opportunities for Roma students and Roma youth in Western Balkans and Turkey
The overall objective of the project “EU Regional Action for Education: Increased education opportunities for Roma students in Western Balkans and Turkey“ is to contribute to social cohesion through increased education attainment and improved employability of marginalized Roma children and youth, as well as to foster cross-country and regional dialogue and knowledge transfer. The specific objectives of the Regional Action are:
- Promote equal participation in quality education for Roma children and youth at all educational levels and to improve educational outcomes (including preventing school drop-out);
- Improve Roma employability, with a particular focus on gender-sensitive measures in employment and smooth transition between end of studies to labour market;
- Promote desegregation and systemic durable change for Roma in the education sector by producing a change of attitude towards Roma and non-Roma communities; by strengthening the capacities of relevant central and local institutions though regional exchange of experiences and by using Roma role models as actors of change.
The project is funded by European Union and implemented in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo[1], Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Turkey.
About the Regional Career and Leadership Camp
Regional Career and Leadership Camp is a four-day regional summit and skills online training event of young Roma from the Western Balkans and Turkey region, supported through the activities of the Regional Action for Roma Education project co-funded by the European Union and implemented by the Roma Education Fund. The training will bring together twenty-four most successful tertiary education students from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo*, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey who have demonstrated outstanding academic achievements during the project period. The camp is based on the idea of connecting and creating a strong network of young Roma from the region of the Western Balkans and Turkey and providing Roma youth with the opportunity for immersive career and leadership exploration, as well as competitive in-demand skills in the faced-paced and skills-based job market to help them accelerate their career development. Moreover, the participants will be equipped with practical techniques of effective communication, stress and time management, conflict management and negotiation, tips and tricks that make a good CV an outstanding one and be provided with the opportunity to take part in a mock interview practice to simulate real interview situations. The training will enable participants to be confident in their skills and career options, confidently step into their next professional roles and secure a smooth transition from education to the labor market.
Duties and Responsibilities of the Trainers’ Team
Under the supervision of the Project Team, the selected (team of) trainers will be expected to fully prepare, deliver and evaluate an integrated, interactive four-day regional skills training of Roma youth with a primary focus set on thematic units presented below. The training should primarily be aimed at encouraging active participation and cooperative peer-to-peer learning rather than conceptualized in a form of lectures and passive listening. The working language of the training, including all materials used in the training, is English. The areas of the training should include, but not be limited to:
- Soft skills
- Self-confidence, assertiveness;
- Effective communication and professional representation;
- Self-awareness and acceptance;
- Stress and anger management;
- Time management;
- Effective teamwork and collaboration;
- Work culture and professional ethics;
- CV for success (how to prepare a successful job application, CV and interview, the most common and effective search engines, LinkedIn in service of job seekers, mock interview in a form of a role play).
2. Effective networking Entrepreneurship, activism, and leadership for success
- Introducing Roma role-models (business (wo)men), Roma activism and Roma identity;
- Introduction of concepts agility and resilience;
- Community mobilization and public advocacy;
- Transformational leadership – leadership values: ethical/moral standards;
- Building trust and social capital;
- Developing communities of learning/practice;
- Ethics and accountability in leadership;
- Conflict management and negotiation.
Specific tasks
Under the supervision of the Project Team, the selected (team of) trainers will be expected to:
- Design detailed training plan, agenda and accompanying training and follow up material (presentations, group session exercises, simulations, etc.) thematically covered by the aforementioned training objectives, tailored to meet the contemporary interests of youth;
- Deliver the training, facilitate the group discussions, role-plays, and simulations while ensuring and encouraging equal participation of all the participants with the obligatory use of gender and culturally sensitive language and the highest respect for diversity;
- Conduct entry and exit evaluation of the training and deliver a full performance report.
Qualifications and experience of the trainers/consultants
The training should be led by two professionals with work background in youth empowerment, and especially in technical/skill/vocational training and education.
- The Team should have proven background of organizing soft skill development and leadership training.
- Relevant formal and informal education is necessary.
- Experience and demonstrated ability to implement and manage the soft skills development and leadership training sessions.
- Experience of holding youth-oriented training.
- The Team of Trainers should have knowledge related to gender issues.
- Ability to write and speak fluently in English is required.
- Knowledge of Romani and regional languages is Albanian, B/C/S, Macedonian and/or Turkish will be considered as an advantage.
A complete application includes:
01. Curriculum vitae or resume.
02. Statement of interest, which should include:
Trainers’ background and professional experience in Western Balkans and Turkey.
Showing previous experience in conducting training in the requested area.
03. Two recommendations of a previous client on similar training.
04. Draft plan of the training.
The application deadline is 5. December 2021. Applications must be submitted in the English language electronically to the following e-mail address: rareproposals@romaeducationfund.org. The subject line should include “RARE – Regional Career and Leadership Camp Trainers”.
Trainers originating from some of the countries in geographical focus of the project (Western Balkans and Turkey), experts identifying themselves as Roma, Roma Education Fund scholarship recipients, and qualified female candidates fulfilling the above-mentioned profile and requirements are particularly encouraged to apply.
Organizational Values
To develop and deliver education programs that provide quality, inclusive education for Roma children and youth, we believe in five core values that mirror the work, actions, and ideals of REF as an organization and its culture:
- Tenacity, Integrity, Justice, Accountability, and Inquisitiveness
The planned duration of the engagement:
Timeline: December 2021
Total fee: 200 EUR per trainer per day, including five days in total (four days of training and one administrative and preparation, 2000 in total, preparation and delivery of training, all costs included. Payment will be made after the completion of the specific tasks and submitting the report.
[1] This designation is without prejudice to positions on status and is in line with UNSCR 1244/1999 and the ICJ Opinion on the Kosovo declaration of Independence.
