Are you passionate about mapping youth-led activism and youth participation in intergenerational social movements?
CIVICUS is looking for an experienced research consultant or team of consultants who will work with young activists, as well as youth movements and organizations around the world to map youth-led activism and youth participation in intergenerational social movements (e.g. feminist and climate movements), with a focus on forms of organisation, organising and mobilising tactics and innovations leading not only to new forms of youth activism but also to changes in the ways intergenerational movements operate, as they are transformed from within by young people enriching their tactics and making them more massive and visible in the public space.
About CIVICUS
At CIVICUS our focus is simple: to strengthen civil society and citizen action around the world. Our global alliance of activists and organisations in 175 countries is inspired by our vision of a global community engaged in confronting the challenges facing humanity. We work together for a more just, inclusive and sustainable world.
WHAT WE DO:
- Defend civic freedoms and democratic values.
- Strengthen the power of people to organise, mobilise and take action.
- Empower a more accountable, effective and innovative civil society.
HOW WE DO THIS:
- Build solidarity among civil society across borders and at scale
- Support civil society to connect with others
- Produce timely and world-class knowledge and analysis
- Advocate for open spaces and systemic change
- Amplify voices of those not usually included
- Promote the resourcing of a diverse and resilient civil society
- Innovate and incubate bold initiatives
- Promote, model and disseminate civil society best practice
Background to the role
There is growing evidence of the key roles that young activists play in contemporary societies. They are present in most street mobilisation, championing both age-old and new causes. The effects of their creative and innovative participation are apparent in various movements for human rights and the inclusion of vulnerable groups and marginalised populations, from the climate change movement to a variety of feminist and LGBTQI+ movements.
International forums and organisations have recognised these efforts and tried to institutionalise them by creating specialised offices, such as the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Programme, launched in 2011, the United Nations’ Envoy on Youth, established in 2013, and the Youth Sounding Board launched by the European Union’s Office for International Partnerships in 2021.
Nevertheless, there remains a significant gap in identifying relevant data that encapsulate most of the recent developments of youth social movements - and the attempts of drawing correlations or causations between these movements and their broader impact/ “success” are relatively immature.
In conclusion, the CIVICUS Youth Action Team found that deeper analysis on the ways young people organise and collaborate with older generations, considering the nuances of each regional context and thematic agendas, remains to be done.
This initiative falls under CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation’s efforts to Strengthen 21st Century Citizen Action, aimed at improving the capacity and increasing the resources of a wide range of civil society actors, and notably of young activists, to organise in more autonomous, sustainable and resilient ways. We expect this research project to contribute to this by offering a better understanding of the latest trends of youth activism.
This research will also contribute to the celebration of CIVICUS 30 years and is under the commission of CIVICUS Youth Action Team 20221-2023.
What are the objectives?
1. Research and discover
Insights around the global state of youth-driven activism and youth-led groups/movements, with particular emphasis on innovation and unique added value that they bring to social change.
2. Produce an analysis report,
Unpacking, understanding and systematising the organising models, civic engagement strategies, methodologies, and tactics used by young people worldwide to accomplish social transformation
Interested in applying?
The deadline to apply is the 13th June.