Call for New Members: Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights

About YCSRR

The Youth Coalition for Sexual and Reproductive Rights is an international organization of young people (ages 18-29 years) committed to promoting adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive rights at the national, regional and international levels.

We advocate within global, regional and national spaces, to ensure the priorities of young people are meaningfully considered and our leadership supported, respected and empowered. We generate knowledge, share information, build partnerships, and train young activists.

We are a membership-driven organization constituted by young people from different backgrounds and with experiences (students, researchers, lawyers, health care professionals, educators, development workers, etc), who are all dedicated activists. Our agenda is set and implemented by the members, the Board of Directors -also made of members- ensures that activites align with the strategic plan and the staff -based in our headquarters office in Ottawa, Canada- supports the implementation of members activities and priorities.

Our Principles & Values

All members are expected to align with our principles and values. You can find them here:
https://youthcoalition.org/about-us/principles-values/

What is expected of members?

YCSRR members work on a voluntary basis. Members are at a minimum expected to commit at least 7 hours per week to YCSRR. As a member, you will be expected to contribute to YCSRR through funded activities and tasks related to the following internal processes:

1. Co-creation, co-design, co-leadership, and decision-making
   a. Attending regular meetings (depending on our countries’ situations due to the pandemic, you might be asked to travel to in-person meetings or advocacy events, paid and arranged by the YCSRR) to strategize
   b. Contribute to the design of: high-level advocacy plans, capacity strengthening activities, knowledge building and information sharing initiatives, partnership & movement building meetings
   c. Initiate conversations on activities on specific membership-led activities
   d. Elect on an annual basis -or apply for- the Board of Directors
   e. Support with the recruitment of new members
2. Implementation
   a. Chair working sessions and meetings amongst members
   b. Facilitate trainings or workshops for other members/youth
   c. Attend high-level SRHR decision-making spaces events/forums
   d. Promote the YCSRR amongst relevant spaces and network with other youth-led organizations or others
   e. Coach and onboard new members on an annual basis
3. Evaluation
   a. Checking and replying to members and staff’s posts/emails/messages
   b. Create activities/events’ reports to share the outcomes of the activities you led on with other members
   c. Initiate strategies or conversations to gather member’s contributions and feedback
   d. Attend or facilitate meetings to assess the strategic plan progress on an annual basis (which is renewed and/or modified depending on the members’ needs every 4 years)
   

We ask that you seriously consider the time implications if you are successful, to ensure that you get the most out of YCSRR. The activities above are expected to be completely aligned with your professional expectations which is why you must carefully read the information in the following section to understand if your career and your experience is aligned with the current working agenda of the YCSRR. We expect you to use the organization to advance your career and to support other young advocates in your community around the world to nurture theirs and to promote their rights.

YCSRR’s members are expected to be leaders, whether or not they form part of the Board of Directors. You will be expected to work independently and in collaboration with other members,and all event reports submitted on time to the team reporting to YCSRR’s central monitoring system.

We also expect:
● Willingness and energy to engage in the different aspects of YCSRRs work
● Confidence to suggest ideas and get involved
● Ideas for campaigns you wish to lead that can be supported by YCSRR
● Willingness to make mistakes, get things wrong, learn, and try again!

What are we looking for?

We are looking for young people (under 29 years of age) to support the implementation of our member-driven strategic plan and advocacy agenda through your own leadership within YCSRR.

We want young people with a strong passion for SRHR and advocacy experience to be part of our membership. You do not have to have any international advocacy experience. We encourage young people who wish to broaden their advocacy experience but don’t necessarily have experience engaging in international spaces to apply.

In particular, we are looking for young people with expertise and/or lived experience in the following areas:
● Comprehensive Sexuality Education
● LGBTQIA+ rights
● Advocacy against harmful practices such as child marriage and female genital mutiliation
● Climate change and its intersections with SRHR
● Disability rights and justice
● Sex workers rights

The most important thing you can bring to YCSRR is enthusiasm! YCSRR accepts members from different backgrounds, with varying skills and experiences. We accept up to two members per country. As our working language is English, it is important that members possess good listening, speaking, reading, and writing English language skills (don’t worry if you think you need to keep learning, all of us still are).

What do we offer?

Our membership is expected to last for 2 years, but you can renew it if interested as many times as you wish, until your 30th birthday (when you are no longer considered a young person for the YCSRR). To advance your career, you can expect:

1. A flexible and remote work environment (most of our work is done via an interactive online platform called Podio, as well as through Gmail, Zoom, Telegram);
2. Capacity building and professional development opportunities;
3. Information and tools relevant for the work within the SRHR field;
4. Funding for advancing the members work plans;
5. Networking with other relevant SRHR organizations;
6. Visibility amongst the SRHR global community;
7. Opportunities to meet and engage with young colleagues in your work field.

Please read the full Terms of Reference before completing your application: https://bit.ly/3uSmZ68

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Comment postuler:

Fill out our application form HERE (press on the link, please, it will take you to another tab) by 23:59 EST/NYT, March 4, 2022. No late applications will be considered.

Through the form, you will have to upload: a) One (1) updated CV; b) One (1) reference letter (from a teacher, colleague, friend, a former or current member of the YC that you know, etc. describing your involvement in sexual and reproductive rights work, your work in youth advocacy, and your English proficiency, if applicable). Please note that you can upload these documents in any format: to be read, seen and/or heard. The reference letter should be specifically for YCSRR and explain why the person thinks you would be a good member of the organization.

● Once your application is submitted, the membership committee will review it. Applicants who move on to the next level will be invited to participate in a Zoom
interview.

● If you need any reasonable adjustments/accommodations, or have any questions, please let us know by contacting us at: [email protected] We will do our best to support you.