Women,Youth, Peace and Security(WYPS) – Men Engagement: CURRICULUM DEVELOPMENT & TRAINING CONSULTANT

ABOUT SEARCH

Search for Common Ground (Search) is a non-governmental organization working to transform the way societies deal with conflicts. We have over 40 years of experience in peacebuilding and are based in 30 local offices worldwide. We strive to build sustainable peace for generations by working with all sides of a conflict, providing the tools needed to work together, and finding constructive solutions. While conflict is inevitable, violence is not. Our mission is to transform the way the world deals with conflict, away from adversarial approaches and toward cooperative solutions. Instead of tearing down an existing world, we focus on constructing a new one. We shift the everyday interactions between hostile groups of people, so they can work together to build up their community, choosing joint problem-solving over violent means. We rely on local staff and partner organizations to ensure our work is culturally sensitive, sustainable, and well-grounded in the context.

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Women, Youth, Peace and Security (WYPS) is a four-year program that aims to strengthen women and youth’s meaningful, enduring participation in advancing inclusive peace and security in the MENA region. Search for Common Ground has partnered with Women Empowerment Organization (WEO) to implement the program in Iraq. Recognizing that inclusive peace is mutually reinforced through bottom-up and top-down processes, will amplify the influence of youth and women peacebuilders at the grassroots level, catalyze broad inclusion of grassroots peacebuilders in municipal and national institutions and peace processes, and advance social norms that support the meaningful inclusion of diverse stakeholders in peace and security.
By consolidating influence, motivating institutions, and shifting social norms, the program will enable diverse women and youth’s increased and enduring participation in peace and security. The program also has the cross-cutting objectives of sensitizing and mobilizing influential male allies to promote women and youth’s leadership in peace and security and advancing regional networks, synergies, and cross-fertilization to strengthen inclusive peace and security.

ASSIGNMENT OBJECTIVES

Search is committed to engaging male allies in leadership roles to champion equality without fostering divisive “us vs. them” dynamics. Our approach promotes unity among individuals from all backgrounds, aiming to advance peace and security beyond traditional roles. We focus on cultivating positive masculinity, involving male influencers and allies in dialogues to reevaluate societal views on masculinity. These efforts are integrated with the work of women’s and youth organizations to foster mutual understanding and address the impacts of patriarchal norms on all individuals, thereby encouraging a collective move toward equality and peace.

Men’s engagement is a component of the project focused on men. In Iraq, selected men will attend men’s engagement capacity-building sessions, which will equip them with the skills and knowledge necessary to participate in men’s engagement networks. This participation will enhance their roles in implementing the 1325 National Action Plan in Iraq and support the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in their governorate.

As part of the WYPS project, Search is seeking to hire a consultant to develop a curriculum and deliver a series of training sessions (in-person and virtual) to deliver an impactful training program for 19 male activists, aimed at equipping them with the necessary skills and knowledge to significantly contribute to the National Action Plan and the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda in Iraq. This program is designed to enhance the activists’ ability to promote the participation of women and to amplify their roles within their communities. Through this initiative, we aim to empower these men to become agents of change, challenging and transforming traditional and social norms that discriminate against women and restrict their freedoms. The ultimate goal is to foster a more inclusive, equitable, and resilient society where women can participate freely and fully in all aspects of life. The responsibilities of the consultant will be the following :

• First, the consultant will collaborate closely with the Project Manager to leverage data gathered during the mapping assessment and to assess the available resources in Iraq for developing training materials. These materials will cover the following topics: the role of men in supporting women’s rights, sensitization and attitude change, engagement in policymaking, and providing details about National Action Plan 1325, including the role of men in supporting and promoting the plan’s goals and positive masculinities among boys and men. Additionally, Community Engagement and Empowerment
• The training materials need to be sensitive to the current context in Iraq and the challenges related to inclusivity faced by most local and international organizations.
• Once the training materials are developed, the consultant will conduct extensive in-person training for the 19 men. After the initial training, the consultant will be required to conduct additional follow-up training online. See the key deliverables for a detailed training plan and schedule.

Key Deliverables

The consultant will be responsible for the following outputs:

Output

Timeline

1

Curriculum Development Layout and Plan: The consultant will share a 1-2 page plan on the content that will be developed and the training plan.

21 April,2024(one day)

2

Draft Curriculum Development: Initial Curriculum Development (Virtual or in-person depending on the location of the consultant).

The Consultant will be responsible for developing a 3-day in-person training and 4 (2-hour) virtual training materials targeted at Men ranging from 35 and above. The consultant can make use of the existing Search curriculum, and other curricula relevant to the role of men in supporting women’s rights, sensitization and attitude change, engagement in policymaking, and providing details about National Action Plan 1325, including the role of men in supporting and promoting the plan’s goals and positive masculinities among boys and men. Additionally, Community Engagement and Empowerment

2nd of May,2024(10 days)

3

Finalize Curriculums and Training Materials: The consultant will finalize the Arabic curriculums and training materials. This should include the development of the following for each training:

1. Training Curriculum
2. Participant’s handouts (where applicable)
3. Training Agenda
4. PowerPoint Presentations,
5. M&E tools (e.g., pre-/post-test),
6. Other relevant materials as needed.

4

Men Engagement In-Person Capacity Building Event: The Consultant will conduct a 3-day training session in Erbil.

28,29 and 30th of May,2024(3 days)

5

Submission of Final Curriculums & Training Materials: After conducting the training, the consultant will update the existing Arabic training materials and submit the final versions to Search.

2nd of June 2024 (1 day)

6

Men Engagement Virtual Training Plan: The consultant will outline 4 additional topics to provide 2-hour virtual training based on the additional needs identified by the men in the initial in-person training. The consultant will be responsible for sharing plans and PowerPoint presentations with Search before the training.

7th of June,2024(one day)

7

Men Engagement Virtual Capacity Building Trainings: The consultant will conduct 4 online training sessions (2 hours each) in Arabic for the 19 Men participants through the Zoom platform.

4 days( Dates will be determined later)

8

Final Report: The consultant will develop a short (5-10 page) final report covering the achievements of the in-person training, including the analysis of pre-post tests and outline recommendations for future action for Search/WEO.

Last week of July 2024

Profile

1. Strong commitment to rights and women’s empowerment and belief in the importance of engaging men in the process.
2. previous experience working on the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) agenda and UNSCR 1325 involved engaging men and young boys in the Iraqi community.
3. Experience in adult learning principles and facilitation techniques that promote participation and learning.
4. Experience in developing and implementing programs that engage men and boys in gender equality and violence prevention.
5. Experience in designing and delivering qualitative and quantitative training;
6. Experience in report writing and various technology platforms;
7. Proficiency in English and Arabic (written and spoken);
8. Interpersonal skills that evoke trust are gender and culturally sensitive.
9. Willingness and ability to be flexible
10. Ability to navigate complex and sensitive situations, adapting training strategies to meet the needs of participants from diverse backgrounds.

Training topics should include but are not limited to, the following

• Role of men in supporting women’s right in Iraq
• Sensitization and attitude change
• Engagement in Policymaking
• National Action Plan 1325, including the role of men in supporting and promoting the plan’s goals.
• Positive Musculnaitles among boys and men.
• Cultural roles: Addresses the concept, of how these norms affect both men and women and the importance of challenging stereotypes to promote equality.
• Community Engagement and Empowerment

Selection Criteria

Consultant proposals will be selected based on the following:

1. Relevance of proposed methodology to meet the goal, objectives, and requests of the curriculum development.

2. Qualifications of the candidate(s) designing and delivering trainings.

3. Previous experience working with the Men engagement program in Iraq and knowledge about the 1325 National Action Plan and the Women, Peace, and Security agenda.

4. Proposed budget and timeline for the deliverables. (Please specify the number of days that you will need to finalize this consultancy)

Application Process

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following documents by Sunday, April 15th, 2024 to [email protected] with the Subject: WYPS Men Engagement Consultant

• Curriculum vitae(s);
• Cover letter, with a description of the training methodology and confirmation of trainer availability in line with the schedule noted above to develop curriculum and deliver training in Erbil, Iraq
• Financial proposal, including daily rate.

Note: Only three documents can be submitted, so the CVs must be combined (for teams applying) and submitted alongside the technical and financial proposals.(Applications without all the required documents will not be considered)