About JYAN
The Jamaica Youth Advocacy Network (JYAN) is an independent, voluntary, youth-led, non-governmental and non-partisan organisation founded in August 2006. JYAN represents the views, interests, and aspirations of youth across Jamaica. JYAN’s work is guided by a human rights approach. We are led and facilitated by youth and youth-serving partners who represent a wide range of youth groups and organisations, working with a diverse range of young people, varying in size, structure and capacity, from the local to the international.
JYAN’s mission is to develop, empower and sustain a cadre of youth advocates to lobby for change for and on behalf of young people by promoting positive behaviours, teaching techniques of impactful advocacy, contributing to policies and legislation affecting young people and building their overall capacity. JYAN seeks to break the cycle of partial or tokenistic youth advocacy within Jamaica by equipping our advocates with the requisite skills that place them on par with other stakeholders in the decision-making process. Many of our advocates will have opportunities to sit on committees with officials from the government, development partners, civil society organisations, and other advocates and activists. They will also have opportunities to contribute to policy development and engage in discourse around policies and legislation needed to improve the realities of young people.
To that end, JYAN is inviting young people aged 15-25, who are passionate and dedicated, to apply to be part of our Advocacy Council for the 2023-2025 tenure. JYAN’s scope and influence is far-reaching and our main advocacy areas include but are not limited to general human rights issues, youth activism, child rights, especially child protection, and sexual and reproductive health and rights issues.
During your tenure some of our key initiatives will include advocating for the finalisation and implementation of a national school nutrition policy, advocating for child protection in state care, and when children come in conflict with the law, lobbying for and facilitating youth participation in the constitutional reform process and good governance, the rise in cases of HIV and the need for comprehensive sexuality education in schools, the reform of the education system, and gender-based violence. We will also facilitate your areas of interest, and support you in your advocacy efforts, once they align with human rights principles.
Application Link: https://bit.ly/JYANCouncil23
About the Role
JYAN advocates are expected to be passionate about and/or aware of human rights and child rights issues. Advocates must demonstrate a strong commitment to the empowerment of youth and be able to understand and appreciate the peculiarities of the various populations of youth we engage and represent.
As a JYAN advocate, you are required to:
Dedicate the required number of hours per week to support and execute JYAN activities;
Attend and participate in advocacy council meetings and capacity-building workshops when scheduled;
Develop and implement advocacy strategies around issues affecting young people;
Research and analyse policies and laws that impact youth, and advocate for reform, where necessary.
Draft documents including position papers, policy briefs, proposals, letters to the editor, and press releases.
Organise and attend meetings with stakeholders and policymakers around key issues affecting youth.
Strengthen partnerships with key stakeholders and organisations, including youth and community-based groups, partners within civil society, government and the private sector;
Be active on Boards, Committees, Advisory Councils, Technical Working Groups and other such forums as assigned, to ensure youth involvement and advance the organisation’s positions on various issues;
Engage traditional and non-traditional forms of media including television, radio, newspaper, social media, blogs, etc;
Increase JYAN’s social media presence through creating content for social media, engaging in discussions on social media, and executing social media campaigns; and
Conduct training and sensitization sessions with youth groups and young people on JYAN’s advocacy issues.
Application Link: https://bit.ly/JYANCouncil23
Requirements
Please note this is a voluntary position with a time commitment of up to 15 hours per week (with workshops/trainings often held on the weekends).
A JYAN Advocate is expected to be well-rounded, intelligent, competent, efficient and flexible in order to perform at the highest possible standard. The following are the competencies of the ideal JYAN advocate:
Strong leadership skills
Exceptional advocacy skills
Knowledge of Jamaican laws and policies that affect adolescents and youth
Background in law, human rights, child rights, gender justice or youth empowerment and development
Experience in research, writing and policy analysis
Strong communication and public speaking skills
Experience in ICT, including but not limited to graphic design
Knowledge of social media platforms, social media management and/or social media best practices
Strong networking skills
Ability to mobilise stakeholders and work with others within a network
Ability to ideate and formulate projects and initiatives
Project management skills and proposal writing capacity
How to Apply
Interested persons are invited to apply using this link (https://bit.ly/JYANCouncil23). Please be prepared to include your CV and letter of interest, as well as respond to an essay question.
JYAN is an equal opportunity organisation and does not discriminate on the basis of race, social class, gender, religion, physical or mental ability, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Young people who identify as being part of a vulnerable or marginalised group are especially encouraged to apply.
If there are any questions concerning this TOR or the application process, please reach out to us at jyan@youthadvocateja.org; cc - s.mills@youthadvocateja.org
The deadline for submission is June 16, 2023.