Advocacy & Organizing Consultant

Terms of Reference

Objective:

Through offering guidance, building capacity and mentoring, the consultant will support a group of Dawlaty’s partners, Syrian community-based organizations (CBOs), to improve the planning and the implementation of their pre-identified local advocacy campaigns. The consultant will help the CBOs to learn how to outreach to and influence local and country-wide actors.
Background:
Dawlaty aims to work with civil society partners, especially young women and men, to achieve democratic transition in Syria. Dawlaty works with activists and young people from different ideological, social, and economic backgrounds, as long as they are committed to peaceful action and civic participation. Dawlaty aims to amplify the voices of civilians, marginalized communities and victims of the Syrian conflict through civil society coalition building across conflict lines, based on respect for human rights, justice, equality and nonviolence.
As the context in Syria shifts, it is as important as ever for civil society across Syria, as well as in diaspora, to work together to convey the experiences and demands of communities affected by the conflict. Dawlaty and its partners are supporting Syrian community-based organizations to gain skills, knowledge and experience on advocacy and community organizing. This project will not only build knowledge at the individual level, but it also seeks to harness the knowledge, experience, and reach of organizations that work within the project to increase their influence and outreach as a sector. By conducting joint advocacy efforts, including the development of position papers, local and national campaigns, as well as advocacy tours, civil society can have a stronger voice in the way in which peacebuilding, reconstruction and stabilization efforts are carried out in Syria.
Dawlaty seeks a consultant to provide guidance, build the capacity gaps and mentor a group of Dawlaty’s partners, CBOs, through online sessions to improve the planning and the implementation of three local advocacy campaigns across Syria, targeting local and nation-wide actors.

Responsibilities:

● Review the results of the issue exploring surveys done by each campaign
● Review the three campaigns plans and offer feedback, recommendations, and guidance to the participants to improve the campaigns objectives, activities, communications and messages, and any other identified gaps
● Plan and lead brainstorming sessions for each campaign team to develop ideas for multimedia content linked to the campaigns.
● Review and offer feedback (verbal and written) of the final developed campaign materials created by CBO through individual mentorship sessions for each campaigning group
● Support the participants to develop the campaigns statements
● Support the participants to develop indicators to measure the impact of each campaign
● Mentor the CBOs through individual mentorship sessions for each campaigning group while implementing the campaigns and offer support if any issues arise.
● Support the participant to plan and lead local meetings/discussions on the topics of their campaigns with their communities
● Document the learnings and challenges regarding campaign planning and implementation, including operational context and space for civil society advocacy and campaigning, cross-conflict line collaboration, capacity building and collaboration modalities for civil society in Syria. This could happen through meetings with Dawlaty team members and participants
● All meetings and reports should be offered in Arabic
Deliverables:
● Initial report identifying gaps and support plan for the three campaigns by 10th February
● Mentoring report with summary of mentoring sessions during the planning phase of three campaigns by the beginning of March
● Mentoring report summarizing the delivered mentoring sessions during the implementation phase of the three campaigns by the end of May
● Final report on campaigns achievements and impact by end of May
● Final report including learnings and challenges regarding campaigns planning and implementation, including operational context and space for civil society advocacy and campaigning, cross-conflict line collaboration, capacity building and collaboration modalities for civil society in Syria by end of May

Qualifications:

● Individuals or a team of experts are encouraged to apply
● Academic degree in social sciences, communication or other relevant major related to the assignment
● A minimum of 4 years of experience in advocacy and community organizing, including experience leading campaigns, providing training and mentoring.
● Experience working in armed conflict settings, particularly with CBOs, vulnerable groups and cross conflict border contexts
● Knowledge of and experience working in the Syrian context preferred
● Knowledge of human rights, civil society, civic and democratic values, and civil disobedience
● Excellent communication and facilitation skill
● Excellent written and oral communication skills in Arabic and English
Timeframe:
End of January – End of May
Selection Process
We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, so please apply at your earliest convenience.
Qualified candidates are encouraged to apply by sending:
● CV, including links to previous campaigns
● 2-page proposal maximum- outline approach, methodology and plan
● Requested fees
To jobs@dawlaty.org by 14th Jan 2021. Applicants should include the following subject heading in their email communication “Application: Advocacy& Organizing Consultant2021”. Only Short-listed candidates will be contacted within a period of two weeks after the deadline.
Application deadline:
Thursday, January 14, 2021
Note: Due to Dawlaty’s low profile activities, shortlisted candidates are required to provide us a personal security reference.