Eurasia Foundation (EF), a US non-profit organization promoting civil society development and good governance, is accepting applications for a facilitator or team of facilitators to design, organize and facilitate Central Asia Youth Leadership Academy (CAYLA) activities in Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in October 2022 throughout September 2023.

CAYLA activities are a part of Social Innovation in Central Asia (SICA), implemented with the financial support of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). The purpose of the program is to cultivate a vibrant and responsive citizen-oriented civil society in the region. As part of SICA, CAYLA supports a cohort of young leaders and community activists dedicated to promoting positive development in their communities. Through CAYLA, youth learn foundational skills in community engagement and leadership, which they can then apply in community development projects that are supported with small grants and technical assistance.

In close collaboration with EF staff and program consultants, the CAYLA Regional Activities Facilitator will be responsible for recruitment and selection of a cohort of young leaders to begin a cycle in October 2022, as well as the design and implementation of CAYLA activities for that cycle, including kickoff and orientation sessions, online and in-person learning activities, a mentorship program for participants and alumni, in-person networking camps, a recorded youth-led discussion series and a graduation ceremony. This cycle of CAYLA activities will engage approximately 200 youth (120 new CAYLA members from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan and 75 CAYLA alumni from previous cycles from those three countries).

Detailed activities descriptions, learning outcomes and delivery timelines can be found in the annexes to this announcement. These activities are budgeted for up to 12 months in total.

EF expects the following duties to be performed by the CAYLA Regional Activities Facilitator:
• Propose a concept/format and develop a comprehensive agenda for activities
• Support EF with recruitment and selection processes of at least 120 new participants from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
• Support EF with recruitment and selection processes of at least 75 alumni from the first and second CAYLA cohorts from Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan
• Design and facilitate diverse and engaging in-person activities for selected youth
• Review CAYLA learning content and propose supplementary activities to boost learning outcomes
• Identify venues and catering services for in-person events (vendors to be paid by EF directly)
• Organize logistics for and facilitate all in-person events (e.g., speakers, emcee, equipment) for participants from all three target countries. Associated costs must be reflected in the applicant’s proposed budget
o Kickoff conference (5 to 7 days; anticipated 120 participants, could be divided into groups)
o Networking Camp and Graduation Ceremony (combined into one event; (5 to 7 days; anticipated 70 participants)
o SICA Youth Incubator (5 to 7 days; anticipated 75 CAYLA alumni participants from three countries, could be divided into smaller groups)
• Arrange and implement mentorship support program for members of the CAYLA cohort and youth-led community projects implementors
• Organize speaker series (CAYLA Talks) and produce 10 quality video clips for use on SICA/CAYLA social media accounts
• Arrange simultaneous interpretation of presentations and written translation of associated materials and other handouts for a multi-language-speaking audience in Kazakh, Russian, Uzbek and Turkmen (when necessary)
• Ensure participants have open channels to pose and receive responses on questions regarding activities
• Prepare public announcements and other promotional materials for activities and disseminate them via CAYLA social media channels
• Provide professional videography and photography during all in-person events, as well as any necessary post-production editing
• Sort and catalogue professional-quality photos and video clips from the in-person activities for use on SICA/CAYLA social media accounts
• Produce ten video interviews with participants from in-person activities for use on SICA/CAYLA social media accounts
• Produce a short (maximum three minutes) professional-quality video overview of the entire CAYLA activities for immediate publication after the graduation event
• Secure permissions for photo and video releases for all photographed and recorded participants
• Provide a Final Report on the results of the event within 20 days after delivering of all the activities, along with photo and video materials
• Ensure prompt and on-time delivery of all planned activities

EF will coordinate with the CAYLA Regional Activities Facilitator on inviting participants, providing logistical support to participants and covering all travel costs to and from in-person events, as well as lodging, meals and local transportation during these activities.

All activities must fully comply with local public health restrictions regarding in-person gatherings and be designed with the health and well-being of the participants and organizers in mind. Prior to in-person activities, the Facilitator must arrange a brief orientation session on local COVID-19 safety requirements for visitors. EF will provide participants with necessary personal protective equipment (e.g., masks, sanitizers).

Applicants must submit a draft agenda of CAYLA activities, reflective of the requirements outlined above, with their application package (see ‘Apply’ below). The selected facilitator must provide a final version of the agenda, including confirmed trainers/speakers and locations, no later than 20 days prior to the planned events. The final agenda must be in English and include biographies of speakers, key contact information and other information deemed necessary by the Facilitator, in consultation with EF.

The CAYLA Regional Activities Facilitator must demonstrate the following: 
• At least five years of experience working with youth (18 to 30 years old); in Central Asia preferred
• Experience in organizing, facilitating and promoting public events with the participation of an expert community, such as bootcamps, accelerator labs, hackathons, forums, speaker series and other interactive formats
• Familiarity with an incubation approach for supporting the development of innovative community projects, including facilitating project ideation, engaging beneficiaries, offering coaching and mentorship and providing guidance on project pitches
• Capacity to mobilize a team of in-house and/or external specialists in event management, IT support, graphic design, media and SMM coordination and other skills, as necessary based upon proposed event design
• Experience in utilizing an interactive approach in delivering events
• Knowledge in the field of social innovation and social issues as well as youth leadership and youth issues in Central Asia strongly preferred
• Excellent oral and written communications skills in Russian and English required
• Knowledge of Kazakh, Turkmen and/or Uzbek is a plus

Follow the below links for additional information about this consultancy:
• Annex 1 – Activity Descriptions and Expected Outcomes
• Annex 2 – Activities Development Preliminary Timelines

The selection process is open and competitive, and the facilitator will be selected based on the criteria outlined below:
• Clarity, suitability and innovation of the proposed activities
• Past experience in facilitating and moderating similar activities
• Technical expertise and suitability of proposed presenters
• Cost competitiveness

Each proposal must include the following:   
• Proposed CAYLA Activities Description: This should describe the proposed format for the activities, the applicant’s rationale for proposing specific events outlined in the Draft Agenda (see below) and the applicant’s relevant qualifications. The draft agenda should outline a preliminary timeline for preparation, holding the events and reporting.
• Draft Timeline: A breakdown of planned activities, including proposed presenters and facilitators responsible. The agenda should include a paragraph-long description of each proposed presenter/facilitator, as well as proposed venues for activities
• Resume(s) of the proposed key staff (maximum two pages each) responsible for administering the activities under this consultancy
• Detailed budget in USD, including fees and other expected costs for conducting the event (anticipated between $200,000 and $225,000). The budget must break costs into salary/trainers’ fee, travel for consultant staff and speakers and direct support costs for event facilitation, such as translation of materials into local languages and professional videography, if not performed by the facilitator directly.

All proposal documents may be submitted in English or Russian. If additional information or clarification on proposals is needed, the applicant(s) will be notified in writing and asked to submit additional information and/or documentation.   

Please send all questions about this consultancy or the application process in writing to SICAcons[email protected] with “CAYLA Activities” in the subject line.

The SICA team will host a Q&A session on 12 September 2022 at 16:00 Almaty time (GMT+6) to answer questions of potential applications. Register for this session here.

Interested individuals or organizations are invited to send proposals to [email protected] with “CAYLA Activities” in the subject line no later than 23:59 Almaty time (GMT+6) on 19 September 2022