Comparative Analysis Consultant

UNICEF is committed to diversity and inclusion and gender parity within its workforce, and encourages all qualified candidates, irrespective of nationality, religious and ethnic backgrounds, gender identity and sexual orientation, as well as persons living with disabilities, to apply to become a part of the organization. UNICEF’s office is accessible to a certain extent, and employees are entitled to reasonable accommodations that are needed for ensuring equitable working conditions.

Youth centres, or community youth centres, play a significant role in the development of young people. These centres serve as inclusive spaces that provide a range of activities, services, and programs designed to engage and empower youth. The context of youth centres extends beyond recreational activities, encompassing educational support, skill-building opportunities, supporting MHPSS and community involvement. According to the Council of Europe, European Youth Centres are a part of the Youth Department and are, together with the European Youth Foundation (EYF), an important instrument of the Council’s youth policy. The European Steering Committee for Youth developed a project to promote the European Youth Centres of the Council of Europe as standard-setting instruments and examples of good practice for youth policy, though awarding the centres that meet a set of criteria. These criteria ensure the quality of the youth centres within the EU and might be considered a good practice for Serbia.

As Serbia aims to align its policies with those of the Europe, the National Youth Strategy of the Republic of Serbia states that the existing number of youth spaces is not sufficient to meet the needs of young people in the local community, and most of them are not accessible to all youth. There is a need to establish more of the centres and, if needed, clubs and renovate the existing ones according to the standards that should be developed in line with the EU Youth Strategy. To expand the number of centres and to improve the operation of the existent centres, recommendations for further action should be made to achieve the best solution for establishing and operating youth centres, in line with the proposed standards and other venues for youth including youth clubs.

According to the working plan between UNICEF and the Government of Serbia, UNICEF aims to support the improvement of the system for youth work within and beyond youth centres in Serbia. To align with the European standards and fulfil the envisioned objectives of the National Youth Strategy of the Republic of Serbia, it is crucial to continue this work with a higher level of attention to the best practices of the Europe and the Council of Europe and provide a list of standards/quality elements that could be used in Serbia.

Work Assignment Overview:

The purpose of this assignment is to conduct a comparative analysis of youth centres and other youth spaces in Serbia and Europe that would further contribute to the successful operation of the current, and the establishment of new youth centres in Serbia, aligned with the European Standards and the Youth Strategy in the Republic of Serbia for the Period from 2023 to 2030. In addition, the assignment will include mapping of the existing youth clubs and other spaces in the community for youth that could be used to prepare a proposal for an even and effective distribution of youth centres/clubs.

Duration of the assignment: March – June 2024 (part-time, remote, up to 30 workdays)

Task description:

• Conduct a comprehensive desk review of the existing literature, reports and studies related to youth centres in Serbia and Europe.
• Identify and compare the organizational structures, standards and quality assurance practices, funding mechanisms, and legal frameworks governing youth centres in Serbia and Europe, and develop a set of recommendations and a roadmap for further development of the youth centres.
• Analyse the range of activities, programmes and services offered by youth centres and youth clubs in both Serbia and the EU, with a focus on their impact on youth development and quality assurance mechanisms.
• Develop a comprehensive report presenting the desk review and the comparative analysis, as well as the recommendation/models on the best practices that could be adapted to Serbia.
• Develop a proposal of standards to be adopted by the respective ministry/Government of Serbia that could ensure quality services implementation at the local level.
• Keep ongoing communication with the Ministry of Tourism and Youth, and other relevant partners and stakeholders.

Knowledge/Expertise/Skills required:

• Advanced university degree (master’s or higher) in Statistics, Business, Economics, Social Sciences, Social Work, Youth Engagement, International Relations, or another relevant field.
• At least 5 years of work experience in research in the areas relevant to youth work and humanistic sciences.
• At least 5 years of experience in data collection, data analysis and report writing.
• Very good communication skills.
• Strong understanding of Serbian and EU youth policies.
• Excellent knowledge of Serbian and English language.
• Work experience with the UN will be considered an asset.

How to apply:

The application must include a financial proposal in RSD as a separate document, providing the fee for the whole assignment.

Important notes:

• Please do not forget to specify your name in the financial proposal file while saving (to be uploaded online under the “Financial Proposal” tab).  
• Please do not indicate financials anywhere else in the online application form, please mark “n/a” or “00” under the fee-related questions in the online application form.
• Incomplete applications will not be taken into consideration.
• Only shortlisted candidates will be notified and advance to the next stage of the selection process.

For every child, you must demonstrate UNICEF’s core values of Care, Respect, Integrity, Trust, Accountability and Sustainability.