Consultant for Climate and Environmental Integration in Peacebuilding and Entrepreneurship Curricula

Overview

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) is seeking a consultant to integrate climate and environmental action components into its conflict resolution and entrepreneurship curricula. This call for services is part of WPDI’s strategic recast to address climate change and ecological degradation, which pose significant threats to the fragile communities they serve. The consultant will develop a curriculum, provide initial training to WPDI trainers, and monitor early implementation.

Background

The Whitaker Peace & Development Initiative (WPDI) is a non-profit organization founded in 2012 by artist and social activist Forest Whitaker, who serves as the UNESCO Special Envoy for Peace & Reconciliation and a member of the United Nations Advocacy Group for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). WPDI promotes lasting peace, economic development, and environmental resilience in regions impacted by fragility, violence, poverty, and marginalization. Through integrated action in the fields of Peacebuilding, Livelihood support, Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Sports, our mission is to train and empower underprivileged youths, women, and other disadvantaged individuals so they can be the ones driving positive transformation in their communities. We help them become (a) mediators who can address tensions and conflict between and within communities with competence and confidence, (b) community leaders who are equipped to reach out to other youth to undertake educational, environmental, and cultural projects conducive to nonviolence, social justice, and eco-responsibility, (c) entrepreneurs who can create opportunities for themselves and their communities. WPDI has created and managed programs in Africa (South Africa, South Sudan, and Uganda), Europe (France), and Latin as well as North America (Mexico and the United States). With a strong field presence and close collaboration with local partners, we have reached over 1.9 million people since 2012.

Main Responsibilities

This call for services relates to our newest strategic recast, bearing on integrating climate-related and environmental solutions into our action platform. As global concerns for climate change and ecological degradation intensify, WPDI recognizes that they have the potential to disproportionately compromise peace and development gains in the fragile communities where we operate. Conversely, we also recognize that insufficient capacities for peace and development risk reducing the capacity of these communities to address climate and environmental threats appropriately. In this light, our renewed strategy aims to address the cyclical nature of fragility, where socio-economic, security, and environmental hazards reinforce each other, undermining the overall resilience of communities. Focused on empowering motivated individuals, particularly youth and women, WPDI seeks to integrate our training courses on peacebuilding and entrepreneurship with a lens on climate and environmental principles and solutions to ensure that our trainees have more capacity to foster the resilience of their communities at large. To this effect, WPDI is looking to hire a consultant to review and expand our curricula on conflict resolution and entrepreneurship skills. WPDI’s curricula are certified, adapted to target countries and regions, and are organized into three levels – basic, intermediate, and advanced.

Terms of Reference for Climate Action Curriculum Consultant

Objective: To integrate components on climate adaptation, mitigation, and environmental action into the curricula of Conflict Resolution Education and Entrepreneurship taught by WPDI.

Key Responsibilities:

1.       Curriculum Development: Develop and integrate climate and environmental action components into existing curricula. This includes creating lesson plans, activities, and resources that align with climate adaptation, mitigation, and environmental action. The revision of the curricula will take account of the three levels of teaching – basic, intermediate, and advanced – and ensure that the content of the courses is adapted to the situations of the target countries and regions.

2.       Online Training: Train online WPDI trainers on the new curriculum components to ensure they can effectively teach these topics to the audiences of WPDI.

3.       Monitoring & Evaluation: Monitor the early implementation of the new curriculum components and evaluate their effectiveness. Provide recommendations for improvements as necessary.

Preferred Experience:

• Education: A Master’s degree or higher in Environmental Science, Climate Change, Education, or a related field.
• Experience: At least 5 years of experience in curriculum development, preferably with a focus on climate action or environmental education. Familiarity with the work of international organizations, notably the United Nations, is highly desirable.
• Skills: Strong understanding of climate adaptation and mitigation strategies. Excellent communication and training skills. Experience in monitoring and evaluation.
• Attributes: Passion for environmental action and education. Ability to work well with diverse teams and stakeholders. Understanding of international protocols and guidelines related to climate action and environmental education.

Duration: The duration of the consultancy will be determined based on the scope of the curriculum integration and the availability of the consultant.

Selection and Recruitment Process:

Interested candidates should provide a recent resume, references, and the items below:

• A statement indicating how their qualifications and experience make them suitable for the assignment;
• A written proposal comprising:
• An approach and methodology for the assignment in line with the terms of reference;
• The amount to be charged for the assignment, quoted in US dollars.