African Monitor (AM) is looking for youth volunteers who will work on Fair Trade and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) project.
1. Background
The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (“Agenda 2030”) seeks to end poverty and hunger, reduce inequality, and protect the planet. It comprises 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), 169 targets, and 247 indicators aimed at addressing the economic, social, and environmental dimensions of sustainable development. More than 190 countries have pledged to mobilize efforts to end all forms of poverty, fight inequalities, and tackle climate change, while ensuring that no one is left behind.
World Fair Trade Organization Africa & ME (WFTO) through a pilot project titled: “Facilitating Investment in Sustainable and Transformational Businesses and Lifestyles”, has partnered with African Monitor in the quest to raise awareness and educate the public on Fair Trade and SDGs. This project looks to sensitize domestic consumers on the positive impact of making sustainable choices.
While all of the Agenda 2030 goals are relevant to Fair Trade, 3 goals are particularly relevant, namely Goal 1 on End Poverty; Goal 8 on Decent Work and Economic Growth and Goal 12 on Responsible Consumption and Production.
Among the activities of this partnership is to build a Coalition of CSOs on Fair Trade and SDGs within the South African Working Group on SDGs, and to strengthen the influence of CSOs on trade policies and practices through grassroots mobilization, campaigns, and advocacy on fair and sustainable trade. Other areas of joint activities include the promotion of consumer awareness on adopting sustainable lifestyles through encouraging sustainable production and consumption.
- Special Focus on Young People
Almost 60% of Africa’s population in 2020 is under the age of 25, making Africa the world’s youngest continent. The SDGs cannot be achieved without the active participation of all sectors of society and without the help of young people. Investing in youth is also an investment in our future. Youth can be a positive force for development when the knowledge and opportunities they need to thrive are given. Youth are the people who will experience the success or failure of the 2030 Agenda. This is why it is particularly important to engage with youth and empower them in our endeavour for a more sustainable future. Within the lines of this partnership – one way for this is to empower the youth with knowledge on Fair Trade.
Over the next ten years left for the SDGs implementation, the youth will not only directly experience the outcomes of the SDGs, but will also be the key drivers for SDG successful implementation. For this reason, it is vital to raise awareness about the SDGs and Fair Trade among youth, build a platform for discussion, and create the conditions for active engagement. Within this coalition, we will mobilise youth as ambassadors of Fair Trade. A group of 12 young people with 50% representation of young women will be selected and trained to facilitate some activities set out by the coalition. A three day online training will be organised to explain the aim of the coalition and to provide basic training and education on the concept of fair trade, the SDGs, WFTO 10 Principles, importance of verification and guarantee standards and the role they play within the value chain that ensures the consumer gets what they think they are buying as well as ethical consumerism.
After the training the Youth Ambassador(s) will be required to facilitate pre-set activities that will promote education and consumer awareness on SDGs and Fair Trade.
3. Who can apply to be a Fair Trade Youth Ambassador
- Be a young person (aged between 18-35 years old) residing in the Western Cape Province
- Knowledge of SDGs, previous work on a SDG related project would be an advantage
- Passionate about making a difference in the community with experience running campaigns at grassroots level; a minimum of six months of relevant campaign experience, in which you held some level responsibility that included digital campaigning
- Previous experience working remotely, is highly self-motivated.
- The Role and responsibilities of the Youth Ambassador
Once the Youth Ambassadors have been selected and trained to work on the Fair Trade Project, the following are some of the roles and responsibilities of each ambassador:
- Work collectively on key issues surrounding Fair Trade and SDGs
- Open dialogue between the communities to help them identify key issues and concerns around Fair Trade as well as facilitate discussions on how SDGs and Fair Trade can have a positive impact on their lives.
- Organise conversations on community radios and develop newspapers/online articles on sustainable lifestyles as well as to educate consumers on the importance of verification and guarantee standards as well as ethical consumerism.
- Organise conversations to highlight best practices and encourage the general public and companies to emulate them. They may include among others stories that highlight products that are produced in unsustainable manner, those that exploits workers, use child labour or degrade environment.
- Conditions for the volunteering opportunity
- This is a part-time volunteering opportunity, so it does not come with remuneration (there may be a little stipend to cover communication and data)
- Due to COVID-19, most of the work may be done virtually so there is a need to have own laptop/ iPad
- How to apply
To apply, send a 2 pages application letter or a short video (max 3min) telling us about you and what being a Fair Trade & SDGs Youth Ambassador means to you and how you intend to do your job as an Ambassador. Applications should be sent to Ameerah Abrahams: advocacy@africanmonitor.org by 23 August 2020; video should be sent by WhatsApp to: 074 251 0103
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