Internship for the youth programme

Background 

The IPU is the global organization of national parliaments. It promotes democracy and helps parliaments become stronger, younger, gender-balanced and more diverse. Twice a year, the IPU convenes over 1,500 parliamentary delegates and partners in a world assembly, bringing a parliamentary dimension to global governance, including the work of the United Nations and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It also supports national parliaments through technical assistance and capacity-building.

In the field of youth empowerment, the IPU works to enhance youth participation in parliament and empower young parliamentarians. 

Objective

The intern will assist the IPU Youth Participation Programme in its work to implement the “I Say Yes to Youth in Parliament!” campaign. Tasks will include promotion of the campaign, contact management, event organizing, research and monitoring and evaluation. A secondary objective of the post is to facilitate promotion of the campaign in Spanish and/or Arabic language languages.  

Deliverables 

Under the supervision of the Manager of the Youth participation programme, the intern will contribute to:

• Promotion, including through the preparation of social media messaging in various languages, correspondence with parliaments and other key stakeholders and signatories, presence at IPU events, and through virtual meetings.
• Research and drafting of new campaign-related materials, such as toolkits for campaign pledges, guidance notes on implementing the campaign’s pledges for parliamentarians and other key stakeholders, and follow-up email newsletters to those who have signed up.
• Monitoring and evaluation of the campaign in line with a results-based management approach. This includes managing a continuously updated repertoire of signatories and targets, tracking of progress of signatories in implementing their pledges, and the tracking and analysis of other campaign indicators.
• Day-to-day management of contacts who have signed up to the campaign. This includes ensuring administrative management of those who have pledged through the IPU website, follow-up, and verification if needed.
• Support the organization of activities related to the campaign, including dedicated events and those held within or alongside other IPU activities. This may include drafting of concept notes, papers, and speeches.
• Participate in meetings, consultations, group discussions and other events organized by the IPU related to the campaign.
• Co-operate with staff in other IPU programmes on joint projects, as necessary

Promotion and facilitation of the campaign among Spanish and/or Arabic speakers will be emphasized. Occasional ad hoc assignments related to the work of the Programme may also be required.

Work implies frequent interaction with the following: IPU personnel, members and staff of parliament, representatives of regional and international partners (including the United Nations, regional parliamentary associations, etc.), experts, representatives of youth associations, and the general public who sign up to the campaign.

Requirements

• University degree in law, political science, international relations, communications, or a related field. A graduate-level degree would be an advantage;
• Excellent writing skills in English or French, as well as good knowledge of the other language;
• Written and oral fluency in Spanish or Arabic. Fluency in both would be an advantage;
• Experience in youth participation work;
• Experience in promoting a campaign, including on social media, would be an advantage;
• Experience in basic website management would be an advantage;
• Good research and analytical skills;
• General computer skills (MS Office applications, Internet).

Period of Internship and location

From 1 December 2021 to 31 December 2022. The internship will be primarily home-based. Travel will be required when promoting the campaign at in-person events (up to 4 weeks during the internship period). Costs related to travel will be covered by the IPU. 

Working hours

The internship will be part-time (50%), corresponding to 18.75 hours a week. On occasions where travel will be required for events and meetings, the internship will be full-time for the duration of respective mission. It is expected that this will take place no more than 4 times over the course of the internship period for 4-5 days on each occasion.

Remuneration

The IPU will pay the intern a monthly allowance of CHF 750, when working part-time (50%), and the prorated equivalent of 1’500 CHF per month when working full-time (100%) on the occasion of events and meetings.