Call for volunteers | AWG

The Liaison Officers on Biodiversity will work in a small team composed of 2 Liaison Officers and the Biodiversity Manager. The aim of the portfolio is twofold. On the one hand, we aim at building capacity on pressing biodiversity issues through a series of workshops and the publication of easily accessible knowledge materials, potentially in collaboration with our Member Organisations (MOs). On the other hand, the LOs will follow first hand the biodiversity advocacy initiatives we are pursuing together with other youth NGOs, such as GYBN, GCE and EU Young Rewilders, and NGOs we are members of, such as CAN-E.

One of the most important examples of such collaboration is the #restorenature campaign.

The LOs will also be the contact persons for the CoE Bern Convention, YEE is an observer of.

The main tasks will include:

• 🟢 Help our members to engage with our work on biodiversity, through liaising and working on our relationship with MOs and partner organisations (e.g. working on our newsletter and organising collaborative events);
• 🟢 Work on content creation, such as articles and explainers;
• 🟢 Represent YEE at the Bern Convention processes (either online or onsite, pending fundings);
• 🟢 Contribute to the YEE’s biodiversity advocacy strategy, such as through participating on behalf of YEE to legal campaigns and external events.
• 🟢 Follow the opportunities stemming from our membership to IUCN (tbc, pending approval of application).

The primary role of the Liaison Officer on Climate Justice will be to continue and strengthen YEE’s engagement in UNFCCC processes, in which YEE holds observer status, throughout the year. The Liaison Officer will carry out research and gain expertise on selected UNFCCC negotiation items of interest to them (such as Loss & Damage, Finance, Art 6, Action for Climate Empowerment, or others), engage with our MOs and other youth organisations who are active in UNFCCC processes and/or on the topic of climate change (including NEYCA – the Network of European Youth NGOs for Climate Action), and work to build stronger connections with marginalised persons and organisations active in climate advocacy, particularly those based in the so-called Global South. Great part of this collaboration will be undertaken under the project “Global Dialogues for Climate Justice”, YEE is implementing with our partner WAT-GP.

The main tasks will include:

• 🟢 Engaging with our MOs active on climate issues, NEYCA, YOUNGO, CAN-E, and other key partners to strengthen our participation in UNFCCC processes;
• 🟢 Leading joint campaigns and drafting joint position papers in the run-up to UNFCCC processes;
• 🟢 Contributing to the Global Dialogues for Climate Justice project, co-led by YEE and We Are Tomorrow Global Partnership (WAT-GP), which aims at building stronger connections between European and non-European youth with a view to advocating for climate justice at COP29;
• 🟢 Leading strategic outreach to marginalised youth communities and youth organisations based in so-called Global South countries working on climate-related topics.

The Liaison Officer on Intersectionality will help the AWG keep a critical, intersectional perspective in all of its projects as well as to create events and campaigns that concern environmental synergies with gender, class, racial, disability and sexuality questions. This would also involve reaching out to and collaborating with organisations YEE may not yet be linked to that pioneer youth work in these areas. Moreover, the LO could choose to incorporate increased work with European Neighbourhood countries.

Key Themes and Questions for the Intersectionality Liaison Officer: 

• How do environmental questions intersect with: 
  • Race and ethnicity
  • Gender and the livelihood of women
  • LGBTQ+, the topic of queer ecology
  • Disability issues, accessibility and ableism
  • Class disparities 
  • Regional disparities and privilege

The main tasks will include:

• 🟢 Support the project lead of Empowering the Unheard in organising workshops on intersectional justice;
• 🟢 Produce toolkits and other material to disseminate knowledge on intersectionality & climate change;
• 🟢 Assist and work on partnership connections and links to further promote YEE efforts;
• 🟢 Assist in the planning and execution of a social campaign for Empowering the Unheard.

The LOs on Environmental Policy will follow first hand YEE’s external advocacy, at EU and at International level. The portfolio aims at strengthening YEE’s advocacy on UN environmental governance and at empowering young people to understand and have an active role in the EU parliamentary elections 2024.

For the first time, we are recruiting two volunteers, one on EU and one on international affairs: however, their work is complementary and they will work together in a small team.

Environmental Policy – EU Affairs (1 person) 

The main tasks will include:

• 🟢 Take over and develop YEE’s advocacy work towards (and beyond) the EU Parliamentary Elections 2024, including
  • Strengthen collaborations with the EEB and other key partners
  • Develop YEE’s strategy for the upcoming elections 
  • Coordinate a communication campaign with YEE’s member organisation with 2 main objectives: 
    • Advertise concrete local actions of the EU “What has the EU done for you?”
    • Call upon young people to go and vote on election day
  • Organise meetings and/or workshops with key EU representatives and leaders to ensure youth voice is heard
• 🟢 Cover EU parliamentary actions after the election (i.e Appointment of the President of the European Commission, selection of the commissioners, future of the EU Green Deal etc.)
• 🟢 Strengthen collaboration and work with EESC and its youth representative

Environmental Policy – International Affairs (1 person)

The main tasks will include:

• 🟢 Represent YEE in the MGCY;
• 🟢 Ensure strong commitment and participation to UN environmental meetings (e.g. UNEA);
• 🟢 Contribute to the organisation of the RCOY Europe 2024, together with other NGOs YEE is already collaborating with;
• 🟢 Collaborate with the Climate Justice LO to co-represent YEE in the NEYCA on drafting the EU youth NGOs position paper for COP29 and other international fora.

We are looking for three volunteers to join us in the mandate of RCP for the South (currently spanning organisations from Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Italy, Kosovo, Portugal, Serbia, Spain and Turkey), North (currently spanning organisations from Sweden, Ireland and England) and East (currently spanning organisations in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Czechia, Georgia, Moldova, Poland and Romania) region.

Your tasks will include:

• 🟢 Collaborating closely with the regional team, the Member Organisations Officer and the Member Organisations Coordinator to plan, enhance and implement our regional strategy;
• 🟢 Organising and chairing online regional meetings with member organisations of your area four times a year;
• 🟢 Keeping the Membership Officer informed about the situation in your region on a regular basis;
• 🟢 Contributing to the written Annual Regional Report about the status of your region;
• 🟢 Stimulating and supporting member engagement in YEE activities and projects;
• 🟢 Reaching out to and enhancing collaboration with youth movements in your region.

RCPs specific requirement: live in the region they are applying to become an RCP for (however, nationality doesn’t matter)​