Call for Volunteer Board Members: The Africa Youth Advisory Board on Disaster Risk Reduction (AYAB/DRR)

The Africa Youth Advisory Board (AYAB) for Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR), hereafter referred to as the board or AYAB, was established under the African Union Commission (AUC) to meaningfully engage young Africans (up to 35 years) in DRR processes on the continent. The African continent has suffered disproportionately from the increasing occurrence of climate exacerbated disasters, because of its high exposure and high vulnerability to climate shocks.

The first batch of AYAB was inaugurated on 6th May 2019 in Nairobi, Kenya. Since then, members have carried out various initiatives and activities to either empower or meaningfully engage youth in DRR processes on the African continent. These included but are not limited to creating and actively using social media handles (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, YouTube) with a combined following of almost 10,000 and counting, #SafeSaturdays Twitter chat tradition, quarterly technical webinars, publications focused on or led by youth, national quizzes on DRR, content development of a mobile application on DRR (KNOW DRR) for young people, COVID-19 virtual campaign and surveys, and contribution to DRR policy dialogues.

Board Membership

• The board shall consist of fifteen (15) young volunteers from across the continent, coming from the formal or informal sectors, youth-led or youth-focused organizations, and other stakeholder groups, who are committed, passionate and actively involved in DRR activities or
  processes. Membership to this board is not a ceremonial one, with members expected to commit at least 8 hours a week to promote and advance AYAB DRR related activities and initiatives.
• It should be noted that members are not entitled to a salary or compensation of any kind for their time working for the board.
• Members are encouraged to engage with other youths in other disciplines towards achieving the board’s vision.

Requirements

1. Members must not be older than 35 years of age throughout the duration of their tenure 1
2. The tenure of membership is two years and renewable once
3. Selection is done every two years through an Expression of Interest/ Call led by the AUC
4. The 15 positions on the board are as follows:
   I. 2 representatives each from East, West, South, Central and North Africa
   II. 1 thematic focal point for each of the four priorities of the SFDRR.
   III. 1 representative for Community Based DRR

1 Applicants who will turn 36 or older during their tenureship will be unlikely to be considered for membership to the board

Application Procedure:
This Expression of Interest (EoI) or Call for new Board members is to solicit applications from eligible individual African youth professionals or youth-led/focused organisations interested in becoming members of the board.
A complete application package shall consist of uploading the following items to this application link: https://forms.office.com/r/FZGpZWKqFF by September 4th, 2022 (GMT+3).

(1) A CV detailing relevant qualifications and experience to the position (2 pages maximum, 12 size font Times New Roman, single spaced)
(2) A cover letter detailing your motivation to become part of the board (2 Pages max)– please express what position you are interested in applying for membership (see positions available below)
(3) Proof of African Citizenship (e.g. Passport, Identification Document)
(4) Name and contact details of two referees who can attest to the qualifications and experience of the applicant

For any clarifications, please send an email to [email protected]. Failure or incomplete documents leads to an automatic disqualification from the application process.
Once again, the 15 positions available are:

1. East Africa – Two (2) positions
2. West Africa – Two (2) positions
3. Southern Africa – Two (2) positions
4. Central Africa – Two (2) positions
5. North Africa – Two (2) positions
6. Priority (Understanding disaster risk) – One (1) position
7. Priority 2 (Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk – One (1) position
8. Priority 3 (investing in disaster risk reduction for resilience – One (1) position
9. Priority 4 (enhancing disaster preparedness for effective response and to “Build Back Better” in recovery, rehabilitation and reconstruction) – One (1) position
10. Priority 5 (Community Based DRR) – One (1) position

Timeline:
1 Application Opens August 5th, 2022
2 Application closes September 4th, 2022
3 Shortlisting September 5th – 10th, 2022
4 Informing shortlisted Applicants of outcome September 15th, 2022
5 Zoom Interviews of shortlisted Applicants September 16th – 30th, 2022
6 Communication of final Decision to all Applicants 10th October 2022

For More Information Visit the Official Webpage of the 2022 Call for Volunteer Board Members: The Africa Youth Advisory Board on Disaster Risk Reduction Application Deadline: September 4th, 2022