Consultancy for Workshops in Schools (f/m/d)

Consultant tasks:

• Development of a Work Plan: The consultancy will submit a work plan and activity schedule to GNO within two calendar weeks of the contract signing date. The work plan will take into account that consultants will have to engage schools to reach agreements alongside GNO, and that workshops with students will comprise a total of 20 hours minimum/30 hours maximum per school.
• Coordination between GNO and schools in Hamburg to secure School Agreements: The consultancy is responsible for engaging schools in Hamburg and securing relevant agreements with at least two schools for the implementation of workshops with students. GNO will support this process by providing templates for agreements with schools and designating a staff member to be present throughout school engagement.
• Develop a Workshop Concept: The consultancy will submit a document outlining the methodology to be implemented for working with students. The workshop concept will include:
• Methodology to be used during workshops.
• A schedule and description of each workshop session (minimum 4 sessions). Depending on negotiations with schools, workshop sessions will take place either (a) continuously during one full week, or (b) spaced out over the course of four weeks or more, with one session per week. A methodology must be presented for both formats.
• Methodology for collecting student feedback during and after workshop sessions through child-friendly feedback mechanisms.
• Safeguarding risk assessment for workshops (GNO will provide a template for this assessment). The selected consultancy will participate in a mandatory 1,5-hour workshop on Safeguarding, provided by GNO, where more information on this assessment and template will be provided.
• The consultancy will conduct one preliminary meeting with each participating schools and a group of participating students to better understand student interests and skills. The consultancy is expected to use the information collected in this meeting to inform its workshop methodology. GNO will organize the preliminary meetings.
• Implementation of workshops in Hamburg schools: The consultancy will conduct workshops with groups of 10 to 20 students per school in at least two schools. Workshops per school will comprise a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 30 hours with students. Workshops will be conducted in German language.
• Submission of a Final Report. The consultancy will submit a final report to GNO no later than two calendar weeks after workshop completion, including:
  • Short narrative summary of the workshops, including an overview of number of students who attended the workshops.
  • Lessons learned
  • Best practices
  • List of students interested in participating in presenting their work in one in-person and one online event.

Consultant profile:

• At least one person in the consultant team with more than 6 years of experience working with children and youth in Germany.
• Experience in providing social media and communication skills training to children and youth, especially experience creating content for various social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, Tik Tok, etc., implementing campaigns on social media platforms, and conducting interviews.
• Experience in the area of humanitarian assistance and/or Latin America is beneficial.
• Knowledge of DG ECHO funding and Plan International’s work is desirable.
• German and English language skills are a requirement.
• Spanish language skills are advantageous.

Information for Proposal Submission

Information about Plan International’s Safe Horizons Project

Millions of children in Latin America routinely miss school because classrooms are caught in crossfire, school buildings are destroyed by natural disasters or because education is disrupted by displacement. To address these challenges, Plan International, with European Union funding, is implementing the Safe Horizons regional project in Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. With this project, Plan International aims to minimize the impact of crises on children’s learning by fostering protective and resilient educational environments, reaching more than 85,000 children, youth and adults.

Showcasing the strategic importance of Safe Horizons for the European Union and Plan International, the project incorporates an Above Standard Visibility Plan (ASV) to inform European Union citizens about the commitment of the European Union and Plan International to mitigate the impact of conflict and disasters in South America. The ASV will consist of two main components: (1) engagement with European Union educational communities, and (2) a photo documentary project for European Union audiences.

General Objective

The objective of the consultancy is to conduct workshops in at least two schools in Hamburg — as part of Safe Horizon’s engagement with European Union educational communities — to raise awareness among European Union citizens of the European Union’s and Plan International’s efforts to address education crises in Latin America under the Safe Horizons project. Workshops will be aimed at students from sixth grade upward, and will take place outside of regular school hours, either after class or during school Project Days or Project Week. A person from GNO will be present during all workshops. Workshops will be conducted during the 2024/2025 school year, between January 2025 and the school summer holidays.

Specific Objectives

The specific objectives of this consultancy are:

1. Engage schools to secure agreements for the implementation of workshops with at least two schools in Hamburg.
2. Develop students’ understanding of EU funding and Plan International’s work;
3. Strengthen the communication and social media skills of students;
4. Connect students in Germany and Latin America to foster exchanges between the two;
5. Implement a social media campaign with students on EU funding and Plan International’s work to address education crises in Latin America;
6. Encourage students to participate in one in-person and one online event to present their work.

Deliverables

• Product 1: Work plan

  The consultancy will submit a work plan and activity schedule to GNO within two calendar weeks of the contract signing date. The work plan will take into account that consultants will have to engage schools to reach agreements alongside GNO, and that workshops with students will comprise a total of 20 hours minimum/30 hours maximum per school.

• Product 2: School Agreements

  The consultancy is responsible for engaging schools in Hamburg and securing relevant agreements with at least two schools. This Product 2 refers to these agreements with schools in Hamburg. GNO will support this process by providing templates for agreements with schools and designating a staff member to be present throughout school engagement.

• Product 3: Workshop Concept

  The consultancy will submit a document outlining the methodology to be implemented for working with students. The workshop concept will include:

  • Methodology to be used during workshops.
  • A schedule and description of each workshop session (minimum 4 sessions). Depending on negotiations with schools, workshop sessions will take place either (a) continuously during one full week, or (b) spaced out over the course of four weeks or more, with one session per week. A methodology must be presented for both formats.
  • Methodology for collecting student feedback during and after workshop sessions through child-friendly feedback mechanisms.
  • Safeguarding risk assessment for workshops (GNO will provide a template for this assessment). The selected consultancy will participate in a mandatory 1,5-hour workshop on Safeguarding, provided by GNO, where more information on this assessment and template will be provided.
  • The consultancy will conduct one preliminary meeting with each participating schools and a group of participating students to better understand student interests and skills. The consultancy is expected to use the information collected in this meeting to inform its workshop methodology. GNO will organize the preliminary meetings.

• Product 4: Workshops

  The consultancy will conduct workshops with groups of 10 to 20 students per school in at least two schools. Workshops per school will comprise a minimum of 20 hours and a maximum of 30 hours with students. Workshops will be conducted in German language.

• Product 5: Final Report

  The consultancy will submit a final report to GNO no later than two calendar weeks after workshop completion, including:

1. Short narrative summary of the workshops, including an overview of number of students who attended the workshops.
2. Lessons learned
3. Best practices
4. List of students interested in participating in presenting their work in one in-person and one online event.

Budget and Payment

Only proposals that are aligned with the maximum total budget of 17,000 euros will be considered. GNO will pay the consultancy on the basis of products delivered and approved, in accordance with the final budget agreed upon.

Coordination and Approvals

All coordination with schools will be conducted with the participation of GNO’s focal points. At no point may the consultancy team reach out directly to students outside the workshop hours. GNO focal points will be:

1. Anna Rennwald, [email protected]
2. Carolina Barraza Puerta, [email protected]

Ethics and Safeguarding Declaration

All proposals must include details on how ethic and child and youth protection standards will be guaranteed throughout the duration of the consultancy, in line with Plan International’s safeguarding policy. The consultancy must also provide an extended police clearance certificate to be eligible to sign a contract with GNO.

Proposal Submission

All proposals submitted must contain the following information:

• a. Detailed Budget

The budget will include costs per deliverable, broken down by item. Any bank charges, fees or taxes are the responsibility of the consultancy team. Plan International reserves the right to partially procure consultancy services and/or products, based on the availability of funds.

• b. Technical Proposal

The technical proposal must include the methodology to be implemented per deliverable, and a schedule of activities, where relevant. The technical proposal must have a maximum length of 5 pages. Other workshops with students or reports from these by the consultancy should be included as annexes to the proposal to verify experience.

• c. Proposal Annexes

In addition to presenting a detailed budget and a technical proposal, all submitted proposals must include the following annexes:

1. Cover Letter. A cover letter describing how the consultancy meets the expected criteria, including relevant experience collected during other workshops with students, signed by the Lead Consultant. In this letter, the Lead Consultant must expressly state that he/she authorises Plan International to verify all the information included in the proposal.
2. Signed declaration that the consultancy and its team are not subject to any inability, incompatibility, legal prohibition or actual or potential conflict of interest to sign a contract with Plan International.
3. Signed declaration stating that the consultancy and its team have read and understood all the dispositions in Plan International’s Safeguarding Policy.