Facilitator for Cross Regional and Diaspora Networking Sessions

Background:

IMPACT – Civil Society Research and Development e.V. , founded in Berlin in 2013, is a non-profit civil society organization with offices in Iraq, Turkey and Syria. Civil society support is the core of IMPACT’s mission through long-term and balanced support to individuals and organizations in the conflict and developed countries. IMPACT main areas of intervention is capacity building, research, peace building and diaspora engagement.
SCNP is a platform that was established late 2017 and aims to bring together rights-based Syrian diaspora and civil society networks and coalitions from a range of host countries. It serves as a cross-country, cross sector, and cross network coordination platform. SCNP’s network comprises over 127 organizations and stretches across the globe, members from Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Turkey, the UK and the US.

The Syrian Civil Society Network Platform (SCNP) acts as a space for coordination, prioritization, joint advocacy, and consensus-building by

1) Empowering the exchange and leveraging of resources among Syrian civil society networks across geographical areas and sectors “Information sharing”.

2)Enhancing Syrian civil society networks’ access and capacity to jointly engage with policymakers’ “Advocacy”.

3) Building members’ capacity to by improving the joint learning process and encouraging resource and practice sharing “Knowledge & Resource Building” And act synergistically to translate its collective knowledge into briefs and advocacy messages.

Purpose of the Assignment:

The primary objective of this assignment is to facilitate a series of online networking and experience-sharing sessions between Syrian local organizations and diaspora organizations. The goal is to foster mutual understanding of the proposed theme, collaboration, and knowledge exchange. This will support the trust building among Syrian civil society actors both in diaspora and inside Syria which allows them to jointly develop or align their strategies for addressing the challenges faced by Syrian communities.

Scope of Work:
The assignment is to provide approximately 10 working days of consultancy throughout 2 months. During this time, the consultant will work closely with the IMPACT team to develop the agenda for the thematic dialogue sessions, moderate and document the discussions, and finalize a report that includes key recommendations on how to build on this phase and outlines a vision for the next steps.
The consultant will lead the process of developing, facilitating, and documenting multiple thematic dialogue sessions. These sessions will bring together representatives of Syrian civil society actors, both inside and outside Syria, to foster discussions around key issues such as human rights, advocacy, social cohesion, and protection.

The consultant will ensure an inclusive, participatory approach to the dialogue sessions, aimed at building consensus, identifying common priorities, and documenting actionable outcomes for Syrian civil society coordination

The facilitator will be responsible for:

• Developing a concept note for each session in coordination with the project team, which aims to outline the objectives and guiding questions.
• Designing the sessions:developing a structured agenda for each dialogue session based on identified themes such as human rights, advocacy, social cohesion, and protection. Each session might include, but not be limited to, the following:

1. Introductions among the different participants.
2. Setting the stage to ensure all participants are on the same page regarding the objectives and pillars of the discussions.
3. Hosting an expert guest as an input speaker to provide insights that encourage engagement.

• Moderation: Facilitating interactive sessions that ensure open dialogue, a participatory environment, knowledge sharing, and collaboration among participants.
• Managing logistics: Coordinating session logistics, including scheduling, participant invitations, and technical arrangements.
• Ensuring inclusivity: Creating a safe and inclusive environment for all participants, regardless of their background or perspective.
• Documenting sessions: Capturing key discussions, outcomes, and recommendations from each session through detailed notes or reports.
• Producing a final report that summarizes the process and the main overall outcomes of the assignment, with a suggested plan for continued collaboration building on the current phase.

Assignment Components

Objectives:

1. Facilitate productive and engaging networking sessions among Syrian organizations.
2. Promote the exchange of knowledge and experiences between local and diaspora organizations.
3. Identify common challenges and opportunities for collaboration.
4. Develop recommendations for future collaboration and advocacy.

Methodology:

The facilitator will employ a participatory and inclusive approach, utilizing various facilitation techniques such as but not limited to:

1. Small group discussions: Breaking participants into smaller groups for focused discussions on specific topics.
2. World café: A method of open dialogue and knowledge sharing among multiple groups.
3. Case studies: Analyzing real-world examples to illustrate challenges and opportunities.
4. Brainstorming: Generating creative ideas and solutions through group discussions.
5. There will be a quiet space for creativity in this assignment, consultants are welcome to share their points of view on methodology in their technical offer.

Key Deliverables:

1. Methodology of building the series of sessions and a detailed work plan within the first week of the contracting period.
2. Session Concept note outlining the objectives and the guiding questions for each session to be discussed with IMPACT team
3. Session agendas: Detailed agendas for each session, outlining the objectives, topics, and activities.
4. Session notes: Comprehensive notes capturing key discussions, outcomes, and recommendations from each session.
5. Final report: A consolidated report summarizing the findings, recommendations, and action points from the series of sessions.

LOCATION:

Online platforms/Main virtual meetings are ZOOM Platform.

TIMEFRAME:

This is a short-term assignment for individual consultants for a period of 10 ten working days. Tentatively, this assignment will begin on October 25th, 2024.

Duties and Responsibilities:

1. Facilitation: Conduct the sessions in a professional, engaging, and inclusive manner.
2. Content: Ensure that the sessions align with the project objectives and address the identified themes.
3. Logistics: IMPACT will manage all logistical aspects of the sessions, including scheduling, choosing the participants, sending the invitations, and technical arrangements. The online platform will be provided by IMPACT.
4. Documentation: Take detailed notes and prepare comprehensive reports on the sessions.
5. Collaboration: Work closely with the project team to ensure the success of the sessions.

Skills and Competencies:

The facilitator should possess the following skills and competencies:

1. Facilitation skills: Proven experience in facilitating group discussions, workshops, and meetings. At least 5 years of experience in working with Civil society, and proven history in leading similar assignments.
2. Subject matter expertise: Knowledge of Syrian context, civil society, and human rights issues. Experience with other context is an added value
3. Intercultural communication: Ability to effectively communicate with individuals from diverse backgrounds.
4. Organizational skills: Strong planning, organizational, and time management skills.
5. Technical proficiency: Familiarity with virtual meeting platforms and tools.
6. Language skills: Excellent written and oral communication skills. Fluency in Arabic is required. English language fluency is preferred.

TECHINCAL PROPOSAL:

The technical proposal should include but not limited to the following information:

1. A brief outline of recent experience and client references in carrying out assignments of a similar nature (Max. 1 pages)
2. Detailed description of how the consultant/firm understands and will respond to the ToR including an initial training outline and a time frame (for the workshop and coaching sessions)
3. Curriculum Vitae of facilitator.

FINANCIAL PROPOSAL:

The financial proposal must contain overall quotation in USD for all the services to be provided and must follow the following:

1. Summary of the total costs for the services proposed.
2. An itemized breakdown of the costs associated with each training day and each follow-up session.
3. Any taxes if applicable.

PROPOSED PAYMENT SCHEDULE:

The payment will be released 100% after completing the assignment.

Scoring Criteria:

Evaluation of proposals: will be weighted as follows:

1. Financially 20%.
2. Technically 80% will be distributed as follows:

• Moderation Skills and Context Knowledge: positive experience working on similar tasks and: Familiarity with the Syrian context, civil society and diaspora roles, experience from other contexts is an added value. the region’s specifics and proven experience within this context 20%.
• Themes Expertise: Depth of knowledge in one or more of the mentioned themes experiences 20%.
• Facilitation Experience and Skills: Demonstrated proficiency and effectiveness in managing dialogue sessions and facilitation 20%.
• Proposal Assessment: How well the proposed outline aligns and responds to the stated objectives 20%.