Applications are now open for the 2012 Asia Pacific Youth Network Youth Ambassador program.
This is the third cycle of APYN Youth Ambassadors! Click here to read about the Youth Ambassador experience!
The deadline for application is 10 April 2012 11:30pm Hong Kong time. Incomplete applications and ones submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
While this is a great opportunity, we are warning you that it’s a lot of work!
What’s this all about?
The APYN Youth Ambassador initiative is a leadership learning and networking opportunity for young people in Asia Pacific who want to develop their leadership skills with APYN and campaigns for social change. Youth Ambassadors are volunteers. They do not recieve payment. All successful Ambassadors must commit for a period of 18 months, from selection announcement until December 2013.
Over an 18 month period, you will work with young human rights activists/advocates/interested individuals from across the Asia Pacific Region to develop your own projects in one of the following streams: 1) Local Community; 2) Regional Campaign; and 3) Online Facilitation. Click here to read about the details of the project streams.
We know it sounds like a lot, but don’t worry! You will be supported with guidance and training to ensure you have all the skills to complete your projects! Here is an overview of support and training for leadership & campaigning:
- Peer support groups: Ambassadors will be divided in peer-support groups based on your streams for support and guidance from your peers and your Co-Facilitator (an experienced APYN youth leader!). Co-Facilitators will mentor Youth Ambassadors and facilitate them to implement their action plans, monitor the project, and evaluate the work in the end of the 18 month period;
- Skills training
- Campaigning exposure period for 3 months: Co-Facilitators will plan 2 to 3 campaigning activities for Youth Ambassadors to implement. The purpose here is for Youth Ambassadors to get some practical experience and see how they can overcome certain challenges.
- Support from local community organization/partner: All Youth Ambassadors need to seek support from a local community organization/partner as part of the application process. Local community organizations/partners will provide guidance and support at the local level (ie. providing meeting space or advice on the local context)
Click here to see what life will be like for Youth Ambassadors for the 18 month period.
By the end of the program…
And your leadership does not end after December 2013! All Co-Facilitators and Youth Ambassadors who complete their projects are expected to stay with APYN and take on governance responsibilities. This means defining APYN’s strategic direction, maintaing APYN’s operations, and of course, running the next round of Youth Ambassadors to create more youth leaders!
How do YOU(th) become a Youth Ambassador?
1. Read this page again to get a clear understanding of the program, especially the different project streams and what is expected from you as a Youth Ambassador.
2. All Youth Ambassadors are required to have support from a local community organization – except for Online Facilitation project Ambassadors. Find an organization that will mentor and support you at the local level for 18 months! Click here for detailed information about local community organizations.
3. Complete the application form below. The deadline for application is 10 April 2012 11:30pm Hong Kong time. Incomplete applications and ones submitted after the deadline will not be considered.
4. Co-Facilitators will contact shortlisted candidates for online interviews by April 16, 2012.
5. We will announce successful candidates in early May 2012. If your application is not successful, there are still many other ways to become an APYN youth leader!
What is the selection criteria?
Currently lives in Asia Pacific region and plans to until December 2013
- Aged between 16-30 years old at time of application
- Able to commit at least 3 to 5 hours a week to attend preparation and skills training workshops and delivering an action plan from April/May 2012 to the end of December 2013 and beyond
- Interested in developing leadership, campaigning and mobilization skills
- Enjoy working in teams and providing mutual support to team mates on projects
- Interested in mobilizing other young people for social change
- Currently involved in some form of youth network, in contact with young people in your own community
- Have ready internet access (able to access at least three times a week)
- Able to communicate in English (written and spoken)
- Preferred: Demonstrated involvement in 3 (regional network e.g. APYN) activities and/or active involvement in APYN over the past 18 months
What happens after the application?
Once your action plan is accepted, then a whole range of activities are ready to begin these include:
- Learning opportunities – skills training for human rights information, activism and mobilization skills!
- Sharing opportunities – online for lessons from other youth ambassadors, experience sharing and leadership discussions.
- Peer support clusters- for troubleshooting and coordinating activities and campaigning messages, sharing tools that you create (and accessing those that others do!), advice from others on the experience of implementing your action idea!
- Introductions and conversations with other young people interested in human rights (i.e. making some new friends and increase your networks)
- Implementing your action plan – working to make your idea happen!! And sharing things you learn and what you achieve with young people in the APYN
- Evaluating your work, helping evaluate others and sharing what you learn.
Think YOU got what it takes for this 18 month leadership program? Click here to immediately start your application process!
I am very interested in applying here, but the pressure to work right after graduating heeds me. I am so sorry.
Hello JB,
No worries! There are other ways to participate in APYN! What are you interested in?? How much time can you contribute every week? Let’s find something for ya!
Thanks,
APYN
My age is 28 years. But required age limit is 16 to 25.
Hello Pratip,
No worries! The age limit is actually 16 to 30 – please apply and encourage your friends to too!!
what country? please pm me on my email address give above. thanks:))
I’m Lims Thomas doing my masters in Social Work in India.I would like to apply for this.
Will you able to help me
Thanking You
Hello, I intend to join this program. But, I am still confused with the framework of it. I mean how this program will work? Will we stay in our city and do the project online?
I need a certainty.
Thank you before
Hello Nhey,
Thanks for your questions! Your email address isn’t displayed here so we can’t PM you!
To answer your question briefly, this is open to anyone who is currently living in Asia Pacific – and will live in the region for the next 18 months. Right now, there are young people in 29 countries in Asia Pacific who are involved with APYN; they are in Australia, Bangladesh, Bhutan, Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, China, Fiji, Hong Kong, India, Indonesia, Japan, Laos, Macau, Malaysia, Micronesia, Nepal, New Zealand, Mongolia, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.
Of course, applications are not only limited to these 29 countries in Asia Pacific! So please apply if you are in the region! Ask your friends to apply too!
If you have other questions you’d like to follow up with, send us an email at apyncampaigns@gmail.com – but don’t leave your email here!
Thanks!
APYN
Hello Lims,
That’s great! Always exciting to hear from friends in India! Here is how to apply:
1. Read the introduction of the initiative here http://bit.ly/yb9FB4
2. Read the three project streams to see which you’re most interested in here http://bit.ly/FPJMhG
3. Check out the timeline to get a rough idea of what life will be like for 18 months as a Youth Ambassador here http://bit.ly/FQdtgs
4. Follow the instructions and apply here http://bit.ly/yeaszt
Good luck! And encourage your friends to apply too!
Thanks,
APYN
Hello Gladis,
Thanks for your interest!
Basically, Youth Ambassadors will work in peer support groups based on their project stream (ie. Local Community peer support group, Regional Campaign peer support group, Online Facilitation peer support group) and each group will be facilitated by one Co-Facilitator. Youth Ambassadors will develop human rights projects individually and communicate with others in their peer support group online.
There are also 5 regional campaign activities that each Youth Ambassador will have to participate and organize. For example, you guys want to do a photo petition for World Habitat Day, you guys will plan this online, and implement it locally, so each Youth Ambassador will organize the same photo petition in their own community (ie. local community, online community, regional campaign team).
So you are more or less right, Youth Ambassadors will mostly communicate with each other online, but implement their projects locally, which is also how most region-wide campaigning and activism happen!
Hope this is now less confusing for you! If you have any other questions, feel free to leave a comment here!
Thanks!
Hi APYNCampaigns,
I wonder what kind of local community can support an ambassador, is it a NGO or something?
Hello Thanh,
Lovely to hear from you!
The role of local community organizations is to give advice and provide easy assistance to support Youth Ambassadors to complete their projects.
So, any group that has a good understanding of human rights activism in your local community would be ideal, or groups that you are currently involved with! Think of groups that understand your action plan idea and would give you the most strategic and useful advice about it.
When asking the group to support you, start by explaining to them what the Youth Ambassador initiative is, share your action idea, and tell them briefly what they have to do to support you. We are not asking for financial support, but just some assistance and strategic advice on the local community level. You may find this document – http://www.apyouth.net/wp-content/uploads/YA_partorgs.pdf – useful when you speak to them!
Hope this is helpful! If not, leave us a comment here anytime and we’ll try to get back to you as soon as possible!
Thanks,
APYN
Do we need to select local organisation working only for youths?
Hello Ram,
Nope! It could be any local community organization that wants to support you! We find it most useful when you are supported by an organization that you are currently involved with.
Thanks,
APYN
Hi APYN
If the candidate is choosen for this projects, how’s about the fee of transportation or any subsidies?
Hello Monkey,
Our past candidates actually didn’t spend a lot of money and most projects will happen either in local communities or online.
Hope this answers your questions!
Thanks,
APYN
Actually, i am seventeen (17) and i reduce my age 2yrs and according to my country’s calender i am complete 16 but according to English date i am just 15……what should i do ????? may i apply for application or not……
Hello Samundra,
Thanks for checking! The initiative is open to young people aged 16 to 30 years old according to the Gregorian calendar (or Western calendar).
The Youth Ambassador initiative is just ONE of the many leadership opportunities with APYN – there are many other activities that you can participate to gain skills in campaigning and mobilizing! Many activists have created human rights projects in their local communities without being a Youth Ambassador. Would this interest you?
Thanks,
APYN
I would like to play my role in the betterment of youth through this plateform.
Is there any update about the selection of Ambassadors for 2012???
Hello Joynul – Thanks for your comment! We are going through the selection process now and will contact all applicants as soon as we can! Thanks!