Now hiring: Peace First Fellowship - Community Lead

About Peace First:

Peace First was founded in 1992 at Harvard University upon a simple idea: if we are going to solve the world’s greatest problems, we must support this generation of young people with the skills and commitments to solve problems by connecting across lines of difference with compassion, standing up for ideals and others with courage, and creating collaborative change.

Currently, there are 1.6 billion young people, ages 13-25, around the world. They care deeply about what’s going on, they have boundless ideas on how to solve injustices and are ready to act yet seldom are they asked by adults what they think or, better yet, supported in bringing their ideas to life. Few have access to tools, mentors, and resources to turn their ideas into reality. This is the divide we bridge.

Peace First provides a blended digital design platform where young people can imagine and create powerful innovations to solve real problems in the world. In addition to digital design tools, we provide mentors, connections with young people from over 160 countries, and small start-up grants of $250 to support launching their projects. All of this takes place on the Peace First digital platform — the world’s largest marketplace for youth-led social change initiatives.

A key element of our strategic plan is to build out our team of talented professionals. We actively recruit, retain, and develop a multicultural and dynamic workforce that effectively and efficiently meets the wide spectrum of young people's needs across the globe. We believe that an inclusive and open environment fosters creativity, contributes to the quality of our work, and provides growth opportunities for all employees. To that end, we are seeking individuals who are excited about fostering this inclusive culture and working in an entrepreneurial environment where there is an immediate opportunity to have a tangible impact on organizational direction and achievement.

WHAT WE DO!

At Peace First, we support young people to create changemaking projects – projects that address an injustice (a social problem that causes harm or creates inequity, such as violence, poverty, or racism) in their community through compassion, courage, and collaborative leadership – on our digital platform, PeaceFirst.Org. We take them through a 5-stage journey to choose an injustice, understand why it occurs, plan a project that will make a difference, act on their plan, and reflect on their work. We target our recruitment efforts to young people who aren’t often called on to be changemakers – those who might not otherwise have access to resources.

Along the way, we provide access to digital design tools, feedback and mentors, a global community of young people, and up to $250 mini-grants to support their work.

Our work is powered by the expertise and leadership of a team of Peace First regional managers, fellows and ambassadors who are experienced youth changemakers and they lead our work in the various regions where we work - Asia/Oceania, Middle East and North Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, UK/Europe, and US and Canada.

As a Peace First Fellow, you will be working directly with the Regional Manager for your region. If you’re passionate about the idea of helping young people make a difference, and excited about the everyday work of recruiting, coaching, and building relationships – with both a lot of autonomy and a lot of support – then this might be a perfect opportunity for you.

WHAT YOU WILL DO!

Supported by the Regional Manager in your region, you will co-lead the implementation of Peace First programs and help young people in your region start and lead hundreds of changemaking projects. You’ll support them to generate new and innovative ideas for social problems, create impact in their community, and change the way the world sees young people. Much of this work takes place online, through our digital platform at PeaceFirst.Org, which means you have to be highly comfortable communicating digitally. While no two weeks will look the same, here are the things you can expect to be doing on a regular basis:

Support: Facilitate young people’s progress through the Peace First Challenge, providing feedback, support, and encouragement to young people as they design and carry out changemaking projects. This will be the most significant area of work for Community Leads, and will take place predominantly online through the PeaceFirst.Org digital platform.

Connect: Lead community management efforts on PeaceFirst.Org, implementing our community management protocols and upholding our community norms to build relationships and connections between changemakers and ensure safeguarding of all users

Coach: Plan and facilitate workshops and trainings that support young people to launch, lead, and scale change making projects, both in-person and online from our Peace First Labs that help young people start projects.

Design: Serve as lead designers for Peace First’s platform and programs, providing feedback and insights to inform continued development of our tools, resources, and supports for young people, and participating in other organizational design and decision-making processes as needed

Build: Drive the organizational efforts in building Peace First global community through organizing and creating spaces for young people to meet and network, which will contribute in building an eco-system that provides peer-peer virtual learning opportunities.
Inspire: Lead efforts to activate young people in your assigned region to join our change making community and start a change making project, with a focus on activating young people who may not otherwise have the resources and opportunities to do change making work.
Storytelling: Support Peace First storytelling efforts that aim to amplify the stories of young people and their projects, and the impact we are having on their communities through their leadership and innovation.

Below is the specific scope of your work as a fellow. Each fellow will set specific, measurable, time-bound goals with their Regional Manager:

Regional Program & Community Management

Recruit teams of young people to start their social change projects on PeaceFirst.Org through partnerships with youth-serving organizations and direct youth engagement.
Support teams of young people to complete projects that are impactful, thoughtful, and in line with our values, by providing coaching through our digital platform, reviewing and approving mini-grant requests, and connecting young people to one another and to resources from Peace First and our partners. This will be the core focus, though not the sole focus of the fellow (Community Lead).
Build credibility, visibility, and sustainability in the region through strategic partnerships and storytelling work.
Capture young people stories of impact through implementing their changemaking projects after receiving Peace First support, and constantly contributing to the organizational storytelling efforts by collecting and supporting young people to create the authentic stories of their projects.
Lead and deliver on regional events and interactions with young people and regional partners, either through labs, info sessions or impact rooms.
Conduct safety and risk assessments to all projects received to ensure the safety of young people and to measure risks associated with project implementations.
Manage Peace First digital regional community, and create regular spaces for them to connect, engage and meet each other virtually, or in-person.

Program Administration and Finance’

Review and submit mini-grants applications to regional managers for approvals through our finance management system (Nexonia), while ensuring that expenses are appropriately allocated and coded in Nexonia and according to restrictions when necessary.
Keeping the Mini-Grants tracker (where we track young people information for the verification and coaching calls) up to date, while ensuring quality and clarity of data tracked on it.
Monitoring and tracking all the events, ambassadors, and partnerships of the region on the Program Global Tracker, and keeping it always up-to-date.

Learning & Process Improvement

Support the Regional Manager in identifying opportunities for program improvements and growth inside the region.
Collaborate with the Regional Managers and the Global Director of Programs to work on program design projects, sourcing ideas/inputs from ambassadors and the other key stakeholders to build or modify pieces of our program.
Help in identifying any gaps, or issues on our platform, and support the program team in reporting and providing feedback when necessary.
Contribute to program design efforts by sharing observations, learning, and ideas in collaborative design processes facilitated by the program leadership team.

WHAT YOU WILL GAIN!

The Community Lead role, a paid, five-months position with Peace First, is an unparalleled opportunity to build your skills and networks as an emerging leader -- and set you up for a career of lifelong leadership for social change. Through this fellowship, you will be able to:

Upgrade your leadership profile: as a fellow you will be recognized as a youth leader within your region offering coaching to young people seeking to start their changing-making journey. In addition, you’ll join a community of former Peace First fellows and alumni who will become part of your personal network of peers and mentors.

Build a diverse skill set: In your day-to-day work, you’ll hone your skills at program design, facilitation and training, grantmaking, organizing, and more. Community Leads will also have opportunities to interact with and learn about the other operational areas of a global nonprofit, and regularly meet with and work alongside members of our senior team.
Build a regional network with a global outlook: As a Community Lead for Peace First, you’ll connect with our active community of changemakers (ambassadors and grantees), while also strengthening our visibility and credibility through working with current and potential partner organizations in your region to elevate our impact and your profile as a young social innovator and leader.

Access support and coaching: The Regional Manager and program leadership members will be a constant source of support and feedback, and Community Leads will have regular touch points with the Global Director of the Programs, the Co-CEO on programs & technology and other senior leaders of the Peace First team. Besides that, each fellow will be assigned a peer mentor from the program team to support them in their day-day work and also in the leadership development.
Community of practice: Through retreats and constant virtual communication, Community Leads will build a tight-knit community, offering a space for you to work through challenges, share joys, process frustrations, brainstorm new ideas, learn new things, and feel supported, valued, and championed.

Represent Peace First at special events (seminars, forums, conferences). As a regional fellow, you will have access to attend diverse networking events and speaking engagements inside and outside your region where you can build on your own personal brand and social capital. In addition, Peace First encourages and supports fellows taking the initiative to participate in events they find and propose to increase Peace First visibility in the region.

Contribute to co-designing and innovating the work that Peace first does in each region. As you work with the regional manager, you will have a say in the regional strategic work, allowing you to further expand your impact and profile in your region.

Finally, as we are relaunching our Peace First fellowship program, this will be an opportunity to contribute to its co-design process, giving you the opportunity to leave your personal mark for future fellows.

WHO YOU ARE!

You are a changemaker– meaning that in everything you do you act with our core values:

Compassion: You seek out and listen to the perspectives of others, and recognize the inherent dignity of every person.
Courage: You speak out for what is right, even when it is risky.
Collaboration: You bring others together to make change

You have led a change making project– meaning that, over a sustained period of time, you have:

Identified an injustice in your community that was causing harm or inequity.
Talked to others to understand the root causes and come up with a solution.
Built a team and worked with them to create a plan for bringing your solution to life.
Implemented your solution and created meaningful, measurable change.
Reflected on your work and identified what you have learned and would have done differently, and how you might work to remedy the injustice in the future through this or another project.

Please note: A successful changemaking project does not have to be “grand” in terms of size or scope. Rather, we’re most impressed by projects that are a true reflection of compassion, courage, and collaboration and create impact at any scale.

You are a youth movement leader – meaning you:

Can connect to and build relationships and trust with all kinds of young people (16 to 25 years old) including across lines of difference (ethnic, political, religious, gender, etc.).
Communicate in a clear and engaging way with young people, and are comfortable doing so primarily online
Have a track record of mobilizing and leading other young people, and inspiring other young people to become leaders themselves
Can provide flexible, adaptive support and advice to young people that is aligned with their needs and goals for their projects and communities
Believe deeply in the power of young people to lead and make change, right now
Experience coaching, mentoring or facilitating learning for young people is a plus.

You are a great team member– meaning you can:

Work well with others who have very different perspectives and experiences
Act with integrity at all times
Have a positive, problem-solving mindset
Able to led co-designing processes, that is youth-centered.

You can co-lead Peace First’s growth in your region, meaning you:

Have a clear understanding of, and connection to, other youth-led movements in your region
Have a high level of intercultural competency and are able to build relationships across lines of difference with curiosity, humility, and clarity
Can identify cultural and political differences between different communities and countries in your region and incorporate this knowledge into your practice

You can successfully implement our programs, meaning you:

Can successfully manage multiple projects, prioritizing and pay attention to detail
Are creative, flexible, and open to change
Are comfortable with doing your work largely online, and have experience learning new technology quickly
Are willing to take on any task, big or small -- and can move easily between the high-level strategic work of program design, processing mini grants and administrative functions of the job such as collecting documents or reviewing data, etc.

You meet the following eligibility criteria:

Based in the region you are applying to be a Peace First Fellow at.
Have served as a Peace First Ambassador in the last 3 years, and you have been actively engaged in your role.
You are under the age of 29, by the time you apply.
Fluent in English. Fluency or proficiency in any local languages of your region is highly desirable as well.
Have reliable access to fast, stable internet (assuming the cost of internet access is covered)
Able to commit to at least five months as a Community Lead, beginning February 2023
Should have a laptop and access to very fast internet connection.

Terms of the Peace First Fellows

Peace First Fellows (Community Leads), will be selected for five-months.
Each Community Lead (Fellow) will receive a living stipend that varies based on location. The stipend takes into consideration the cost of living, local compensation for part-time employees, local taxes, and local purchasing power.
Peace First will also provide an additional $50USD/month stipend for tech and internet expenses. Peace First will also cover all of the travel expenses incurred on the job.
Peace First Fellows will have access to $500USD in professional development to use within the organizational guidelines to improve and develop job-related competences.
Community Leads report to the Regional Managers designated for their region.

How to Apply

To apply, you need to fill out this application. Applications are due by Dec 15th.

If you have any questions, please email us at programs@peacefirst.org with the subject line: Peace First Fellowship Applications.

Compensation and Benefits

This is a part-time position (20h/week). Salary will be adjusted based on location, local cost of living and purchasing power. Peace First also offers a competitive and comprehensive benefits package.

Location

Since this is a remote part-time job, candidates can be from any part of the region they are applying for. (Unfortunately, candidates who are based inside a US-Sanctioned countries are not eligible to apply)

Our Process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until the position is filled. Peace First is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious creed, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, military service, age, ancestry, or disability. For more information, please go to www.peacefirst.org. 

We actively recruit, retain, and develop a multicultural and dynamic workforce that effectively and efficiently meets the wide spectrum of young people's needs across the globe. We believe that an inclusive and open environment fosters creativity, contributes to the quality of our work, and provides growth opportunities for all employees.