Previous experience in coordinating large scale exhibitions/symposium etc. Please refer the job advert for further information.
Consultancy – Local Coordinator (Batticaloa District)
Project: It’s About Time: Traveling History Museum
Introduction
Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is a locally rooted, global peacebuilding organization, working in 33 countries. Our mission is to find local solutions to today’s toughest violent conflicts. With headquarters in Washington and Brussels, SFCG’s mission is to transform how individuals, organizations, and governments deal with conflict. We have been working in Sri Lanka since 2011 and have implemented a range of programs across the country covering different regions. At present SFCG is working on these four primary focus areas:
- Peace and Social Cohesion,
- Women Empowerment,
- Local Governance,
- Transforming Violent Extremism.
Background to the Project
This project is a continuation of the It’s About Time: Traveling History Museum initiative, implemented by Historicaldialogue.lk, which was a unit of the GIZ program Strengthening Reconciliation Processes in Sri Lanka (SRP). The current phase of “It’s About Time Traveling History Museum” will be implemented by Search for Common Ground (SFCG) with Collective for Historical Dialogue and Memory (CHDM) playing a technical advisory role and supported by GIZ under the program Strengthening of Social Cohesion and Peace in Sri Lanka (SCOPE).
This initiative, will mobilize a wide range of people, including children and students through the content of the museum, to question, debate and understand the impact of historical injustices, war and violence, as well as historical connections between Sri Lanka’s peoples to strengthen peace and reconciliation efforts under Search for Common Ground’s peacebuilding pillar. The museum will be a launching pad for conversations on systemic and structural issues of governance, equality and peace that complement and further Search’s existing work with youth, local government officials and women in particular.
The overall objective of this project is ‘strengthening social cohesion and peace in Sri Lanka by promoting a more inclusive and pluralistic public discourse on issues pertaining to Sri Lanka’s past’. This is supported through the following two complementary outcomes.
Outcome 1: Increased awareness and acceptance of diversity/pluralistic historical narratives and commonalities of Sri Lankans among the museum visitors.
Outcome 2: Enhanced social cohesion through community engagement and shared cultural and social understanding
Under this two-year project, there will be 6 mobile museums and each Museum will take place for a period of 8 days in the selected location. Search has conducted the first Museum in Kandy during the month of September 2023. The second and third Museums were held in Kurunegala and Badulla during the months of November 2023 and March 2024 respectively. During the museum, there will be other fringe events including film screenings, memory walks, story-telling sessions as well as other activities such as community dialogues, seed grant initiatives and social media campaign will also be running alongside and after the museum. In addition to that a ‘sounding board’ made up of community leaders, government officials, CSO activists etc. will be established at each location.
Target Group
- School children from grade 9 upwards from the surrounding areas and/or division through zonal education ministry circular. Facilitate visits from more rural areas as well.
- University and vocational training students if tertiary educations centers are easily accessible to the selected localities
- Members of youth clubs, youth parliamentarians and other youth led networks that are present in the locations
- People from the vicinity/division
- Groups that Search has worked with over the years for instance Youth, Elected Women leaders, CSO members, Inter-religious leaders etc.
About the Assignment:
- Search for Common Ground, Sri Lanka is recruiting an agency or an individual to work as a local coordinator in the Batticaloa District during the fourth mobile museum for a period of 3 months (May 2024 to August 2024). This Terms of Reference (TOR) will detail out the key deliverables of the local coordinator.
Key Deliverables:
- Meet school principals and history teachers, Training College principals and teachers in Batticaloa and surrounding areas and plan a schedule for school children to visit the Mobile Museum.
- Meet relevant businesses in the area/ chambers of commerce/ journalists/CSOs/Government officials to create awareness about the Mobile Museum in Batticaloa.
- Support the Search team to implement the museum during the museum days.
- Coordinate Deep Dialogues with selected participants who will be identified in consultation with the Search team.
- Support the Search team after the museum for the post museum events. (arranging the closing ceremony, museum review meeting etc.)
Ideal Candidate should:
- Have close links with the Provincial, Zonal Education Departments and with School Principals in Batticaloa district.
- A good connection to different community groups (religious and ethnic) around Batticaloa Town vicinity.
- Links to business community in the area/ chambers of commerce and other
- Previous experience in coordinating large scale exhibitions/symposium etc.
- Contacts with local media stations and journalists in radio/newspapers etc.
- Excellent communication skills
Supervision of the consultant and quality assurance:
- The consultant/agency will be directly working with the Program Manager and Project Coordinator of the Traveling Museum Project.
Liability and Ownership Rights
- The consultant will adhere to and comply with the internal rules and regulations of the contractor in respect of professional activities.
- The ownership of all items within the Mobile Museum remains under the ownership of Collective for Historical Dialogue and Memory (CHDM), unless specifically mentioned by the contractor. The service provider shall not grant any interviews or make any statements to the press or any other medium of public communication concerning or relating to the assignment and the contractor without the specific and prior authorization of the contractor.
Consultancy Time period:
- 13th May 2024 to 10th August 2024
- (The Travel Museum in Batticaloa will take place in month of July – any changes to the timeline will be shared with the consultant)
How to Apply:
Interested candidates should send:
- Your CV/ if it is an agency, the profile and CVs of team members.
- A short cover letter explaining how the applicant meets the qualifications, experience and skills requirements and state previous experience in similar work
- A detailed quotation for the above-mentioned deliverables.
- NIC copy if it is an individual or a copy of the business registration if it is an agency.
Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the selection process.
Search for Common Ground is an equal opportunities employer. All recruitment will occur in line with our Diversity and Inclusion, and Safeguarding policies.
Search Sri Lanka is committed to create a diverse, inclusive and equitable environment for its employees and encourages all candidates irrespective of race, religion or belief, caste, national, social or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, physical, mental or sensory disability, HIV status, marital status, pregnancy, family or parental status.
Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conduct its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.
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