Youth Excel is seeking passionate advocates from the disability rights community in Europe and Eurasia to join our Council. As a member, you'll play a vital role in driving data-informed development and co-leading initiatives that empower young voices globally. If you're aged 18-35, active in youth-driven solutions, and eager to make a difference, nominate yourself for this two-year commitment. Engage with diverse perspectives, advocate for inclusive policies, and drive impactful change.

Youth Excel values the active participation and engagement of young leaders with disabilities to help shape overall program activities.

The GYAC will meet at least every 2 months and provide advice about strategic and tactical project decisions, and about Youth Excel’s approach to collaboration, learning, and adaptation.

Apply here

Deadline: January 7, 2024

About GYAC: 

The Global Youth Advisory Council (GYAC) is Youth Excel’s youth governance body that incorporates input from diverse youth leaders into project governance and decision-making. The GYAC provides input into the strategic and tactical project decisions, and to Youth Excel’s collaboration, learning, and adaptation approach.

By joining the GYAC you will: 

• Amplify youth voices by getting an opportunity to have your ideas and expertise incorporated into Youth Excel approaches and activities

• Engage in speaking opportunities to represent Youth Excel to diverse audiences, primarily through virtual sessions

• Expand your networks and get opportunities for collaboration with organizations across the globe

• Raise your profile and promote your youth development work externally through blogs and insight pieces on our website and social media channels 

About Youth Excel:

Youth Excel is a 5-year, USAID-funded project, and is a program that aims to strengthen the impact of youth programs through learning and research. Youth Excel will strengthen the capacity of youth-led and youth-serving organizations to do learning and research about their work, engage key adult stakeholders to advance youth programing agendas and policies and share findings from this project broadly. More information on the project can be found in The Youth Excel Fact Sheet.     

Commitments

Members of the advisory council should be prepared to make the following commitments:

• Approximately one-hour virtual meeting every 6 weeks.
• Monthly one-hour consortium meeting. 
• Periodic review of project update materials and/or briefing materials to aid in project decisions. 
• Quarterly extended learning meetings with the project team. 
• Colead public events though giving input and cofacilitation with the IREX team and the consortium partners. These events include but are not limited to the project kickoff event and data summits. 
• Periodically observe sessions of Youth Excel activities, such as issue-based collaborative networks activities.

Composition

The GYAC consists of 10 young leaders with experiences in diverse cross-sectoral development issues.

Membership criteria

• Authentic motivation to shape the global agenda on research and data-informed development and youth coleadership in global and local development. 
• Active in a youth group, organization, or movement advancing development solutions.
• Demonstrable experience or exposure to youth activities that leverage data, research, and learning to improve outcomes. 
• Able to communicate in English orally and in writing. Accommodation will be made for applicants who use sign language. The selection process will further intentionally prioritize identifying members who represent underrepresented/marginalized groups. 
• Able to engage and activate a diverse network of youth groups, institutions, and other stakeholders to seek input and share knowledge from Youth Excel. 
• Openness and respect for diverse perspectives and voices from other youth. 
• Commitment to serve on the GYAC for a term of 2 years. 
• GYAC members may serve no more than one 2-year term and must be 18–35 years old during their term in the council.
• GYAC members will adhere to the GYAC code of ethics in their role and use the Youth Excel PYD inclusive management principles and the youth brave spaces norms in their collaboration with other members of the GYAC.