Volunteers / Social Influencers

Project information 

The project aims to promote social cohesion amongst and between host communities and refugees in Lebanon and will be implemented over a period of 21 months. It has two specific objectives:

SO1. Cultivate collaborative and positive dialogues and narratives between communities across Lebanon;

SO2. Shift public perceptions towards greater trust and respect between communities across Lebanon;

Target groups 

The project will target a broad range of stakeholders including  local communities, refugees, municipalities, local influencers, bloggers, media influencers, the Lebanese ministries, and finally the peace building community in Lebanon. 

Methodology and Approach

The project will be implemented on a two year period, using a mixture of national multimedia campaigning and community-led dialogue initiatives to ensure a widespread perspective transformation and relation building. The initiatives will focus on key hotspot communities in the governorates of Akkar, North, Mount Lebanon, West and Central Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, and Beirut. The project will  be implemented using the following outputs:

Output 1.1 Research and analysis into linkages between strategic communications and social stability

Output 1.2 Team of Champions facilitate dialogue sessions and activities at community level

Output 2.1 National multimedia campaign targeting the population at-large and some key media stakeholders, national and sub-national government figures, top social media influencers, and CSOs

Output 2.2 Newsroom team and tension monitoring

Objectives of Champions

Search is seeking 24 local influencers, known as Champions, from different backgrounds and locations,  between the ages of 18 and 30 year old. The Champions will facilitate 10 dialogue sessions with 10 local community members, and plan and implement a community-led initiative in their communities. Search will provide each of the Champions and their teams with a mini-grant to implement a symbolic initiative in their communities. 

Search aims to build the Champions’ capacity in topics related to project management, dialogue facilitation, and support them in planning and facilitating the dialogue and community-led initiative sessions. The Champion will work closely with the Coaches, Project Officer, and the Search Lebanon team to ensure that all milestones are met.

Overall, the Champion aims to:

Map and meet stakeholders: to widen their network and engage stakeholders

Act as key players for peacebuilding, conflict transformation, and dialogue 

Support the wider newsroom and tensions monitoring  initiatives

Develop skills related to planning and facilitating dialogue sessions

Develop skills related to project management and implementing community-led initiatives

Guide community members with the dialogue sessions and community-led initiatives

Methodology and Approach

The Champions will recruit 10 local community members and use a participatory approach to facilitate community dialogue and community-led initiative sessions.  The topics will be based on a set of themes that will be adapted to accommodate to the community/group's needs and gaps, and can vary from: Gender tension and empowerment, the political situation, vulnerable communities, the economic situation, the refugee and host community dynamics, and other local and/or national concerns etc.

The Search approach is grounded in the guiding principles of our work: participatory, culturally sensitive, committed to building capacity, affirming and positive while honest and productively critical, and valuing knowledge and approaches from within the context. Search and the Champion will agree upon a joint set of standards when negotiating the final contract of agreement. The below principles should be taken into account:

Inclusiveness—the methodology should include a wide range of viewpoints, specifically gender, age, culture, and conflict-sensitivity when applicable.

Mixed-method approaches—both qualitative and quantitative methods need to be present in the methodology.

Rigor of evidence—gathered information needs to be reliable and transparent

Ethics—the methodology needs to consider ethics in order to insure that the evaluation is fully objective.

Expected  Deliverables

Attend Introductory Common Ground Approach Training 

Attend Intro to Facilitation and Media Training

Attend other Professional Training Workshops 

Follow-up and meet with the Coaches once a month and when needed

Recruit 10 local community members to attend the local dialogue and community-led initiative planning sessions.

Organize 10 Local Dialogue sessions with 10 local team members

Organize 10 Local Initiative planning sessions

Plan and implement Community-led Initiatives

Share a Monthly Report with the ‘Search’ team, with updates about the local situation + activities

Share a Tension Report when needed

Be part of the Media Newsroom and Tension Monitoring team

The sessions and the coaching will begin January 20th, 2020 and end February 21st 2021, totalling 13 month. All handwritten and electronic notes, handouts, materials, and reports, as well as, any equipment received from Search for the purpose of the consultancy are owned by Search and should be submitted to the project team. 

Logistical Support

Search Lebanon will provide the consultant with logistical support through:

Connect the Champions with the Coaches

Support the champions when needed, and if possible

Champions’s Qualifications

Search-Lebanon seeks a Champion with the following qualifications:

Age: 18 - 35 (preference)

Background: Lebanese, Syrian, Palestinian 

Proactive and self motivated, have some teamwork and leadership experience, such as volunteering, internships, and capacity development opportunities. 

Excellent interpersonal and networking skills, such as leadership, active listening, and clear communication

Ability to build trust with community members and municipality, while maintaining a professional relationship

Ability to be flexible with time and work schedule while being culturally sensitive 

Creative problem solving, particularly in challenging situations

Attention to detail and ability to meet tight deadlines

Experience working within their own local community. Experience working in the surrounding communities is a bonus

Knowledge of using social media

Strong verbal and written Arabic and English skills, to communicate and report 

Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

Passionate about creating a safe environment

Capacity to empathize with others

Candidates should be aware of the overall tension and situation between Lebanese and refugees communities, as well as, tensions within communities

Peacebuilding values and attitudes: a personal commitment to use nonviolence and dialogue as effective methods to prevent and resolve daily problems

In addition, the Champion is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:

●   Competence: Consultant should possess the abilities and skills and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of his or her professional training and competence.

●  Honesty and integrity: Consultant should be transparent with the contractor/constituent about: any conflict of interest, any change made in the negotiated project plan and the reasons why those changes were made, any risk that certain procedures or activities produce misleading review information.

●   Respect for people: Consultant respect the security, dignity and self-worth of the respondents, program participants. Consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences amongst participants in culture, religion, gender, disability, age and ethnicity.