Young Pacific Leaders Conference 2018/2019

Description

U.S. Embassy New Zealand announces an open competition for organizations interested in submitting proposals to organize a comprehensive program designed to provide emerging Pacific leaders with the skills and knowledge they need to become leaders in the region’s economic and civic development. As a Pacific nation, the United States has long been committed to working with partners in the region to ensure continued regional security, as well as economic growth and development. This program for young leaders will create ties across the Pacific to ensure that we are better prepared to address challenges together in the future. The State Department has convened a Young Pacific Leaders (YPL) Conference each year for the past five years, taking place in American Samoa, Samoa, New Zealand, and Hawaii, all with the goal of building leadership capacity and creating ties among emerging leaders from across the Pacific region (see below for a list of participating countries). This year, the conference should bring together a group of emerging leaders, ages 25-35, with the goal of providing them with practical leadership skills and a deeper knowledge of regional issues related to the four pillars of the YPL program: civic leadership, environment/resource management, education, and economic and social development. The conference should also help participants grow their networks and enable them to work with their peers on issues that affect the region. The conference should emphasize experiential learning and capacity building in order to equip participants with the tools they need for success. The location of the conference should be either in the United States or the Pacific region and should be selected based on needs of the program, including ease of travel, as well as an opportunity to showcase connections between the United States and the Pacific Island nations. Goals of the conference should include: · Developing the ability of youth in the Pacific Islands, and indigenous youth in Australia and New Zealand, to become economic and civil society leaders who cooperate across the region to address difficult issues. · Ensuring that emerging Pacific Islands leaders see the United States as a partner in solving regional and global challenges. · Building a shared Pacific identity among emerging leaders. Not-for-profit organizations or universities (see C. Eligibility Information) are invited to submit a proposal that describes how each of the following activities will be administered: · Design and implement a 3-4 day program for young leaders between February 2019 and April 2019. Demonstrating planned coordination with partner organizations knowledgeable in the region is highly encouraged. · The program should accommodate at least one or two delegates from the following countries: Australia, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, New Zealand, Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu. Delegates may include alumni of the previous YPL conferences. U.S. Embassy New Zealand is able to provide contact information for alumni delegates. Proposals should include a plan for identifying and selecting delegates, in partnership with the U.S. embassies in the Pacific region. · Delegates should be drawn from Pacific Islands youth, including diaspora populations living in Australia and New Zealand, and Maori, Aboriginal, and Torres Strait Islander peoples. They should be between the ages of 25-35 who have a track record of making an impact in their community, institution, or company and who have at least two years of professional experience. Proficiency in English and citizenship in one of the participating countries is also required. · The program should include substantive interaction with U.S. Government representatives as well as non-government organizations, businesses and think tanks that focus on the Pacific, particularly in the areas comprising the predetermined thematic areas. · The program should also include experiential learning activities, enabling delegates to immerse themselves in relevant areas of the host-country’s community, as pertains to the thematic areas. · Proposals are encouraged to include opening and closing events, to include key speakers and a broader cross section of the host-country community. · Participants and leaders should have formal and informal opportunities to network with each other to develop collaborative relationships that will persist after the conference’s conclusion. · Proposals should explain how participants will be assisted in continuing and building upon the connections and learnings made during the program, and should describe how alumni of the program will be encouraged to continue to build upon their relationships and implement ideas developed at the event. · Proposals should include management of travel and lodging logistics for all participants, speakers, and staff, as well as venue(s). Proposals must show how grant funds will be used to cover the cost of the venue, transportation, visas, travel insurance, lodging, and meals or per diem for eligible participants, speakers, and staff. All travel funded under the grant agreement should be economy class and must comply with Fly America requirements. · Proposals should include a plan for publicizing both the application opportunity as well as the conference, to include both traditional and social media, as appropriate, in partnership with the U.S. embassies located in the Pacific region. · Proposals should include a plan for evaluating the program’s goals, including pre- and post-event surveys of participants. · Proposals should include a description of the applicant’s experience with U.S.-Pacific relations, youth leadership development, and event organization as well as experience in and/or ties with organizations in the Asia-Pacific or other international expertise.

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