Spread the word: Recruiting new members Youth Advisory Committee (YAC)
To give young people a voice in its policy processes, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), in collaboration with the National Youth Council, has set up the Youth Advisory Committee (YAC). After a successful 20-month pilot of the international Youth Advisory Committee (YAC), coordinated by The National Youth Council (NJR), the YAC will be continued: applications for the second YAC cohort are open as of March 13.
The Youth Advisory Committee, currently consisting of 10 young people from 10 different countries, advices the MFA on different policy themes and strategies related to international cooperation, with a main focus on youth in the Horn of Africa, the Sahel and the MENA region.
The YAC has collaborated with policy officers on themes such as digitalisation, strengthening civil society, comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) and shelter in the region. YAC members have also participated in policy consultations for, among other things, the ministry’s Africa strategy and have spoken on several on- and offline events.
The International Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) contributes to achieving the ambitions outlined in the Youth at Heart strategy and ensures that NL MFA policies are better geared to match the reality of young people in the focus regions and beyond.
“I definitely recommend this collaboration, because it brings new insights, strengthens the youth lens in policy and programs, but above all these young people are incredibly inspiring.”
A successful pilot
Senior Policy Officer Marian Noppert engaged with the YAC last year. The Committee advised her team on the new Theory of Change and recommendations for the country programs for the second phase of the PROSPECTS Partnership.
Noppert found it to be a “very valuable cooperation with driven young people with a lot of knowledge and experience, who can advise NL MFA on policy and programs.” She is pleased with the partnership with the YAC: “I definitely recommend this collaboration, because it brings new insights, strengthens the youth lens in policy and programs, but above all these young people are incredibly inspiring.”
The second cohort
The second cohort of the International YAC will be composed of past YAC members and newly recruited members, with the intention of fostering a dynamic between senior and junior members. Applicants for the new international YAC have to be between 18-29 years of age as of March 23rd, 2023 and ideally reside in one of the focus regions: the Sahel, Horn of Africa, Middle East, Northern Africa, or the Netherlands
The vacancy can be found via this link on the website of the National Youth Council. The application windows closes March 24, 2023 at 23:59 CET.
