The right of each and every child to play, recreation and sport in a safe and healthy environment is enshrined in Article 31 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. Playing and having access to safe and inclusive sports cannot be a privilege of few, but a fundamental right of each child and adolescent.

The unique ability of sports to transcend linguistic, cultural and social barriers makes it an excellent platform for strategies of inclusion and adaptation. Furthermore, the universal popularity of sport and its physical, social and economic development benefits make it an ideal tool for fostering the inclusion and well-being of children and adolescents living with disability by empowering them to realize their full potential and advocate for changes in society. Persons with disabilities often face societal barriers and disability evokes negative perceptions and discrimination in many societies. Georgia is not an exception to this case, where as a result of the stigma associated with disability and lack of adapted physical environment, young people with disabilities often face barriers to access to education, employment and community life which deprives them of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being.

According to the results of the monitoring of the youth services conducted by the local NGO "Accessible Environment for All" with the support of UNICEF in 2012, out of 400 youth services in Georgia only 8 were partially or fully adapted to the needs of young people living with disabilities, and none of them offered inclusive sports opportunities. Within the framework of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs of Georgia (MoSY) and UNICEF on Safe and Inclusive Sports, the Ministry expresses willingness to establish and support functioning of the first ever Inclusive Youth Sports Centre in Georgia on the compounds of its LEPL "Children and Youth National Centre" (CYNC) which will be dedicated to serving both those children and adolescents living with and without disabilities.

This initiative will provide an inclusive and accessible facility empowering young people with and without disabilities and supporting their physical and emotional development, also challenging the misconceptions of disability within the community by overcoming negative stereotypes, and highlighting young people's ability rather than their disability.

Position: National Consultancy for the Development of the Concept and Program for Inclusive Youth Sports Centre

Objective/goal of the consultancy:

The objective of the consultancy is to develop a concept and a comprehensive program for the Inclusive Youth Sports Centre to be established at the compounds of the LEPL "Children and Youth National Centre" in Tbilisi, which will provide opportunities for youth to participate in recreational sport for fun, as well as training for competitive athletes.

Scope of work and key tasks:

The national consultant will be expected to work closely with the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs, CYNC, UNICEF, other key government stakeholders and non-governmental organizations working on the issues of disability, inclusive education and sports in Georgia. CYNC will be responsible for arranging individual or group consultative meetings with the aforementioned key stakeholders.

The following is the list activities to be undertaken by the national consultant and the tentative timeframe:

** Desk review of the globally available best practices on Inclusive Youth Sports Centers / Services (3 days)

** Individual and group meetings with the aforementioned key stakeholders (4 days)

** Development of the concept and program for Inclusive Youth Sports Center (7 days)

** Cost estimation for the 'soft' component / programmatic side of the Inclusive Youth Sports Center / Services (ex: running costs, salaries of the personnel, etc.) for the period of one year (3 days)

The consultant will also be expected to work closely with an architect hired by UNICEF at a later stage to ensure that the Inclusive Youth Center Concept / Program is properly translated into the architectural design of the Center (2 days).

Final deliverables/ expected outputs: Upon completion of the assignment the national consultant will be expected to deliver the following products:

** Brief overview of the world best practices: summaries of different approaches, models, programs;

** A concept / detailed program for the Inclusive Youth Sports Centre including but not limited to the following components: a) aims and objectives of the Inclusive Youth Sports Centre; b) target groups and capacity of the Centre; c) activities / services to be offered by the Centre; d) required staffing / professionals; e) required equipment, etc.

** Cost estimates for the operation of the Inclusive Youth Sports Centre required for the period of one year.

Supervision and reporting responsibility:

Day-to-day work of the national consultant will be supervised by UNICEF Georgia Project Officer responsible for adolescent and youth development issues and UNICEF Social Welfare Officer with overall supervision from the Deputy Representative. The consultant will also be expected to work on a daily basis with the appointed representative from the LEPL "Children and Youth National Centre" and MoSY.

Incumbent's performance will be evaluated against the following criteria: timeliness, responsibility, initiative, communication, and quality of the products delivered. UNICEF reserves the right to withhold all or a portion of payment if performance is unsatisfactory, if work/outputs is incomplete, not delivered or for failure to meet deadlines.

Estimated duration of the contract: The contract will be issued for the period of November 2013 for the total number of 19-20 working days.

Remuneration and payment method:

The service payment in GEL will be effected by UNICEF on the bases of the deliverables articulated in the contract upon satisfactory performance and delivery of high quality services based on the provided outputs.

Termination of the contract:

The contract may be terminated by either party before its expiry date by giving a 3-day notice in writing to the other party. However, in the event of termination on the ground of misconduct, UNICEF will be entitled to terminate the contract without notice. In such case, the Contractor will be compensated on a pro-rata basis for no more than the actual amount of work completed to the satisfaction of UNICEF.

Qualification requirements:

** Education: Advanced university degree in social sciences or related field. Specialized training in inclusive education and sports is highly desired.

** Work experience: Five to ten (5-10) years of progressively responsible professional experience on working with children and adolescents on disability issues, inclusive education and sports.

Key competencies:

** Current knowledge of global developments and approaches in inclusive youth services and/or sports education;

** Good knowledge and understanding of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, Convention on the Rights of Persons with ** Disabilities, Sport for All agenda and other related documents / initiatives;

** Proven ability to conceptualize, develop, plan and manage activities within the framework of organizational and government programs.

** Good analytical, networking, communication and writing skills.

** Languages: Fluency in Georgian and English languages is required.

How to apply:

Interested candidates are kindly requested to submit their Curriculum Vitae, Completed UN Personal History Form P11 and indication of the daily rate for the services offered, CV and Cover Letter by e-mail at hrtbilisi@unicef.org with Ref. subject: National Consultancy - Inclusive Youth Sports Centre. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Application deadline is COB 6 November, 2013. Only short-listed applicants will be contacted.

source: jobs.ge