Events Planning and Design Services 
EU Scholarship Programme for Cypriot Youth at UWC

The EU Scholarship Programme for Cypriot Youth at UWC is looking for events planning experts to support the coordination of events logistics and experience design for the United for Peace Youth Leadership Forum in 2024.

Introduction

The EU Scholarship Programme for Cypriot Youth at UWC aims to contribute to building a bridge of mutual understanding between Cypriot communities. Since 2019, the European Union has been providing Cypriot students with scholarships to study at a UWC school in Europe (Italy, the Netherlands, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Germany) as well as to participate in UWC short courses, both online and residential, in Cyprus and abroad; and bi-communal youth engagement activities in Cyprus. At present, the programme has reached over 1000+ youth, as well as an extended community of family members, educators, and other actors in the youth education field.

The EU Scholarship Programme is funded under the Aid Programme for the Turkish Cypriot community aiming at facilitating reunification of Cyprus by encouraging economic development of the Turkish Cypriot community, with particular emphasis on improving contacts between the two communities and with the EU. 

UWC

UWC (United World Colleges) is a global movement that makes education a force to unite people, nations and cultures for peace and a sustainable future. UWC has a network of 18 international schools on four continents, with volunteer-run national committees in more than 155 countries and territories, and offers several short courses that benefit more students around the world. 

With a shared goal of working towards global peace and sustainability, we bring together young people from around the world to study in one of our 18 schools. There, they don’t just learn how to be great at passing exams; they learn how to communicate across cultural boundaries. They develop the skills to be changemakers and design and engage in initiatives that transform their lives and the lives of those around them for the better. And they stay a “UWC-er” for life, becoming part of a global community of over 60,000 changemakers transforming the lives of others.

The ‘United for Peace’ Youth Leadership Forum

Building on the success of the EU Scholarship Programme to date, UWC is hosting an ‘United For Peace’ youth forum in Cyprus in collaboration with the EU. The 2-day event will bring together up to 200 Cypriot and international UWC students and alumni, Cypriot high school students, educators, scholars, civil society partners, and other stakeholders from both sides of the divide. 

With Cyprus as its core focus, the forum will be positioned as a peace-focused conference relevant to the various conflicts affecting the wider Eastern Mediterranean region and Eastern Europe, and how transformative learning models can contribute to inter-communal dialogue and rapprochement.

Mirroring the UWC educational model, the Forum will consist of keynote talks, interactive workshops, youth-led sessions, discussion panels, as well as include a social and cultural element allowing participants to get a deeper, situated understanding of the Cypriot context and build cross-cultural relationships.

The event is expected to take place over a 2 to 3 day period in Cyprus in September 2024. 

Please find the United for Peace concept note here. 

Scope of Work

In line with the above, we invite proposals from experts to support the coordination of events logistics and content and experience design for the United for Peace Youth Forum. Services will include, but are not limited to:

• Developing the physical and programmatic concept of the Forum, including the possibility of a hybrid event;
• Designing a seamless experience that caters to a diverse audience, including international delegates, UWC students and staff, local and international stakeholders, and Cypriot youth and educational professionals;
• Coordinating and negotiating bookings of service providers including hotel, transportation, AV and other technical support, translation services, and catering;
• Managing registration of participants and attendees;
• Coordinating arrangements for international speakers and participants, including flights, accommodation and airport transfers, and facilitating visa application processes for Cyprus;
• Designing and planning a cultural immersion programme to immerse participating delegates in Cyprus; 
• Contributing to a detailed programme schedule for the Forum, in consultation with the Forum Working Group, to fulfil the objectives of the Youth Forum.

The consulting agency or individual will collaborate closely with and report progress to the Youth Forum Working Group, which has been convened for the development of the concept, roadmap and strategy for the United for Peace Youth Forum. 

Experience and Skills Required

• Significant experience in event planning and management, including large-scale,  international events in Cyprus;
• Experience of working with multi-stakeholder projects;
• Experience of developing immersive (learning) experiences for diverse groups, including youth;
• Good knowledge of the Cypriot context and non-profit and other organisations in Cyprus;
• Affinity with intercommunal activities, peace education, and/or youth engagement;
• Proficiency in English required; proficiency in either Greek or Turkish preferred. 

Timeline

November - December 2023:  Selection of Forum venue and finalization of event dates 

11 December 2023: Application deadline

December 2023: Assessment and selection of events planner

March 2024: Youth Forum registration opens

September 2024: United for Peace Youth Leadership Forum

To Apply 

Interested applicants should submit a proposal in PDF format to programmes@cy.uwc.org with the subject “Proposal: Youth Forum Events Planning”.

The deadline to submit proposals is  11 December 2023.

The proposal should include:

1. Cover letter including the consultant’s suitability for the study and examples of experience relevant to this assignment;

2. Curriculum Vitae of the consultant;

3. Contact details of three references;

4. Description of activities;

5. Timeline;

6. Budget, including consultancy fees and costs associated with the assignment.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to a video-call to discuss the proposal with UWC. 

Interested applicants can schedule a 20-minute, virtual pre-application discussion. Please send an email to Lara Savenije, Programme Coordinator, lara.savenije@uwcio.uwc.org with the subject “Pre-application discussion - Youth Forum Event Coordination”.

To learn more about what we do, visit the website of UWC Cyprus at www.cy.uwc.org and UWC International at www.uwc.org.