About GPE
GPE is a shared commitment to ending the world’s learning crisis. It is the only global partnership and fund dedicated entirely to helping children in lower-income countries get a quality education, so they can unlock their potential and contribute to building a better world. GPE mobilizes partners and funds to support 76 partner countries transform their education systems and deliver quality learning to more girls and boys, especially those who are marginalized by poverty, gender, disability or displacement.

Over the next five years, GPE is seeking to hit its target of raising at least US$5 billion to help ensure that 175 million children can learn and enroll 88 million more children in school. In the longer term, this investment could add $164 billion to economies in the developing world, lift 18 million people out of poverty, and protect two million girls from early marriage. Young people are at the very heart of GPE’s commitment to transform education.

National Youth Leaders
Young people are already driving the charge to disrupt today’s greatest challenges – from climate change and gender inequality to conflict and lack of education. GPE is committed to learning from, co-creating with and providing the platform for young people to realize their own ambitions for social transformation and to harness this passion to drive real change in global education.

In 2021, GPE launched its new Strategic Plan and held our most ambitious financing campaign to date which included an international financing conference hosted by the Prime Minister of the UK and President of Kenya. As part of this effort, the Secretariat set up a pilot project to engage a small number of external facing National Youth Leaders. This pilot is now being extended until January 2023, based on the success of this partnership between GPE and youth in key donor countries around the world.

Together, we hope to work alongside you in four key ways to help drive change:

1. AMPLIFICATION – amplifying youth voices to be heard directly by decision-makers and the broader public;
2. AWARENESS – raising awareness of the barriers/solutions and providing high-level platforms to promote greater attention to GPE and education issues;
3. AMBITION – increasing the ambition of national government and leaders to prioritize education, through policy co-development and engagement;
4. ACTION – support youth leaders to take their own actions to influence governments, their networks and other decision-makers towards a better future for all.
   
   GPE wants to provide as much leadership potential as possible to our youth leaders and will
   continue to look to this cohort to help shape the role during the extended pilot phase.

Please note, however, that this is an external affairs rather than governance role.

Together, we hope to extend young people’s influence in support of GPE’s new strategy which will accelerate learning outcomes and gender equality through equitable, inclusive and resilient education systems fit for the 21st century.

Achieving change together
As a National Youth Leader for GPE in Germany, Denmark, Norway or in The Netherlands, you would have the unique opportunity to:

Lead youth action in your country, as well as work collaboratively with other GPE national youth leaders.
Engage with youth advocates and champions internationally to a) input into/take part in quarterly meetings with youth leaders from GPE partner developing countries, b) support one global youth advocacy influencing moment/activity in support of GPE’s influencing strategy.
Engage in national advocacy opportunities, such as influencing meetings with government and parliament.
Represent GPE as a speaker/participant in high-level events.
Collaborate on national influencing strategies to ensure your government steps up in their global education financing.
Be a focal point for outreach to other youth advocates and youth networks in your national market, creating a broader base of support.
Proactively engage in youth-led communication, social media and online channels, including writing blogs or opinion pieces representing GPE.
Attend a GPE briefing workshop to learn more about the organization when starting the role.
Take part in learning and development opportunities such as trainings, webinars, technical briefings, mentoring sessions and shadowing.

We’re looking for young people who are:
Aged between 18 and 29 years old at the time of nomination or application.
Have lived experience or background from one of 76 GPE Partner Countries, to provide a legitimate and credible voice.
Committed to working with other Young Leaders to improve quality education for all.
Ready to deeply engage with GPE, reinforcing its mission and objectives and representing the organization to the best of your ability.
Fluency in oral English.
Ability to commit, on average, 1 day a month to participate in events, calls, communications, and available to participate in advocacy events.
Ability to collaborate with GPE Secretariat for one year, with a review thereafter.
Experience and connections to an existing youth advocacy network is also highly
desirable.

GPE will support the Youth Leaders group through:
Briefing members on GPE and providing opportunities for learning and professional growth
Mentoring, supporting and giving opportunities to learn and develop
Provide support and capacity building for external facing engagement
Feature your biography on our website as a Youth Leader
Reimbursing GPE Youth Leaders for reasonable expenses associated with taking part in the group e.g.travel costs

To apply
Please send an email to Sabine Terlecki, Deputy Lead Donor Team | Senior Donor Relations Lead Europe at sterlecki@globalpartnership.org by 20th December at midnight CET setting out your motivation to take up the role. We would also love to see a short (maximum two paragraphs) bio to tell us more about you. We plan to conduct a recruitment workshop in the middle of January, with the role to begin at the end of January.