HoSC The Forests Dialogue

Open Call 

Dear IFSA World, 

Would you like to become involved with what happens in IFSA? A new opportunity is here一 the official position for the Head of the Forests Dialogue (TFD) Sub-Commission is now vacant! 

We are in search of an enthusiastic and self-motivated Head of Sub-Commission who will serve IFSA in the Partners Commission. Applicants should be a member of an IFSA Local Committee. 

Background

The Forests Dialogue (TFD) was created in 1998 at Yale University to provide international leaders in the forest sector with an ongoing, multi-stakeholder dialogue (MSD) platform and process focused on developing mutual trust, a shared understanding, and collaborative solutions to challenges in achieving sustainable forest management and forest conservation around the world. The goal of TFD is to reduce conflict among stakeholders over the use and protection of vital forest resources.

The goal of TFD in collaboration with IFSA is to support youth engagement. So, the primary benefit for the IFSA community will be the ability to participate in the regional dialogues that TFD organises worldwide. Hence, the involvement in the dialogues will provide IFSA representatives with valuable experience in stakeholders engagement, conflict resolution, and decision-making processes. 

Tasks

  • Liaising between IFSA and TFD
  • Keeping up with TFD activities
  • Looking for new ways for IFSA and TFD to collaborate

Skills and Knowledge

  • Good knowledge of The Forests Dialogue and their activities
  • Strong English competency in both verbal and written form
  • Collaboration skills
  • Strong communication skills, including report writing abilities
  • Creativity and proactiveness

Estimated Workload

  • 2-5 hours per week

 

Application procedure

You must send one email with the subject: Name of position you are applying – Applicant’s name to opencall@ifsa.net with all of the following documents attached:

  1. A verification letter from your Local Committee (LC) signed by the President of your LC, verifying that you are a member of the LC in PDF format.
    In case you are the President of your LC, ask the Vice President to sign it. The headed letter of your LC must be used for the letter. Here you can find a template for the verification letter.
  2. The motivation letter in PDF format (max 800 word).
  3. A video (max 2 minutes)

Requirements

In order to apply to an official position you MUST comply with those requirements:

  • You need to be a member of an IFSA Local Committee and either be an active student or have graduated no longer than one year ago.
  • Proficiency in English, as it is the official language of IFSA and therefore the only means of communication between Officials.
  • Good internet connection: given the fact that all the work as an Official is done remotely (especially because of the travel restrictions imposed by COVID-19), a good internet connection is crucial to effectively accomplish your tasks.
  • Access to a Computer or tablet.

Motivation letter

The motivation letter should cover all the following points and be no longer than 800 words. Note that these points correspond to the criteria that are used to evaluate the motivation letter.

  • What is your background?
    • Introduction: name, age, country, university, current studies
    • LC of membership
  • What is your previous experience in IFSA at the international level (participation and/or organization of IFSA international meetings, IFSA partner events, commissioner of official position)?
  • What is your previous experience in IFSA at the regional and local level (participation and/or organization of regional events, activity in your own LC, position held in your own LC)? [Only relevant for Regional Representatives or applicants without international experience]
  • Why are you interested in applying for this position?
  • What is your understanding of the position you are running for?
    • Role of the position
    • Tasks of the position
    • Functioning of the position within the Department/Commission
  • What are your overall plans for the IFSA term?
  • Consideration of required skills

Video

Record a video (max. 2 minutes) where you introduce yourself and present the main points from the motivation letter.

Some tips for the video:

  • If the video is longer than 2 minutes, just shorten it talking about the key points from your letter; the other points are covered by the letter;
  • Ensure good lighting
  • Make sure the sound is clear and has good volume so the video is easy to understand (no background noise/music)

 

The deadline for submission is 26st December 2021 (Tuesday) 23:59 UTC+0.

Applications that do not follow this procedure (eg. late, incomplete or sent to an email address other than opencall@ifsa.net) will not be considered.

In case of technical issues with the submission of the application, please send an email to opencall@ifsa.net specifying the problem that you are encountering.

Both successful and unsuccessful applications will receive an answer within 10 days after the deadline. In this timeframe, candidates can be contacted for an online interview.

For any questions please email vicepresident@ifsa.net.

Good luck with your application,

The IFSA Board