Internship at The European Youth Forum (YFJ)

The European Youth Forum (YFJ) is recruiting an intern for 6 months, starting in early July 2012, in the Communications Team within the Secretary-General’s Office of the organisation. The internship is based at the European Youth Forum secretariat in Brussels.

The successful candidate will work in close coordination with the Communications Team and the Policy Development and Advocacy Department. The European Youth Forum believes in quality on-the-job learning opportunities and this internship is in line with the European Charter for Quality Internships and Apprenticeships (www.qualityinternships.eu).

The European Youth Forum is the representative Platform of 97 National Youth Councils and International Non Governmental Youth Organisations from across Europe and works for the benefit of all young people in Europe.

TASKS

• Policy Monitoring:

- support the monitoring of the institutional development of youth policy already done within the European Youth Forum, according to its strategic priorities: Education, Participation, and Youth Mainstreaming, Human Rights, Youth Work Development, Employment and Social Affairs.

- The monitoring will be done through the screening of institutional communication channels (EU institutions, Council of Europe, United Nations) and major European media.

• Communication:

- Drafting of a periodical public bulletin, the European 'Youth Policy Watch’, which includes the results of the institutional monitoring. Writing articles and news items for the publications of the Youth Forum.

- Social media monitoring.

PROFILE OF APPLICANTS

- Academic background in political science, social sciences, journalism, communication, law or equivalent. - Interest in youth policy and knowledge of some basis of the European and global landscape of youth policy.

- Available for six months, full-time, starting in July 2012.

- The selected candidate will preferably be at her/his first internship experience or not have more than one previous internship experience outside of studies.

SKILLS AND COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

- Drafting and editing skills for texts targeting external audiences;

- Able to research, collate, analyse and summarise information;

- Policy analysis skills;

- Capacity to work with people from different social and cultural backgrounds;

- Excellent written and oral skills in English, and preferably in French;

- Computer literate (European Youth Forum uses Mac OS and Open Source softwares);

- knowledge of graphic software is a plus.

WHAT THE EUROPEAN YOUTH FORUM OFFERS

• An interesting and challenging period of work experience in a major Brussels-based NGO, with the opportunity to gain specific knowledge on communication and advocacy related to youth policy, education, social affairs, sustainable development, etc.

• An internship regulated under the conditions of the Belgium internship contract called “Convention d’immersion professionnelle” and in line with the European Charter for Quality Internships and Apprenticeships (www.qualityinternships.eu).

• An internship with a compensation of 1.563,80 euro/month gross paid under the European Youth Forum Collective Bargaining Agreement.

• Coverage of public transport travel costs within the Brussels region.

Interviews will take place in the end of June 2012 in Brussels. Please note that due to the high number of applications received for European Youth Forum vacancies, only candidates short-listed for interviews will be contacted.

Reception of applications sent by email will be acknowledged.

Application:

A CV and an application letter should be sent to the Secretary General, Giuseppe Porcaro, to recruitment@youthforum.org  by the 15 June 2012 (12:00 CET).

When submitting your application, please include “COMMS-0434-11” in the email subject heading.

Applications are also accepted by post:

120 rue Joseph II B-1000 Brussels,

or fax +32 2 230 1 23.

All applications must be completed in either English or French.