Advanced Mediation Training - Empowering Civil Society Organizations Program

About the Assignment

Search for Common Ground (SFCG) is seeking an experienced consultant with the requisite knowledge, skills, and attributes to support the Empowering Civil Society Actors initiative. The consultant will provide tailor made training on advanced mediation for 12 team members.

One of the objectives of the Empowering Diverse Civil Society Actors project is to support an existing network of civil society actors in the region, which connects over 800 members on an online platform. The project builds on the learnings from previous years of implementation by certain organizations, fostering safe, inclusive, and collaborative engagement for diverse civil society actors. This platform, led by women, facilitates discussions among civil society actors on the following:

Ø  Promoting social cohesion between communities through regular thematic dialogues.

Ø  Improving aid effectiveness through dialogue processes with civil society.

Ø  Ensuring that grassroots voices are heard by the international community

Consultancy Summary

The Consultant will perform the following tasks:

Preparatory step:

Design pre and post tests to assess participant level of knowledge and their learning progress after the training delivery.

1)    Develop training content

• Designing an mediation training curriculum that is participatory and experiential.
• Preparing training materials, including presentations, case studies, and mediation scenarios.
• The training should include, but is not limited to the following:
  • Introduction into the Impartiality, mediator competence, confidentiality and its exceptions, conflicts of interest, and the quality of the mediation process.
  • Mediation through dividing lines: religious, political affiliations/opinions, ethnicity, cultural, and other relevant categories to the context
  • Advanced strategies for managing high-conflict situations
  • Conflict management strategies in mediation process
  • Online and in-person mediation strategies
  • Mediation on track I, II, and III levels

2)    Conduct the training

• Build on participants’ existing mediation skills.
• Delivering interactive training sessions for 12 participants.
• Providing individual feedback to participants on their mediation techniques.
• Producing a training report that includes recommendations for further skills development.
• Focus on multi-party mediations and cross-cultural disputes
• Provide hands-on experience through simulations, case studies, and role-plays.
• Conducting assessments to gauge participants' progress.

3)    Final Product:

3.1) Prepare a final comprehensive Manual: Covering the Advanced Mediation Training and incorporating all feedback gathered throughout the training

3.2) Provide a certificate of completion of the training for the participants recognized within official institutions

Note: the main sections and documents need to be available in both Arabic and English.

Timeline

The consultancy will take place in August (Exact dates to be determined in agreement with the consultant)

Requirements & qualifications

The consultant should have the following expertise and qualifications:

●      Excellent knowledge of advanced mediation

●      Advanced certificate in Mediation

●      10+ years of experience in mediation and peacebuilding

●      Excellent training skills (in-person and online training)

●    Excellent knowledge of the MENA context

●      Excellent knowledge and experience in developing presentations and recommendations

●      Significant professional experience working with Arabic and English-speaking participants

●      Experience working with and providing technical support to civil society organizations