Tripoli: The United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) has issued a call to action for young men and women across the nation to apply for its Youth Communication Volunteer Team, designed to support structured dialogue. The initiative is aimed at fostering youth involvement by allowing the team to contribute to content creation for the youth digital platform throughout the dialogue process.
According to Libyan News Agency, the volunteer roles are open to 16 individuals aged between 18 and 35 who possess skills in communication and creative content-making, with an interest in the political process. UNSMIL has emphasized that this initiative will empower Libyan youth to actively engage in structured dialogue and ensure that their community priorities are represented in the four dialogue tracks.
The mission will provide support to the volunteers through training under the 'Basira' media professional development program. This training will offer opportunities for the volunteers to share ideas on effectively communicating core issues of the dialogue. This experience is expected to enhance their leadership, communication, and civic engagement skills, contributing to a more informed public debate.
Stephanie Khoury, the Deputy Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Political Affairs, highlighted the importance of youth in the dialogue, noting that they represent approximately 38% of the population and play a crucial role in nation-building. The initiative will allow broader youth participation beyond the dialogue teams.
The deadline for registration is set for February 15. Applicants are required to be Libyan residents, politically independent, volunteer-based, and have proven experience in creating social media content. They should also be confident in their interviewing abilities and ideally possess a large social media following.
The mission has specified that selected volunteers should be available to contribute up to ten days a month. They are expected to actively participate in mandatory online journalism training provided by the mission and create youth-oriented content highlighting the structured dialogue's main themes.
The training for the chosen volunteers is scheduled to begin in early March. The initial team of four will participate in the structured dialogue sessions to prepare content, with team members rotating monthly.