Call for Application: Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders and Graduate Mentorship Program

Call for Application: Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders and Graduate Mentorship Program. The Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders (YHRDs) and Graduate Mentorship Program aim to empower and enhance work-related skills for Tanzanian graduates and young human rights defenders aspiring to work with human rights organizations, human rights institutions, justice institutions, and civil society organizations. Welcome to our website, majinaya.com.

Through the use of this mentorship program, young professionals are encouraged to enter the human rights and civil society sectors fully prepared, with pertinent knowledge and practical skills in hand. The intention is to support young professionals in creating a career trajectory that is focused and specialized. As a human rights defenders’ group, the Tanzania Human Rights Defenders Coalition (THRDC) is eager to encourage many young professionals to pursue careers in human rights both during and after their graduate studies.

The nonpartisan THRDC was established by 300 groups that prioritize human rights with the mission of defending and advancing the rights of human rights defenders in Tanzania. Strategically ensuring a safe working environment for human rights defenders throughout Tanzania, the Coalition has its headquarters located in Dar es Salaam (Mainland) and a branch in Zanzibar. Eleven selected zone coordinating units, dispersed throughout the United Republic of Tanzania (Mainland and Zanzibar), serve as the organization’s conduits for membership and representation.

The goal of the YHRDs mentorship program is to enhance the number of talented and driven young professionals working in the civil society and human rights domains. It is in line with THRDC’s volunteering policy and the development policy of young human rights defenders. The protection and advancement of human rights are eventually improved by this effort, particularly in Tanzania at the local level. The present community of human rights advocates, duty bearers, civil society representatives, young professionals from related academic fields, and other partners actively engaged in promoting and defending human rights are all included in THRDC’s empowerment programs.

Rationale

There are several obstacles facing young professionals in the civil society and human rights sectors in the present job market. Many fresh graduates lack the professional abilities and aptitude needed to fit in with the workforce and satisfy the expectations of today’s global professional development. In addition, there are insufficient mentorship and assistance programs for aspiring young professionals to help them get ready for the workforce, particularly in the human rights sector. By fostering the abilities of young professionals and putting them in touch with pertinent organizations, our program seeks to close these gaps.

Young people are frequently linked to inventiveness and perseverance, traits that, when properly developed, can greatly aid in the advancement of numerous industries. Nonetheless, there is a knowledge gap between senior and junior professionals in Tanzania since many recent graduates and young professionals do not have access to mentorship programs. It is not encouraging to see both the caliber and the number of young professionals entering the human rights and civil sector. Furthermore, the few that do join lack enthusiasm for and expertise in human rights work. With the goal of addressing these issues, this program aims to foster a culture of skill development and mentoring at all levels, from the home through education and employment.

Young professionals also provide a challenge because they may not see the value of investing in career development before pursuing full-time employment. In many businesses, this discrepancy has resulted in a knowledge gap between older professionals and their younger peers. Senior professionals work hard to share their knowledge and abilities, while younger professionals struggle with the drive for quick financial rewards. As a country, we ought to make a concerted effort to foster a culture of skill development and mentoring, starting in the home and continuing through education and the workforce.

Objectives of the Mentorship Program

• Identify young professionals with passion, capacity, and interest to work in the human rights field and civil society organizations.
• Offer an opportunity for young professionals to connect with more experienced professionals in the field of human rights, social justice, and civil society.
• Provide a platform for young professionals to fine-tune their career goals, plans, grow their professional network, and learn work-related skills and job functions.
• Prepare young professionals to enter the employment sector with relevant job skills and capacities.
• Help young professionals understand key issues about civil society organizations and enhance their understanding and basic knowledge about human rights.

Targeted Groups

This program is coordinated by THRDC in collaboration with affiliated and interested partners, targeted mentors from human rights NGOs, civil society organizations, law firms, media houses, justice institutions, and other related groups. Mentees (young professionals fresh from schools) will be recruited from various academic disciplines, particularly those most needed in the civil society and human rights fields.

A) Mentors

Mentoring YHRDs and fresh graduates will have a significant impact on mentors and the country. Accepting mentees into your organization or institution provides an opportunity to share experiences and gain innovative skills from fresh and young professionals. This collaboration may positively shape the future of YHRDs in the field of human rights, civil society, and the country at large. The mentor’s role is to share professional experiences, providing guidance and support to the mentee.

B) Mentees

Mentees are young professionals fresh from schools who aspire to work in the civil society sector and the field of human rights. These professionals may come from various academic fields such as social science, finance, law, medicine, etc. Being a mentee in this YHRDs Mentorship Program can be a transformative learning opportunity for those aspiring to work on social problems and human rights issues within and outside the country.

Program Modality

Selected mentees will be enrolled in a one-year mentorship program and placed in various organizations for a year, supported by THRDC and other interested partners, including host organizations. In the initial 30 days, mentees will undergo an intensive online training program on human rights and the civil society working environment, supervised by the East Africa Human Rights Institute.

The program aims to equip mentees with human rights and civil society management skills, including field research, documentation of human rights violations, report writing, human rights litigation for those with a legal background, human rights advocacy, project management, designing and launching effective lobbying and advocacy campaigns, and using modern media to raise awareness of rights violations.

At the of the program, mentees will develop a project addressing a community problem of their choice. Those who prove to be exemplary mentees stand higher chances of being employed by the mentor organization or being recommended to other institutions. A mentorship certificate will be issued at the end of the program and signed by the mentor organization and THRDC.

Read careful Call for Application: Tanzania Young Human Rights Defenders and Graduate Mentorship Program guidelines below.

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