Background
Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab), in collaboration with UNDP, is implementing the YECAP Nepal Shakers Fellowship 2025, a flagship initiative to strengthen youth-led Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in driving inclusive and transformative climate action. Building on the Youth Empowerment in Climate Actions Platform (YECAP), the fellowship is designed for young people, by young people, and aims to amplify youth leadership in climate resilience across Nepal.Despite the vibrancy of Nepal’s youth climate movement with 40.68% of the country’s population between 16 and 40 years old youth-led CSOs face multiple challenges. These include shrinking civic space, limited access to diverse funding, and gaps in leadership, technical expertise, and policy engagement. Women-led and rural initiatives, in particular, encounter systemic barriers to leadership and visibility. The fellowship addresses these challenges through structured capacity-building, mentorship, networking, and multi-stakeholder engagement, while also supporting Nepal’s NDC 3.0 targets.
About the ProjectThe YECAP Nepal Shakers Fellowship 2025 aims to empower youth-led CSOs by enhancing their technical, leadership, and advocacy capacity. The program focuses on five key pillars identified by YECAP’s regional survey: fundraising, policy influence, leadership, scaling, and networking. Fellows will gain practical skills in climate science, fundraising diversification, proposal development, policy advocacy, project management, and community mobilization, while building cross-sector partnerships with government, academia, and the private sector.
Special emphasis is placed on empowering women and marginalized youth leaders, equipping them with the skills, confidence, and platforms to lead meaningful climate action. A central component of the fellowship is a five-day residential workshop, where fellows will receive hands-on training and co-develop five youth-led climate action proposals. These proposals will be presented to key stakeholders for potential integration into municipal development plans and to explore technical and financial support.
By bridging capacity gaps and fostering collaboration, the Nepal Shakers Fellowship will create a nationwide network of empowered youth climate leaders, enabling local initiatives to scale, influence policy, and mobilize communities toward achieving transformative climate impact by 2030.
Purpose of Consultancy
The purpose of this assignment is to engage a pool of qualified national experts/trainers who will :
Design and prepare training modules for the fellowship’s residential training program.
Facilitate interactive sessions during the five-day residential training, ensuring fellows gain practical knowledge and skills in climate leadership, proposal development, and municipal engagement.
Note: The experts will play a key role in equipping fellows with the knowledge, tools, and confidence to design impactful climate action proposals that are grounded in community needs and align with Nepal’s NDC 3.0 and municipal priorities.
Scope of Work
B. Workshop Facilitation
- Deliver interactive and engaging sessions during the five-day residential training (tentatively scheduled for November 2025).
- Use participatory approaches such as group work, role play, simulations, and case-based exercises.
- Guide fellows in drafting initial versions of climate action proposals during group sessions.
- Ensure inclusivity and active participation of fellows from diverse backgrounds (including women, Dalit, Indigenous, Madhesi, and marginalized youth).
- Provide real-world examples, tools, and success stories that inspire and motivate fellows.
C. Final Reporting
Deliverables
The experts/trainers are required to deliver:
- Training Modules and Materials (PowerPoints, handouts, exercises, toolkits) – submitted before the residential training.
- Facilitation of Sessions during the five-day residential training.
- Final Training Report (maximum 5 pages) summarizing key outcomes, learnings, and recommendations.
Trainer Categories
A. Climate Change, Resilience & Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR) Leadership
Focus: Climate science, resilience frameworks, DRR integration, climate governance in Nepal, and youth leadership.
B. Proposal Development & Project Design
Focus: Practical skills for designing implementable, fundable, and municipal-ready climate proposals.
C. Policy Advocacy, Municipal Engagement & Networking
Focus: Youth engagement in local governance, advocacy strategies, and cross–sector partnerships and scaling local climate initiatives.
D. Gender Equality & Social Inclusion (GESI in Climate Action)
Focus: Gender-responsive leadership, inclusion of marginalized groups (Dalit, Indigenous, Madhesi, youth with disabilities), and equity in climate governance.
E. Communication & Storytelling
Focus: Effective communication of climate ideas, storytelling for impact, digital campaigning, and CSR/philanthropy engagement.
F. Resource Mobilization & Climate Finance
Focus: Resource mobilization strategies, donor engagement, climate finance mechanisms, and aligning proposals with funding priorities.
G. AI & Data-Driven Climate Solutions
Focus: Leveraging AI, machine learning, and geospatial tools for climate action, project design, and municipal integration.
Required Qualifications
General Qualifications
- Master’s degree in climate/environmental science, sustainable development, public policy, or related fields. Equivalent professional experience will also be considered.
- Minimum 5 years of experience in training, facilitation, or capacity-building programs.
Technical Expertise
- Proven expertise in climate change, disaster risk reduction (DRR), or sustainable development.
- Experience in project design, proposal writing, and municipal/local governance engagement.
- Familiarity with Nepal’s NDC 3.0, Net-Zero commitments, and local climate governance systems.
- Strong understanding of youth engagement, gender equality, and social inclusion in climate action.
Training and Facilitation Skills
- Demonstrated ability to design and deliver participatory and practical training sessions.
- Excellent communication skills in both Nepali and English.
Bonus Considerations
In addition to the required qualifications, preference will be given to experts/trainers who can demonstrate the following:
Youth Engagement Experience: Prior experience in working with youth-led CSOs, youth networks, or fellowship/incubation programs.
Gender and Social Inclusion Expertise: Strong understanding and proven practice of integrating gender equality, disability, and social inclusion (GEDSI) principles in training and facilitation.
Municipal/Local Government Collaboration: Practical experience in working with local governments in Nepal, particularly on climate change, DRR, or community-based adaptation.
Knowledge Product Development: Experience in developing handbooks, toolkits, or training manuals that simplify technical topics for diverse audiences.
Language and Communication Skills: Fluency in Nepali (spoken and written) with the ability to deliver sessions in a clear, engaging, and accessible manner; additional local language skills will be an asset.
Innovative Approaches: Use of creative facilitation methods such as simulations, storytelling, digital tools, or gamification to enhance learning.
Regional/International Experience: Exposure to climate or DRR programs in South Asia or the wider region, particularly those involving cross-country or cross-sector collaboration.
Application Process
Interested experts are requested to submit the following :
Updated CV (max 4 pages) highlighting relevant expertise.
Cover letter outlining thematic expertise and proposed contribution to the fellowship.
Financial proposal (daily consultancy rate in NPR).
Note: Only shortlisted experts will be contacted.