Terms of Reference (ToR) - Expression of Interest (EOI)-For Curriculum Development and Training Materials

Youth Innovation Lab (YI-Lab) is a not-for-profit civic tech company that works at the intersection of emerging cutting-edge technological tools and their applications by equipping young professionals to solve emerging challenges in our community. YI-Lab’s mission statement is, ‘to engage young people to bridge science to people and policy through innovation’. YI-Lab harnesses indigenous knowledge, citizen science approach, develops low-cost technological solutions, promotes open data, promotes entrepreneurship, and conducts evidence-based advocacy campaigns. YI-Lab provides a conducive environment for young people to co-create solutions for inclusive development.

2. About the project 

The "Enhancing Media and Information Literacy (MIL) Across Nepal’s Youth Organizations" initiative, led by Youth Innovation Lab with support from UNESCO Nepal, is designed to empower youth organizations with critical MIL skills to navigate digital spaces responsibly, combat misinformation, and integrate MIL principles into their operations. Media and Information Literacy (MIL) provides a set of essential skills to address the challenges of the 21st century including the proliferation of mis and disinformation and hate speech, the decline of trust in media and digital innovations notably Artificial Intelligence. Through this initiative, youth organizations will gain practical knowledge, tools, and strategies to promote media literacy within their communities and contribute to a more informed and resilient society.

As part of this program, selected organizations will participate in a 1.5-day interactive workshop, where they will engage in hands-on training, and collaborative discussions on MIL integration. The workshop will cover digital safety, critical thinking, and responsible media consumption, equipping participants with the necessary skills to develop and implement a MIL action plan tailored to their organization’s needs.

Beyond the workshop, organizations will receive access to UNESCO’s MIL resources, and opportunities to collaborate with like-minded youth leaders and experts. Participants will be expected to apply the learnings within their organizations.

3. Purpose of the Consultancy 

The purpose of this consultancy is to develop a comprehensive Media and Information Literacy (MIL) curriculum and associated training materials to support the training of 25 youth organizations across Nepal. The materials will be used for capacity building and will help these organizations integrate MIL principles into their day-to-day activities, policies, and programs.

4. Scope of the Work 
The consultant will be responsible for the following tasks:

1.     Curriculum Development

a.  Develop a comprehensive MIL curriculum that reflects the challenges and opportunities faced by youth organizations in Nepal’s digital landscape covering key areas as identified in the project document. The curriculum should integrate best practices from UNESCO’s frameworks and MOOCs.

b.   Ensure that the curriculum aligns with the findings from the 2022-2023 MIL survey and addresses key issues such as digital safety, critical thinking, responsible media consumption, and combating misinformation. 

2.     Training materials 

a.  Create interactive and engaging workshop materials for capacity building, including case studies, presentations, and activities that are directly applicable to the organizations’ work.

b.   Develop draft guidelines for the integration of MIL principles into the operations and activities of youth organizations which will also serve as a blueprint for organizations to follow in embedding MIL into their day-to-day activities.