[more information can be found below]. The youth Participation Working Group (YPWG), as hosted by the DCNA, is in search of a consultant with a background in education and in policy and program design to facilitate the creation of a DCNA Education Standards & Strategy and to conduct a gap analysis of the educational programs of individual Park Management Organizations on the Dutch Caribbean Islands. The consultancy has an estimated duration of 230 hours and is expected to start in mid-January 2023. If you are interested in facilitating this project while spending some time on the Dutch Caribbean Islands, please apply before the 1^st of January 2023.

Project Overview
The Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA) is a non-profit organization created to safeguard nature in the Dutch Caribbean by supporting Park Management Organizations (PMOs) on the six Dutch Caribbean islands (Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten). Amongst others, the DCNA hosts the Youth Involvement and Participation Program executed by the Youth Participation Working Group (YPWG) which involves the educators representing each of the six islands. This program was created in 2019 and needs to establish its groundwork which includes the creation of:

DCNA Education Standards – to inform, guide, and provide a coordinated approach for the working group and enhance the quality of education in the DCNA member organizations.
DCNA Education Strategy – a comprehensive plan, aligned with the DCNA Strategy, setting priorities with distinct goals, and enabling tactics set within a time framework.

Currently, all national parks on the six Dutch Caribbean islands have educational programs targeted at the youth within the respective island communities. These programs are not coordinated with each other, nor does much (or any) exchange take place among the islands. The available capacity for educational programs also greatly differs between the PMOs. Thus, all PMOs would benefit from more exchange (of knowledge, materials, etc.), capacity support, and coordination to strengthen and increase the impact of the educational programs among island communities. To get an exact idea of how this exchange can be facilitated, of the required capacity, and of the knowledge or content that needs to be developed, there is a need for a concise gap analysis among the current programs and expanded program needs.

Furthermore, to ensure the continuation of each PMO’s education program, long-term structural funding is required. As there currently are opportunities within the local government authorities and private donors/funders to subsidize such a program, an advocacy strategy should be developed. This strategy can also be directed towards other funding sources and partners that can contribute to the program’s sustainability.

Project Goals
Therefore, the Youth Involvement and Participation Program is in search of a facilitator working on the following goals:

• Goal 1: Developing a DCNA Education Standards & Strategy.
• Goal 2: Conducting a gap analysis for every individual PMO education program in the Dutch Caribbean.
• Goal 3: Advocate for long-term/structural funding availability of the DCNA Youth Involvement and Participation program, specifically for the education programs at each of the parks.

Tasks of Consultant
To achieve these goals, the consultant will at least be responsible for the following tasks:

• Writing an implementation plan before starting the project.
• Facilitating individual meetings with four of the park educators, as part of the gap analysis.
• Facilitating an educator workshop in which the educators will describe each of their programs and in which the educators will work together with the consultant to describe their values for DCNA’s Education Standards & Strategy.
• Analysing the discovered gaps (educational, informational, financial).
• Consolidating all discovered information into a draft and final version of 1) one guiding document for the DCNA, which can be used in search of funding opportunities; and 2) guiding documents for the individual parks, which can be used for their educational programs, at least including standards & strategy, discovered gaps, and ways to go forward.
• Providing updates to the YPWG and the DCNA Secretariat.
• Presenting the final outcomes.

Consultant Requirements
The following minimal requirements are expected of applicants:

• A perfect command of the English language, both written and spoken.
• A background and ample experience in education and in policy and program design.
• An interest in or experience with (Dutch) Caribbean ecology or biodiversity is appreciated.
• Minimum HBO/Bachelor level.
• Be (a part of) a registered business (KvK/ Chamber of Commerce Number).
• The DCNA encourages local people to apply.

Estimated timeframe and location
The DCNA hopes to start the consultancy mid-January 2023. The consultancy has an estimated duration of 230 hours and is expected to be finished before the 1^st of October 2023. The consultant needs to be able to visit the islands for both the individual meetings with the park educators and the educator workshop. The remaining tasks can be executed from any location.

Apply?
Are you interested in facilitating this project while spending some time on the Dutch Caribbean Islands? Then please apply by sending your resume, your Registration at the relevant Chamber of Commerce, and a project proposal (at least including a description of previous (related) consults/work, your motivation to facilitate this project, a description of why you would fit this project, a general action plan, and a financial offer) to Nina Zander at projects.assistant@dcnanature.org before January 1^st 2023. For any questions, Nina may be reached as well.