About this role
Community Development Facilitator
Project Description: Communities in Kosovo are looking for aspiring career counselors, experienced life coaches, and everyone in between to strengthen the employability skills of local youth and women.
Seventy percent of Kosovo’s population is under the age of 35 with the youth unemployment rate at 57 percent and only 17 percent of women participating in the labor market. This reveals both the need and opportunity to develop skills among the Kosovar youth and women for successful employment. The government identified sustainable economic development and increased citizen engagement as strategic, national priorities. Two target populations of focus for these initiatives are youth (ages 14-25) and women as they tend to be the most disenfranchised. Women and youth from minority communities may also be engaged in project implementation based on the community context.
As a Community Development Facilitator, you will facilitate local collaboration to augment the impact of an organization and achieve community-led development outcomes that drive economic development and citizen engagement. Alongside your colleagues, you will support the youth and women to attain competitive employability skills and participate in civil society.
Required Skills: Associate degree in any field and at least two years of full-time, post-high school work experience (from any combination of roles). OR Bachelor's degree in any field. OR High school diploma or GED and four years of full-time, post-high school work (from any combination of roles).
Living Conditions: Volunteers live with host families for a minimum of 3 months of service in their communities in order to facilitate community integration, language acquisition, and cultural adaptation. Host families provide a living space with a secure, private bedroom, basic furniture, and a shared bathroom and kitchen. Volunteers in Kosovo often choose to live with their host families for their entire service as it as an important continuous learning experience. There are also few affordable options available for Volunteers to live independently.
Activities: Plan and facilitate community training on community-driven and sustainable development. Provide guidance on how to strengthen organizational relationships, including partnerships. Organize and facilitate a campaign to advocate for a specific group or cause. Plan and co-facilitate a project design management workshop for organization members. Support staff to prepare and submit project and grant proposals. Facilitate clubs for women or youth that incorporate employability skills development. Organize and facilitate community volunteering activities. Organize and facilitate youth civic engagement clubs.
You may also work on additional projects that meet the community’s interests and priorities, such as a computer coding club or after-school sports.
Training: As a Community Development Facilitator, you will be trained on organizational capacity building, fundraising, and strategic planning. Peace Corps Kosovo will teach you Albanian or Serbian to help you comfortably live in and connect with the community.
After 10 weeks of training, you will move to a rural, peri-urban, or urban community, where you will collaborate with a local government entity or civil society organization. Together with the community, you will assess local needs and develop solutions based on participatory approaches and sustainable practices.
Job Highlights: Learn Albanian or Serbian from skilled Language and Cross-Culture Facilitators. Gain valuable experience working with community organizations in an emerging country that aspires to join the European Union. Experience the Kosavar concept of “Besa,” which emphasizes loyalty, protection, and hospitality.