Management of U.S. Embassy Youth Council (USYC) Program

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION Executive Summary: The Embassy of the United States in Kathmandu announces an open competition for the management of U.S. Embassy Youth Council (USYC) Program 2024. Every year, approximately fifty-five individuals, between 20-30 years old, are accepted to the Council. Throughout the duration of their membership term, council members participate in networking events, work on community engagement projects, and attend important events. The U.S. Embassy in Nepal is looking for an implementer to manage the USYC program through a cooperative agreement. Any not-for-profit, non-governmental organizations, think tanks, and academic institutions are eligible to apply. The deadline for submitting proposals to KTMgrants@state.gov is by Sunday, July 23, 2023. Any submission received after the deadline will not be considered for this grant opportunity. Background: The U.S. Embassy in Nepal created the U.S. Embassy Youth Council (USYC) in 2011 in order to interact directly with Nepal’s youth about the issues that concern them. The Council consists of 50-55 Nepalis between the age of 20-30 years from all regions of Nepal and representing various backgrounds, regions, castes, ethnicities, religions, and professions. The USYC has two primary objectives: 1) to interact with the Embassy about the challenges young Nepalis face and what can be done to address them, and 2) to encourage participation by Council members in their communities and the larger civil society. In 2022, over 2700 Nepali youth applied to become a member of this unique platform. The selected youth participated in multiple networking events, attended meetings, and designed and implemented civic engagement projects (CEPs). Past USYC members have built teams, developed solutions to problems, and launched products, organizations, and companies that have created opportunities for progress. For example, Youth Council members created: Project Upskill, a program that helped graduating students to gain employable skills for an easier transition to the job market; eConstruction, a website to support reconstruction after the April 2015 earthquake; Lunch Box, a kit to help rural women start small businesses; iconstutution: an app to widely circulate the new constitution of Nepal and help citizen’s understand their constitutionally protected rights; and Model Debate, a program to promote dialogue between electoral candidates and youth voters. This funding opportunity seeks to identify a cooperative agreement partner to manage U.S. Embassy in Nepal’s flagship youth program. The prospective implementer will recruit USYC members through an open and objective process, bring innovative approaches to youth programming, and design and implement programs and activities to engage the USYC members throughout their tenure. Project Audience(s): Primary beneficiaries for this project are youth aged 20-30 with the following demographic variables. 1. Gender: At least 50% of the USYC members should be female. 2. Geographic location: All seven provinces should be covered in terms of geographic representation. 3. Age group: between the age of 20-30. 4. Level of Education: Bachelor’s degree or above. 5. Diversity: Selected participants should reflect Nepal’s cultural, religious, ethnic, and social diversity. Project Goal: The United States Embassy in Nepal supports initiatives that promote democracy, increase economic prosperity, and create resilience. This is only possible when youth are provided with given tools and resources to support their communities and country. USYC provides the training, mentorship, and networking for youth to be leaders of social positive change. Project Objectives: This project has the following objectives. · Select 50 to 55 Nepali Youth, through an open and transparent manner, who represent Nepal’s diverse social, religious, cultural, geographic, and ethnic backgrounds. · Strengthen the capacity of all Council members through series of training and capacity building events. · Support Council members with designing and implementation of 5-7 Civic Engagement Projects. · Strengthen the U.S. Embassy’s and USYC Members relationship through events and other appropriate networking opportunities. · Increase in empowerment, exposure, and leadership skills of USYC members. · Effectively utilize the expertise of USYC alumni and recommend ways to include them in U.S. Embassy’s programming. B. FEDERAL AWARD INFORMATION Length of performance period: 15 Months Award amounts: $75,000 Type of Funding: FY23 Smith Mundt Public Diplomacy Funds Anticipated program start date: October 1, 2023 Note: The Public Affairs Section reserves the right to award less or more than the funds described under circumstances deemed to be in the best interest of the U.S. government, pending the availability of funds and approval of the designated grants officer. Funding Instrument Type: Cooperative Agreement. Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy will work with the grantee to select the members, approve program content, and provide experts and speakers. Support for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Accessibility (DEIA): All programs should consider strategies for expanding the pool of individuals/organizations/beneficiaries to afford opportunities for as diverse and inclusive population as is feasible to bring diverse perspectives based on religion, sex, disability, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, sex characteristics, national origin, and age to implementation of the program. Note: NOFO is attached in the additional document