Criteria and procedure for including new local and regional initiatives in YPARDHow can we join YPARD?Any young professional with age below 40 and any organisation in agricultural research for development can become a YPARD member by signing up at the website (www.ypard.org). You will then have the option of joining the information-exchange network and the mailing list. YPARD members have access to a broad range of web-based information. Any YPARD member can contribute information to share with others, comment on papers or other information that is circulated, stimulate discussions, post and answer questions. How can we become a local/regional initiative under the YPARD umbrella?You may join forces with other individuals and/or organisations in your country or region who would like to set up an initiative that brings together young professionals (YPs) to discuss, debate and act on key issues revolving Agricultural Research for Development (ARD). The group of individuals or organisations that seeks to institutionalise this way of interacting should send a concept note or proposal to the YPARD Coordination Unit. Alternatively, you may already be engaged in a programme dealing with the above mentioned issues. In that case, you can present your programme to the YPARD Coordination Unit. (For both cases, see below: “What is the procedure for setting up a local/regional initiative?”).The Coordination Unit will communicate with you about your proposal and, if necessary, help you prepare it for submission to appointed members of the YPARD Steering Committee (SC), which will make the final decision about inclusion in YPARD based on the criteria outlined below. The Coordination Unit will ask the proposing group to prepare a summary of how their proposal meets these criteria.CriteriaThe types of initiatives/proposals that would be eligible to become part of and co-funded by YPARD are those that meet all of the following criteria:• The initiative should be in line with YPARD’s general mission, by supporting young professionals to express their ideas and realise their full potential towards a dynamic ARD.• Contribute to one or more of YPARDs four objectives listed below:1. Facilitate exchange of information and knowledge among young professionals across disciplines, professions, age and regions;2. Broaden opportunities for YPs to contribute to strategic ARD policy debates3. Promote agriculture among young people4. Facilitate access to resources and capacity building opportunities• Use ideas and ideals of YPs as entry points for planning and implementation. The initiative has to be led and run by young professionals.• Has an “institutional home”, i.e. is facilitated/coordinated by YPs affiliated to a legally recognised institution with proven minimal financial management capacities and systems.In addition, preferably (but not necessarily):• The local/regional initiatives will bring together a broad range of stakeholders in ARD (extensionists, researchers, students, NGOs, farmers, etc).• They will foster linkages between local/regional YPs and the existing regional ARD structures.How can you expect to benefit by being part of YPARD?• Learning about the experiences of others, engaging in discussion and debate;• Receiving advice from others (other local/regional initiatives and the Coordination Unit/Steering Committee) to support your own efforts;• Combining forces with others to engage in international policy dialogue and to reinforce your ARD policy lobbying efforts in your own country/region;• Receiving international recognition for your work and thus reinforcing your efforts to influence/strengthen ARD in your own country/region;• Receiving an initial seed fund to support your initiative.What will be expected of you?• Documenting your efforts for wider sharing and learning;• Making information available to others about the experiences of your programmes through contributions to electronic exchange and at workshops and conferences;• Jointly raising funds – or making them available from own sources – to be able to take part in key ARD activities (training, workshops, participation in conferences etc), especially those to which YPARD contributes;• Advising other initiatives within YPARD upon their request;• Giving due recognition to the contributions of all partners in publications and presentations on your work;• Keeping adequate and systematic records and accounts in respect of activities implemented for YPARD that will clearly identify all charges and expenses;• Collaborating on the YPARD overall publications and reports.What is the procedure for setting up a local/regional YPARD initiative?Any Young Professional (affiliated to a formal institution – see above) can express an interest to the YPARD Coordination Unit to set up a local/regional initiative. This individual/organisation will be asked to contact other individuals and organisations to initiate a proposal. The initial proposal should be for an inception or exploratory phase of about 6–12 months. Some key activities that may be covered include (but are not restricted to):• Establishment of linkages with existing organisations working with YPs (be them farmers, students, researchers, etc) and other ARD-relevant structures;• Implementation of initial activities (courses, elaboration of databases on job opportunities, meetings for preparing for key events, discussions, etc);• Bring together key individuals/organisations to discuss and plan activities of a longer-term local/national initiative;• Fund-raising for such a longer term initiative.The YPARD Coordination Unit does not initiate the setting up of local/regional initiatives, nor does it design such initiatives and write proposals for them. It simply makes the YPARD concepts and activities widely known and is open to receive enquiries and expressions of interest from individuals and organisations.Available Budget and Current Deadline for ApplicationCurrently (until June 2009) YPARD has funds from SDC (Swiss Development Cooperation) available for supporting local/regional initiatives which meet the criteria (and process) described above. Each approved initiative will be granted with a maximum of EUR5,000 seed funds. Funds are available for supporting a maximum number of five initiatives.As mentioned above, a proposal or concept note presenting the initial ideas, activities and involved parties should be sent to the YPARD Coordination Unit, who will screen the proposal and submit it to appointed Steering Committee members.Initiatives which wish to tap into the SDC-supported Seed Funds must present a proposal until 31st October 2008.The Coordination Unit will present its suggestions and comments on the proposal within two weeks of receiving the document. Proponents will then discuss the comments/changes and come up with a revised proposal within two weeks time. A final decision on (non) approval will be made within two weeks of receiving a final version of the proposal. Time elapsed between receiving the first draft of the proposal and a final response from the Steering Committee should therefore not exceed six weeks.
Attached resources
[.pdf] Local/Regional Initiative YPARD