Arts Thread

Update! Our winner is Simon Meienberg! Simon will be off to The Gambia for his field visit. Keep watch on our social media for reports on Simon's work and findings. Are you a young creative inspired by Afrofuturism? An emerging designer willing to put his/her skills to work to create lasting, impactful change for young people? Do you want to contribute to empowering youth by enhancing their access to information on migration? IOM - International Organization for Migration for West & Central Africa - is looking for a talented interaction/service/interior designer or architect to support our teams in transforming two Migrant Information Centers into local activity hubs. Through field work – yes, you’ll travel to The Gambia yourself – and in direct interaction with young Gambian and IOM teams, you’ll help us boost the attractivity of two local youth centers. Apply by June 23rd by uploading two projects of work that you feel best represents your ability to take on this challenge and a short motivation statement. THE PROJECT IOM is looking for a young creative to help our teams transform two youth centers – that serve as information points on migration – into local activity hubs. By focusing on the needs of local youngsters, the designer will explore a range of activities and adaptations to the space that will contribute to an enhanced experience. You will leave on a 10 days trip to The Gambia for field research, where you’ll work side to side with our team and in direct contact with local youth. Your plans should make the centers more attractive and engaging to adolescents looking for answers to their questions on migration. During the field trip, your role will also be to identify – with the help of IOM and Nation Youth Council teams – local partners/artists/artisans for the implementation of your plans. Your direct contact line once back home will be this local contractor who’ll follow up on the production and implementation phase. At the end of field study, you’ll be asked to present your plans to the IOM team, including visuals, estimated budget, and proposed contractors. From there on, you’ll follow up remotely on the implementation of plans, all the way to the final validation of delivered works. The full activity will take you several months, with variable intensities of workload. Estimated timeline: June 23: deadline for application Mid-End July 2019: field visit to The Gambia First weeks of August: presentation of plans End of August – end of September: procurement, execution of plans Early October: final checks and validation WHAT'S IN IT FOR YOU? This collaboration is a unique chance to work from inside the United Nations and have a direct impact on informing youth on their migration decisions. By applying human-centered design to a UN migration project, you’ll be part of a pilot project for West Africa; a potential trendsetter building bridged between worlds. All costs (including travel, visa, lodging, per diem, insurance) during the field visit are covered by the organisation. In addition, you’ll receive a €2,400 euro fee to cover expenses before and after the field visit. The results of your work will be published through all official IOM, Arts Thread and partners’ channels, promoting your work within the third sector. BACKGROUND INFORMATION The International Organization for Migration (IOM) has a lead role at the global level on migration management activities. Its Regional Office for West and Central Africa, based in Dakar, covers 23 countries and 5 regional economic communities.Visit the website of the IOM Regional Office and our social media channels for regular updates. With a population of 2 million, The Gambia is one of Africa's smallest countries. Despite its size, migration plays a significant role in Gambian society. Overseas remittances of an estimated 90,000 Gambians living abroad account for over 20 per cent of the country's GDP, while rural-to-urban migration has led to increasing urbanization. In recent years, the pursuit for socioeconomic advancement—especially among the youth—has driven many to undertake irregular migration with the aim of reaching Europe. Over 8,498 Gambians arrived in Europe in 2017, with many others in Africa along the Central Mediterranean Route now opting for voluntary return. The IOM office in The Gambia works with local partners to raise awareness among potential migrants about risks of and alternatives to irregular migration and promotes diaspora engagement to contribute to economic development through knowledge and skills transfer. IOM supports the Government of The Gambia and national and local partners to build their capacities to protect migrants, promote their rights and better manage migration. This project is funded by the EU through the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration, enable migrants and potential migrants to make informed decisions about their migratory journey and sensitise their communities on migration. For all information on the Joint Initiative, consult our website. ENTRY REQUIREMENTS - WHO ARE WE LOOKING FOR? Open to designers from around the world – African nationals are especially encouraged to apply Have at least two years of working experience – preferably in social design A good command of spoken and written English A strong understanding of migration trends in the region A good understanding of West African lifestyle IOM and Arts Thread are looking for a young creative from the field of social design, interaction design, service design, architecture, or similar, with a passion for design from Africa and preferably with working experience in (West) Africa. It’s important that the selected candidate has a decent understanding of African culture and lifestyle, as well as the realities of irregular migration. The ideal candidate is interested in migration issues, believes in Africa’s future and talents, and wants to contribute to better designed projects in the third sector. Human-centeredness should be at the core of your work and a good dose of empathy is what drives your well adapted design solutions to social challenges. HOW TO ENTER Is it you we’re looking for? Then hurry and upload onto Arts Thread 2 projects of work that you feel best represents your ability to take on this challenge. Choose 1 project to enter the competition - we will look at both projects in the judging. Then complete our online entry form where we will ask you to upload a short statement (word doc or PDF file), describing to us why you’re the man/woman for the job (max. 1 page). STEP 1 Already got an ARTS THREAD portfolio? To enter, simply log into your account, upload your design as a new project, return to this page and select your 1st project into the Competition box above. New to ARTS THREAD? To enter, register to create an ARTS THREAD account and go to your email and click on the activation link sent to your email Inbox. Then log into your account, upload your 1st project, then return to this page and select your project into the Competition box above. STEP 2 Complete our online IOM Challenge - Redesigning Migrant Information Centres in The Gambia Entry Form* *By applying you confirm that you can undertake the assignment and travel to the Gambia in the mentioned timeframe. ENTRY: Free to apply DEADLINE TO APPLY: June 23 2019 TIMELINE June 23: deadline for application Mid July 2019: field visit to The Gambia First weeks of August: presentation of plans End of August – end of September: procurement, execution of plans Early October: final checks and validation