Start date: December 2021
Duration: Minimum 1 year
Type of the role: Voluntary
Commitment: 3-4 hours per month
Location: Remote & in-person (Athens, Greece)
Context and story to date
Velos Youth is a non-profit organization founded in May 2017 with the mission of supporting children and young people to restart and rebuild their lives in Greece.
Velos Youth operates a youth center in central Athens for young people aged 16-21 years old, where a range of emotional, material and specialist support services are offered. Through Velos Youth young people are also supported to access a range of other state and NGO services.
We are a response to the unique and diverse needs of youth on the move in urban Athens, and a place where young people come together as persons – not profiles – to understand and practice both difference and unity. You can find more information about Velos Youth on our website.
We are currently looking to add new members to our Advisory Board, which was launched this year to support the work of the existing Directors of Velos Youth in Athens. This Advisory Board provides is services to the organisation voluntarily.
Key responsibilities
As a Velos Youth Advisor you will be responsible for:
- Attending 4 strategy days / meetings per year (alongside directors), for a minimum of one year
- Providing ad hoc advice and support when available via phone or online, according to your area(s) of expertise and special interests
- Being an advocate for the work of Velos Youth and the needs of our target group
Advisory Board members are asked to:
- Commit to the mission of Velos Youth
- Be willing to devote the necessary time and effort
- Commit to acting with integrity at all times
- Over strategic vision and insight regarding the organization as a whole and in focus-specific areas
- Be willing to provide support / advice ad hoc or at short-notice on certain occasions
- Speak openly and critically, whilst remaining sensitive to the resource scarce reality of a small grass-roots organization
This is not a legal position, and does not carry any personal liability, but exists to add to the skills and expertise of the board of directors, diversifying it where possible. Memorandums of Understanding (not legally binding), bespoke to the individual, will be signed with Velos Youth in order to formalize this commitment. Members of the advisory board will be invited to see and experience the work of Velos Youth first hand to develop a better understanding and insight into the organization’s work.
Who and what are we looking for?
We are looking to build a team of advisors to help us take Velos Youth into the next phase of its development. The broad range of skills and / or expertise we would like to welcome onto the board include the following areas:
Social work
Psychology
Law & human rights
Communications
Advocacy
Accounting & Finance
Lived experience
We are looking to build a board that is diverse and inclusive, and so in particular welcome applications from those under the age of 25 and / or those who have experienced similar journeys to those faced by the young people we work with.
Experience of working in the humanitarian and NGO fields will be a significant advantage.
To Apply
Interested applicants should submit either a brief cover letter (max. 2 pages) or short video * (max. 3 minutes), and a CV to [email protected]. Please include a short plan on the steps you would take to ensure Velos Youth benefits from your specific skills and experiences. Please write ‘Advisory board Application’ in the subject Line.
* To submit a video, upload it to a video sharing platform and send us the link. Please note we are not judging the production or video quality, a recording on a phone is fine.
