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Open position in the EYFA collective in Berlin (starting July 2015)

eyfa new logo_miniDo you want to support a radical grassroots network in Europe? Do you want to join a collective of young people with 30 years of history struggling for social change? Deadline for applications April 30

What is the EYFA collective?

We are a small collective of activists that supports an informal network of grassroots groups across Europe in their approach to social and environmental justice.

EYFA strives for a world based on social, environmental and economic justice, in which people feel empowered to act and raise their voices on the issues that affect their lives. EYFA works to challenge the dominant neoliberal social and economic system, while developing new anti-authoritarian ways of organising our communities based on environmental and social sustainability. EYFA projects are mainly for young people, serving as a catalyst for action on local and international levels. A special focus is put on providing access for groups to take part in international grassroots social movements.

The collective consists of a team of staff and volunteers that runs a small office in Berlin. The office is organised collectively and non-hierarchically, meaning that all staff are expected to take an equal role in day-to-day tasks and decision-making processes. From watering the plant to writing reports, tasks are shared and rotated amongst all of those in the office. The office also functions as a ‘training ground’ for young people to develop skills, such as project coordination, fundraising and bookkeeping. Decisions are made by consensus.

Red more on our website eyfa.org
What do we do?
Each project we do is different and depends on the needs of the groups we are working with and their context. Projects can take the form of a gathering, a publication, an action or a full campaign. We encourage our members to find projects they are passioned about and bring them into the collective.

In the past we supported a diversity of groups and movements, like:
– Climate justice groups within the mobilisation for Copenhagen (2009)
– Antifascists blocade in Warsaw, Poland (2010)
– European trainers network, Sovenia (2011)
– Calais migrant solidarity (2014)
– Movement against house evictions in Córdoba, Spain (2014).

For 2015 we plan more projects around feminism, susatinable activism and climate justice. The new person in the office will join us to an international anti-fracking camp in Northern Spain (July 2015).

Besides full-on projects, the collective is there for counceling, networking, skillsharing and other forms of punctual support for activists and groups in our network.

Working in the EYFA office:
EYFA office is based in Berlin, Kreuzberg. We generally work 32 hours week, however some weeks around deadlines and projects can be very hectic and require extra hours whilst others in the immediate aftermath of these can be relatively light-going. We give ourselves 20 days of paid holiday per year.
Although our projects can take many forms, our key skills are in fundraising, and for this the basic procedures of application writing and report writing are crucial to our work. With us you can learn the procedures involved in acquiring funding and the general tasks of running an organisation, so don’t be put off if you don’t already have all the skills that we mention here. What we do ask for is self-intitiative, a willingness to get involved and a real commitment to tackling social justice issues from the grassroots.

The working language in the office is English. Our members travel to projects once a month or every two months. We only support land travel, thus, covering the distance to the project takes time.

We have small salaries that cover our basic living costs and insurance.
It is typical for staff to work in the office for 2-3 years, before moving on to share their new skills with other groups and projects.

What does EYFA staff do?
The work of EYFA coordinators is a combination of conceptual and practical work involving different tasks such as developing project ideas, writing applications and reports, communicating with funders, participating in collective decision-making, organising meetings and financial management, in addition to answering phone calls, collecting post, and keeping the office tidy. To give you a clear idea about what the work consists of, we’ve divided the description into three inter-related parts:

1] Coordinating EYFA projects and activities:
Developing and organizing EYFA activities to support groups, projects and campaigns within the EYFA network and beyond. Each project done by EYFA can be quite different from the last. Coordinating an EYFA project or activity roughly includes following steps:

  • developing an idea/concept for a project and checking out possibilities, including finding partners, investigating logistics etc.
  • funding and co-funding applications, which requires careful attention to funder interests and creative and descriptive writing skills;
  • prep-meetings and arranging project logistics (meeting and accommodation space, food, travel arrangements etc);
  • with prospective participants, which involves large amounts of emailing;
  • organising project finances, which includes making and updating spreadsheets, keeping a tidy cashbox, reimbursing tickets and other expenses and collecting receipts to meet reporting requirements;
  • writing reports for the funders, which include both financial and narrative components: compiling receipts and creating financial accounts for the project, describing project activities, ensuring all documentation (infobooks, posters etc) required by the funder are included in the report package etc.

2] Communication:
Communicating about EYFA and other projects to other networks/groups involves updating the website, writing the EYFA newsletter, preparing publications such as the annual report and communicating with various groups and individuals in the network. These things, besides keeping the network updated on EYFA activities, are used to disseminate general information on political activism, current issues, meetings and campaigns across the continent.
3] Running the EYFA office – Office Administration tasks:
Everyone in the EYFA office is expected to get involved with developing future plans for EYFA and to take part in running the office. Besides regular tasks such as checking and responding to emails, (picking up the post, keeping the office clean and tidy,) collective running of the EYFA office asks for joined efforts in administration:

  • checking funder websites for calls for proposals and researching co-funding opportunities;
  • writing funding applications and narratives and financial reports for EYFA office core activities;
  • writing and publishing the EYFA annual report that covers all EYFA activities and projects;
  • learning about, understanding and running the EYFA office finances;
  • actively participating in collective decision-making within the office, particularly regarding EYFA projects, activities and finances;
  • very good communication, close cooperation and mutual support for everyone in the collective.

Who are we looking for?
Don’t be put off if you don’t meet all the requirements that we mention here. We will look at the overall picture during the selection process.
Skills:

  • good English and German;
  • application and report writing;
  • bookkeeping/finance;
  • good on-line communication;
  • attention to detail – especially important when doing finances, writing applications/reports and organising projects;
  • organizational skills and time-management;

Experience:

  • dealing with deadlines;
  • collaborative work;
  • non-hierarchical settings and consensus decision making;
  • extensive computer work;
  • grassroots movements or direct action groups;

Charachteristics:

  • enthusiasm for social and environmental justice topics;
  • initiative and self-confidence – ability to take control of your own learning experience and participation within the collective;
  • willing to put a big commitment into the collective;
  • willing to take risks;
  • eager to travel a lot (by land);
  • acceptance to spend lots of time in front of the computer;
  • basic computer skills and willingness to work with software libre and encryption;
  • radical and intersectional politics;
  • availability to start latest July 2015
  • sensitive to group dynamics.

Helpful assets:

  • you can afford living with a small salary;
  • you are familiar with the reality of German bureaucracy;
  • you are acquainted with the context in Eastern Europe;
  • you are able to start working soon;
  • you have skill-sharing skills/experience;
  • you live in Berlin;
  • you are looking for a more structured way to organizing your live;
  • you are familiar with what EYFA does;
  • you have layouting skills;
  • you are skilled for international activist networking;

Interested?

Send us a text telling about your experience and background (maximum 3 A4s) and a letter of motivation (1 A4), including email and telephone number of two referees until April 30 at 00:00 CET.
After going through the applications, we will invite a few applicants for an interview in mid May.
Write to eyfa@eyfa.org indicating “Open position application” on the subject line. Find here the public GPG key for this account.