What are the responsibilities and job description for the PlayMatters LtP Evidence Review - Consultant position at International Rescue Committee?
The International Rescue Committee (IRC) responds to the world's worst humanitarian crises, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing, and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. Founded in 1933 at the call of Albert Einstein, the IRC is one of the world's largest international humanitarian non-governmental organizations (INGO), at work in more than 40 countries and 29 U.S. cities helping people to survive, reclaim control of their future and strengthen their communities. A force for humanity, IRC employees deliver lasting impact by restoring safety, dignity and hope to millions. If you're a solutions-driven, passionate change-maker, come join us in positively impacting the lives of millions of people world-wide for a better future.
Background of the project
PlayMatters (2020-2026) is an education initiative funded by the LEGO Foundation. The program reimagines childhood for 800,000 refugee and host-community children across Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda – children whose education and social development have been affected by displacement and trauma. Building on children’s amazing resilience and a growing evidence base supporting Learning through Play methodologies, PlayMatters cultivates holistic learning and well-being for children ages 3-12 . PlayMatters is led by the International Rescue Committee and includes Plan International, War Child Holland, Innovations for Poverty Action, the Behavioral Insights Team. PlayMatters defines Learning through Play as an active teaching and learning method that capitalizes on a child’s natural desire to engage in play. Core elements include: 1) the adult facilitator intentionally plans and delivers contextually and age-appropriate guided playful experiences with clear learning objectives; 2) experiences promote interactions with people and/or materials that allow children to question, experiment, practice, and discover; 3) the facilitator deliberately creates and maintains a positive, safe, and inclusive environment for children, allowing children to feel comfortable and joyful.
Scope of work
PlayMatters conducted an evidence review of Learning through Play methodologies in humanitarian and low-resource contexts initially published in 2021 (published on the PlayMatters website). Since then, additional research has been published across diverse crisis-affected contexts on LtP interventions, particularly in education/school contexts. Thus, PlayMatters is seeking an individual consultant to support with an annotated bibliography to update this evidence review with emergent evidence. This annotated bibliography should focus on LtP intervention documents, implementation research, or impact evaluations in school-based settings (both formal and nonformal) with a particular focus on publication within the last 5 years. This annotated bibliography should include academic literature found from peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature. PlayMatters will collaborate with the consultant to develop Boolean search terms and relevant academic databases to source evidence.
Deliverable
Minimum Qualifications:
To apply, interested candidates should submit:
Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
Background of the project
PlayMatters (2020-2026) is an education initiative funded by the LEGO Foundation. The program reimagines childhood for 800,000 refugee and host-community children across Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Uganda – children whose education and social development have been affected by displacement and trauma. Building on children’s amazing resilience and a growing evidence base supporting Learning through Play methodologies, PlayMatters cultivates holistic learning and well-being for children ages 3-12 . PlayMatters is led by the International Rescue Committee and includes Plan International, War Child Holland, Innovations for Poverty Action, the Behavioral Insights Team. PlayMatters defines Learning through Play as an active teaching and learning method that capitalizes on a child’s natural desire to engage in play. Core elements include: 1) the adult facilitator intentionally plans and delivers contextually and age-appropriate guided playful experiences with clear learning objectives; 2) experiences promote interactions with people and/or materials that allow children to question, experiment, practice, and discover; 3) the facilitator deliberately creates and maintains a positive, safe, and inclusive environment for children, allowing children to feel comfortable and joyful.
Scope of work
PlayMatters conducted an evidence review of Learning through Play methodologies in humanitarian and low-resource contexts initially published in 2021 (published on the PlayMatters website). Since then, additional research has been published across diverse crisis-affected contexts on LtP interventions, particularly in education/school contexts. Thus, PlayMatters is seeking an individual consultant to support with an annotated bibliography to update this evidence review with emergent evidence. This annotated bibliography should focus on LtP intervention documents, implementation research, or impact evaluations in school-based settings (both formal and nonformal) with a particular focus on publication within the last 5 years. This annotated bibliography should include academic literature found from peer-reviewed journal articles and grey literature. PlayMatters will collaborate with the consultant to develop Boolean search terms and relevant academic databases to source evidence.
Deliverable
- Annotated bibliography of LtP evidence, with a particular focus on evidence published in the last 5 years. It is expected that the deliverable will take 4 days and should be completed no later than March 31, 2025.
Minimum Qualifications:
- Current Master’s or Doctoral student in Education, Psychology, International Development, International Relations, Peace and Conflict Studies, Policy Studies, or other related Social Sciences-Related discipline;
- At least 1 year experience working in education in low-resource environments or education in emergencies;
- Experience working on education in emergencies, Learning through Play, and quality classroom pedagogy is a plus;
- Strong writing skills (in English) and significant writing experience;
- Experience working in East Africa is a plus.
To apply, interested candidates should submit:
- Updated CV(s)
- Example of relevant work
Standard of Professional Conduct:The IRC and the IRC workers must adhere to the values and principles outlined in the IRC Way – our Code of Conduct. These are Integrity, Service, Accountability, and Equality.
Commitment to Gender, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion: The IRC is committed to creating a diverse, inclusive, respectful, and safe work environment where all persons are treated fairly, with dignity and respect. The IRC expressly prohibits and will not tolerate discrimination, harassment, retaliation, or bullying of the IRC persons in any work setting. We aim to increase the representation of women, people that are from country and communities we serve, and people who identify as races and ethnicities that are under-represented in global power structures.
