Call for Proposals
Sep 11, 2024
Evaluation Specialist for the National Healing Journey
Overview of the National Healing Journey
The National Healing Journey (NHJ) is a coalition of individuals, families, and organizations dedicated to ending intergenerational trauma within Afro-descendant communities across Canada. Our mission is to work with Black-led, Black-focused, and Black-serving organizations across the country to co-create a healthy Black ecosystem that supports the health and well-being of Afro-descendant individuals, families, and communities. The NHJ aims to unite the Afro-descendant community in the collective effort to heal the traumatic wounds associated with the enslavement experience in a post-colonial context, fostering a just, equitable, and thriving society.
Overview of the Becoming Project
The Becoming Project is a strategic multi-phase initiative under the NHJ, designed to end intergenerational trauma and promote the health of the Black ecosystem in Canada. Over the course of three years, the project will unfold across four key phases:
- Building the National Round Table: Mobilizing Black-led, Black-focused, Black-serving organizations across Canada to form a strong coalition that uses a coordinated approach to co-create a national strategy for building a healthy Black ecosystem.
- Individual & Communal Healing: Providing unhindered access to individual trauma recovery journeys and organizing an annual Truth and Reconciliation Jubilee that supports communal healing.
- National Social Awareness Campaign: Designing and implementing a national social awareness campaign focused on normalizing trauma recovery at the individual, family, and community levels. Production of the Becoming Show, a docuseries that exposes the Canadian audience to the healing journey of 7 individuals, 7 families, and 1 entire community over a 3-year period.
- Train, Monitor & Evaluate Impact: Train 151 trauma recovery specialists in every province supporting diverse but especially Afro-descendant communities with unhindered access to Afro-centric trauma recovery care. Continuous assessment of impact and refinement of strategies for sustainable change.
Consultant Role: Evaluation Specialist (1 – 3 Year Contract)
Position Description
The NHJ seeks an innovative and experienced Evaluation Specialist for a consulting engagement lasting 1-3 years. This consultant will be pivotal in designing, implementing, and leading the evaluation processes for the NHJ and Becoming Project. The role emphasizes integrating traditional evaluation methods with holistic, culturally sensitive participatory evaluation approaches that account for the complex impacts of historical and intergenerational trauma. The Evaluation Specialist will work collaboratively with the Healthy Ecosystem Pathway Strategist and the National Change Management & Mobilization Strategist, and will also lead a team of graduate students to support the evaluation efforts.
Key Responsibilities:
- Collaborative Development of Culturally Sensitive Evaluation Frameworks: Work closely with the Healthy Ecosystem Pathway Strategist and the National Change Management & Mobilization Strategist to design evaluation frameworks that are aligned with the NHJ’s mission, vision, goals, and objectives. Ensure that these frameworks integrate both traditional and holistic methods, recognizing change as both a process and an outcome.
- Building and Leading an Evaluation Team: Recruit, mentor, and lead a team of graduate students (Master’s and PhD) from relevant disciplines such as social work, public health, psychology, sociology, and community development. Ensure that the team works collaboratively and that their efforts are aligned with the NHJ’s overarching goals.
- Implementing Culturally Sensitive and Holistic Data Collection and Analysis: Employ culturally sensitive data collection methods that respect the cultural context and histories of Afro-descendant communities. Integrate traditional research methods with community-based approaches, including the arts, storytelling, and oral histories.
- Continuous Monitoring, Feedback Loops, and Reporting: Develop and maintain feedback loops for each phase of the Becoming Project. Ensure that insights from evaluations are integrated into ongoing activities, supporting adaptive management and the project’s evolution. Produce detailed evaluation reports that provide holistic insights into the impact of the project at all levels.
- Using Evaluation Insights for Strategic Scaling and Planning: Provide crucial insights from evaluations to support the scaling of successful initiatives across other regions and communities. Collaborate with other strategists to incorporate findings into strategic planning, ensuring evidence-based and sustainable long-term impact.
- Ensuring Accountability and Transparency: Foster a culture of accountability rooted in participatory evaluation principles. Develop inclusive accountability mechanisms that incorporate both traditional and holistic evaluation approaches, ensuring that the NHJ remains transparent and accountable to the communities it serves.
- Building Evaluation Capacity and Facilitating Learning: Build the evaluation capacity of NHJ staff, National Round Table participants, and graduate students. Facilitate learning and reflection sessions to discuss evaluation findings and integrate them into ongoing work, fostering continuous improvement and innovation.
Required Expertise:
- Holistic and Collaborative Evaluation: Proven experience in developing and implementing evaluation frameworks that integrate traditional methods with holistic, culturally sensitive approaches, particularly in contexts addressing complex social, economic, and cultural challenges.
- Interdisciplinary Team Leadership: Strong background in leading interdisciplinary teams, particularly in mentoring and guiding graduate students in the application of both traditional and innovative evaluation methods.
- Culturally Sensitive Data Collection: Expertise in employing culturally sensitive and inclusive data collection methods that honour the cultural context and histories of marginalized communities, particularly Afro-descendant populations.
- Strategic Impact Assessment: Experience in using evaluation findings to inform strategic planning, scaling, and adaptive management in large-scale projects.
- Participatory Accountability Mechanisms: Demonstrated ability to develop and implement participatory accountability mechanisms that ensure transparency and community-driven evaluation processes.
Submission Guidelines
Interested candidates or consulting firms are invited to submit a detailed proposal by November 11, 2024. Proposals should be sent to becomingproject@nationalhealingjourney.com and must include the following components:
- Overview of the Consulting Company or Person (150 words max): Provide a summary of the company or individual, including relevant experience and expertise.
- Alignment with NHJ’s Mission, Vision, and Objectives (150 words max): Demonstrate how the consultant or consulting firm’s vision and mission align with the NHJ’s goals.
- Understanding of the Becoming Project (150 words max): Provide evidence of understanding the need for the Becoming Project and its impact.
- Capacity for Engagement (250 words max): Outline the capacity to engage the Afro-descendant population at national, provincial, and local levels.
- Understanding of Intersectionality and Partnerships (250 words max): Detail your understanding of intersectionality, intersectoral partnerships, and building healthy ecosystems in a post-enslavement and post-modern colonial society.
- Capacity to Undertake the Project (250 words max):
- Organizational and Financial Capacity: Demonstrate the ability to manage complex, large-scale projects with a particular focus on collaborative settings. Highlight your ability to effectively allocate resources, manage risks, and ensure financial stability.
- Experience with Priority Populations: Highlight experience working with Afro-descendant or similar populations.
- Project Management and Results: Provide examples of successful project management and the achievement of results.
- Innovation and Creativity (300 words max): Describe any innovative approaches or methodologies you plan to implement that will enhance the effectiveness of the project.
- Proposed Timeline and Milestones (150 words max): Provide a timeline with key milestones and reporting intervals to demonstrate how you will manage and track progress.
- References and Case Studies (150 words max): Include references and case studies from similar projects to verify your experience and effectiveness.
- Proposed Budget & Financial Stability Documentation: Submit a detailed budget for your consulting services, including justification for each line item. Explain the financial stability of the company or individual, providing evidence of the ability to manage and sustain projects of this scale.
- Partnerships and Collaboration (150 words max): If applicable, describe any partnerships or collaborations with other organizations that will enhance the proposal’s effectiveness and broaden its impact.
- Key Performance Indicators (KPIs: 150 words max): Propose KPIs that will measure the success of your work and align with the project’s goals.
Evaluation Criteria
Proposals will be evaluated based on the following weighted criteria:
- Relevant Experience and Expertise (30%)
- Alignment with NHJ’s Mission and Vision (15%)
- Capacity for Strategic Campaign Development and Innovation (25%)
- Capacity and Experience with Priority Populations (15%)
- Proposed Timeline and Milestones (10%)
- Proposed Budget & Financial Stability (5%)
- Clarity and Completeness of Proposal (5%)
Eligibility
Only Canadian organizations or individuals with relevant experience in the Canadian context may submit proposals under this solicitation. Individuals must be legally able to work in Canada without restrictions. may submit proposals under this solicitation.
Pre-Submission Information Session
To assist potential applicants, NHJ will host a pre-submission webinar on Wednesday, September 18th, 202 from 12:00 to 1:00 PM EST. This session is designed to clarify expectations, provide an overview of the project, answer questions, and offer guidance to ensure high-quality submissions on the submission process. Attendance is highly recommended.
Submission Deadline
The deadline for submission is November 11, 2024, at 11:59 pm EDT. Applications should be submitted to becomingproject@nationalhealingjourney.com. Late submissions will not be considered. Please allow for enough time to fully complete and submit your proposal. Applications should be submitted to becomingproject@nationalhealingjourney.com.
We look forward to receiving your proposal. Together, we aim to heal historical wounds and create lasting change within Afro-descendant communities.