About the Role
Contract Period: Fixed term consulting contract for 17 months during the period April 2026 up to August 2027
Total CTC Range: Up to INR 21 lakhs for the 17 months engagement period
Apply Mail: info@sauramandala.org
ABOUT SAURAMANDALA FOUNDATION - CFAD
Sauramandala Foundation is an NGO founded in 2018 with a vision to bring about systemic change in the lives of remote communities through empathetic, collaborative, and contextual solutions that are co-created with the communities themselves.
About the Project (CM Youth Center)
The Government of Meghalaya, in partnership with Sauramandala Foundation (www.sauramandala.org), has established 22 rural community centres for youth, called the Chief Minister's Youth Centers (CMYC) with an aim to build resilience, agency and problem-solving skills in the community.
The key programmes in the CMYCs are:
Self Designed Learning
Entrepreneurship Development
Sports Coaching
Arts and Theatre
Community Library Programme
The learning is open to all ages to have more involvement from the community. The CMYCs are set to expand from 22 centers to cover all 55 blocks of Meghalaya over a 2 year period.
Key Responsibilities
1. Objective of the Engagement
To design and operationalize well-resourced, welcoming libraries in CMYCs that:
Build a culture of reading by working closely with children, young adults and youth in the community
Serve as learning hubs supporting adolescent well-being and development
2. Scope of Work
Curation
Build vibrant, culturally rooted, multilingual collections for children, young adults and youth
Curate collections across themes of well-being, mental health, coming of age, gender, environment, sci-fi, indigenous knowledge and local culture and so on
Ensure enough reading materials for beginner to confident and advanced readers
Programme Design
Support the design of libraries and child and youth-friendly spaces
Design a joyful community library programme that makes reading social, engaging and meaningful
Create spaces for dialogue and self-expression – reading circles, book discussions, open mics, writing labs, movie screenings and debrief reflections
Integrate life skills and SEL into the library programme to build empathy, self-confidence, critical thinking etc.
Design for the library activities to travel to nearby villages around the Youth Center and to engage with existing Youth Clubs
Building Community Ownership
Position the CMYC and the libraries as a community asset by engaging the community, especially the adults, to build a connection with the space
Organise reading festivals, youth showcases, and community celebrations
Create systems to encourage youth to play an active role in shaping the libraries – youth volunteers, library leaders and so on
Organise reading festivals, youth showcases, and community celebrations
Strengthening Libraries as Safe, Welcoming, Learning Hubs
Develop a simple monitoring framework for smooth operations
Train first-time libraries with tools and techniques on youth engagement,creating safe spaces, facilitating shared reading experiences in the libraries
Bring in low-cost digital tools and offline e-resources where possible
Document learnings and adolescent and youth stories from the libraries
Expected Area of Expertise
Master’s Degree in Education/Library & Information Science or related field (preferred, not mandatory)
8-9 years of experience in setting up community libraries, training librarians and educators to build a culture of reading
Any certifications on library science or engagements with organisations working in the field is preferred
Strong knowledge of curation for different age groups from children to young adults and youth
Ability to design and facilitate training workshops for first-time librarians
Adaptability to an agile, cross-functional, collaborative working environment
3. To Apply
Interested consultants with relevant experience (please include CV, samples and/or references of the previous similar work as proof of experience).