Mridul Upadhyay

Experience

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  Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development

  Jun 2012 - Jul 2012

  Intern

  o Youth Leadership Internshipo Workshops on life skills, social justice, gender issue, social exclusion and youth issues etc. o Sessions on environmental problems, heritage preservation, women empowerment and tribal issues

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  Valdel Engineers & Constructors

  Aug 2012 - Nov 2016

  Sr. Engineer (Piping Stress)

  o Project management and coordination: preparing various reports, maintaining logs, documentation, quality control and interdepartmental communication.o Stress analysis of small and big bore lines connected to heaters, coalescers, exchangers, tanks, drums, filters and pumps through CAESAR-II software.o Exposure to Pipe support standards, P&ID, plant layout, Pipe Material Specifications and various international codes & standards of the industry.

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  Youth for Peace International

  Dec 2015 - now

  Co-founder & Chief Advisor

  o Supporting CEO on strategic and executive management, programme design, partnerships and fundraising and PMELo Developing and co-facilitating various trainings on conflict transformation, inter-religious and intercultural dialogue, gender, non-violent communication, digital hate speech, socio emotional learning, negotiation and mental wellbeing for youth, children, community leaders and educators.o Organised Youth4Peace Mindfulness Think/Being Tank program for 20 young peacebuilders from South Asia, 2022 o Trainer on Advocacy at the KAICIID Dialogue for Peace in South & Southeast Asia workshop, India, 2020o Developed micro e-learning storyboard for young public and civil servants, with the Asian Youth Peace Network, 2019-20o Organized ASEF/ASEM training on Human Rights & Prevention of Violent Extremism for 25 young bureaucrats and policymakers from 21 countries of Asia and Europe, Delhi, 2019o Developed and organized Global ToT on youth and peacebuilding, for 32 youth from 14 countries, in collaboration with UNFPA Asia Pacific & Government of India, 2017o Developed & organised 5 days residential training of trainers (ToT) on youth and peacebuilding for 40 youth/trainers from 8 Asian countries in collaboration with RGNIYD RC, Government of India 2016o Co-facilitated active peacebuilding workshops for 400 school children in Central India for AFS, 2019o Organised and co-facilitated, 5 days workshop for 100 youth on Socio-emotional intelligence in Maharashtra, in collaboration with office of Dr. Vikas Mahatme (MP, India) 2019o Moderator, Panel discussion on ‘Faith and Compassion’, organized by STEP Trust, 2018o Organised training for children and teachers in Lamdon Modern School, Leh, India, 2018o Contributing author to UNESCO MGIEP Youth Waging Peace: a youth-led guide PVE through education, 2018o Launched Peacebuilding campaigns on Indo-Pak intercultural dialogue (2016 & 2017) and Mission70 campaign on active citizenship and constitutional rights (2019) Show less

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  United Network of Young Peacebuilders

  Jun 2017 - Jun 2024

  o Coordinated with 29 members in Asia to develop a common vision and strategy at the regional level and developed joint network activities in the region.o Founding co-chair, the Thematic Working Group on Youth Peace & Security (TWG-YPS) of the UN Asia-Pacific Interagency Network on Youth (APINY) since 2017o Contributed to the US YPS Act 2020, UN SG report on YPS 2020, UNOY Localizing 2250 guide, UN joint action plan on youth peacebuilding, UN system-wide community engagement guidelines on peacebuilding, UN civic space public consultation, IPTI online consultation on civil society and inclusive peace and UNESCO Youth Policy Toolkito Organising a year-long multiphase fellowship for 60 youth under EU IcSP ‘Amplifying Leadership of Local Youth in PVE in South Asia’ program, including four online and in-person trainings, 24 small social action projects implementation and advocacy to SAARC and other national and regional stakeholders, 2021-22o Developed toolkits on ‘Advocacy and Campaigning’ and ‘Training and Facilitation’ for ALLY program, 2021-22o Co-developed Global YPS Fund with Search for Common Ground, 2020-22o Organised year-long youth participatory action research program for 08 young researchers on Youth-led peacebuilding in South Asia, 2020-21o Organised #Youth4Peace in Southeast Asia Virtual Forum, in collaboration with UNFPA & DPPA, 2020o Organised Asian #Youth4Peace program to provide 360° support to youth-led peacebuilding groups in Asia with youth-sensitive mentoring and participatory grantmaking, 2020o Organized Organizational Development program (online & F2F trainings) for UNOY members, 2019o Co-organized the first ever North-East Asia YPS workshop in Mongolia, 2019o Moderator, Interactive Dialogue with the President of UN General Assembly on YPS, 2019o Organized 7 months’ online training program on ‘localizing UNSCR 2250’ for 72 youth from Asia pacific, 2018 Show less

  • Project Manager - Asia Youth Advocacy Team (AsiaYAT)

    Feb 2021 - Jun 2024

  • Asia Coordinator & Multiple Project Manager roles

    Jun 2017 - Jun 2022
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  Search for Common Ground

  Jan 2018 - Jan 2021

  Council Member, Search for Common Ground (SfCG) Global Youth Leadership Council

  The Global Youth Leadership Council (GYLC) is a diverse group of youth peacebuilders, drawn from eight countries, that guides Search for Common Ground’s policy on the youth, peace and security agenda. The Council provides advice on Search's local and regional youth-focused programming.

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  UN Major Group for Children and Youth

  Mar 2018 - Jul 2020

  Global Focal Point for Humanitarian Affairs

  The UN MGCY is the UN General Assembly-mandated official space for children and youth to contribute to and engage in intergovernmental and​ ​allied​ ​policy​ ​processes​ ​at​ ​the​ ​UN. I was appointed as the global coordinator of the Humanitarian Affairs Working Group to enable, engage, encourage and empower youth for the participation in humanitarian affairs. Responsibilities includedo Developed a global work plan in line with policy design, implementation, and monitoring.o Networking and partnership with various UN agencies i.e. ECOSOC, IANYD, UNFPA, UNHCR, UN-Habitat etco Co-developed the global ‘Youth Compact Champions’ programme, with the Compact for Young People in Humanitarian Action, an 18 months support to 35 hard-to-reach Young Leaders to lead humanitarian action, 2020o Technical Reviewer, Youth Capacity Building in Humanitarian Affairs program and facilitation toolkit, Qatar 2018o Contributed to IASC Guidelines to working with and for young people in humanitarian and protracted crises (2019) and GAUC Urban Competency Framework (UCF) for humanitarian action (2018).o Organized webinars on the 'Role of Young People in Humanitarian Action' on the World Humanitarian Day 2019 Show less

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  Wadhwani Foundation

  Mar 2018 - May 2018

  Program Development Intern

  o Applied Systems Thinking in studying 5 pilot projects and Human-Centric Design in developing 3 incubation manager playbooks: Venture Fastrack, Venture Scale-up & SME Scale-up; to enable 1,00,000 job creation in next 7 years by replicating and scaling accelerator and scalerator programso Researched on the sector (entrepreneurship, employment, MSME) to enable leadership decision making to replicate and scale the incubation programs in 200 cities across Asia, Africa & Latin America

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  YPS Monitor

  Dec 2018 - now

  Founding Researcher

  o This is an independent and youth-led initiative to visually present data on assessing leadership, participation and inclusion of young people in the implementation of the Youth, Peace & Security (YPS) agenda at the national level, with specific attention given to the different forms and levels of youth participation in these efforts.o Developed YPS Country Priority Analysis by drawing on a limited but informative set of key reference indices assessing national YPS agenda performance and highlighting the need for further national implementation.o Speaker on YPS at the ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) Symposium on Inclusive Processes for Preventive Diplomacy and Conflict Resolution, USA, June 2022o Instructor for a short course on Inclusive Peacebuilding - Youth, Women, Peace and Security, at the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, since 2021o Guest speaker on Youth Peace Movements in Asia for the Rotary Peace Fellows Class 30-31 Capstone, at the Rotary Peace Center at Chulalongkorn University, Thailand, June 2022o Guest speaker on Youth Peacebuilding at the Institute for Sustainable Development and Learning, Leuphana University, Germany, 2021 Show less

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  BLUE ORB FOUNDATION

  Dec 2018 - Apr 2019

  Consultant

  Co-developed value-based education curriculum and workbooks for class 3 to 8 students for government schools of Uttar Pradesh province and private schools in Delhi

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  United States Institute of Peace

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2021

  Council Member, United States Institute of Peace (USIP) Youth Advisory Council

  Built upon the belief that youth bring significant and unique insight to peacebuilding, the U.S. Institute of Peace’s Youth Advisory Council (YAC) provides a mechanism through which USIP experts can benefit from youth perspectives and expertise. The YAC enables USIP staff to engage youth as partners, experts, and practitioners while elevating youth voices and experience to the international level. o Co-author of the USIP Youth Inclusion Framework (under development since early 2020)o Contributed to the USIP meta-review Show less

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  International Dialogue Centre (KAICIID)

  Jan 2019 - Jan 2021

  Advisory Member, KAICIID Youth Programme Outcome Group

  KAICIID Youth Outcome Group is established to gather an informal advisory group of senior and diverse stakeholders who have an established expertise in the field of youth capacity development with the ultimate goal to help the Centre’s achieving its desired outcome within its current and future Strategic Plans.

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  United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA)

  Jun 2019 - Jul 2019

  International Consultant- Gender Youth Promotion Initiative trainings

  Developed and facilitated three GYPI trainings (co-managed by UFPA, IOM and UN Women) on community peacebuilding, conflict transformation and implementing Youth Peace & Security agenda (UNSCR 2250) for Government officer, UN officials, youth leaders and community leaders from 12 communities and 3 provinces

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  Indian Coalition on Youth Peace & Security

  Nov 2019 - May 2024

  Co-founder and Co-Chair

  o Constituted a network on 60+ young peacebuilders from 25 states/UTs to advance peace & security work in India.o Organized and facilitated national online consultation on ‘youth peace & security in National Youth Policy 2020’o Organizing and coordinating the monthly strategic meetings and internal capacity development sessions.o Organizing multiple youth consultations and leading ICYPS members in advocacy missions over the years to feed youth peacebuilding perspectives in the development of India’s National Youth Policy (in revision since late 2019). Show less

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  UNESCO MGIEP

  Jan 2020 - Jan 2021

  Project Officer

  o Researched, curated and developed high quality content for ‘SEL for PVE’, a self-directed learning course. o Supported launch of the UNESCO-UNAOC-UNOCT GamesForPVE (online engagement, the hackathon etc) o Implemented YouthWagingPeace (training of trainers, mentorship, community initiatives and policy document) o Organised Talking Across Generations (TAGe) Intergenerational events on Reimaging Education and building strong global partnerships

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  Search for Common Ground

  Feb 2021 - Dec 2022

  ▪ Co-designed and co-facilitated 3 virtual and one 5-days in-person workshops, for government and youth representatives from 20+ countries, focusing on meaningful implementation of YPS strategies at the national level ▪ Co-designed a concept note on the informal community of practice implementing YPS agenda nationally Coordinating and facilitating an organizational capacity building programme based on Youth 360 approach (collaborative conflict analysis, structured workshops, participatory grant making and mentorship) for 16 shortlisted and five finalist youth organisations from Asia, MENA, WCA and ESA, for the UNAOC Youth Solidarity Fund (YSF) 2021.

  • YPS Advisor

    Jul 2022 - Dec 2022

  • Youth 360 Consultant

    Feb 2021 - Jun 2022
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  Interpeace

  Feb 2021 - Apr 2022

  Researcher

  Developed a policy brief, using Participatory Action Research, on assessing leadership, participation and inclusion of young people in the implementation of the Youth, Peace & Security (YPS) agenda at the national level.

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  Finn Church Aid

  Mar 2021 - Dec 2021

  Peacebuilding Consultant - AHA! Project

  o Developed online capacity building modules for small grant recipient youth and organizations and project partners under the ‘Awareness with Human Action' initiative, an EU-funded COVID-19 response project to prevent conflict & build social cohesion in Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and broader South Asia.o Organised online training of trainers to enhance capacity for 80+ stakeholders in the region.

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  The Commonwealth

  Sept 2021 - Apr 2022

  YPS Researcher

  Developing the Commonwealth Youth Policy Recommendations on Youth Peace and Security, using Youth Participatory Action Research (Y-PAR), to support the advocacy work of the Commonwealth Secretariat and Commonwealth Youth Peace Ambassadors Network.

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  UNESCO New Delhi

  Nov 2021 - Feb 2022

  Individual Specialist - Youth Engagement and Empowerment

  o Conducted background research, comprehensive mapping and analysis of existing youth focused programming related to civic engagement, skills development, participatory research and knowledge creation, and youth focused policy advocacy in South Asia.o Identified the needs and gaps in implementation and recommended key priorities and proposed areas of youth programming for UNESCO’s SHS sector in the New Delhi Cluster Office, building on UNESCO’s institutional strategy on youth; Including mapping of key partners for youth programming in South Asiao Co-developed a draft proposal for a multi-year programme for youth empowerment and engagement in South Asia, including a Theory of Change and a detailed implementation strategy; o Assisted in identifying key donors and funding institutions working on themes related to youth empowerment and engagement in South Asia to support the programme. Show less

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  UNOCT/UNCCT

  Mar 2022 - now

  Programme Management Specialist - Youth

  o Co-organising Youth Engagement and Empowerment Programme (YEEP) in Africa (Nigeria, Somalia and Mozambique): developed online and in-person modules, led facilitation of the learning engagement for 24 youth from Nigeria, mentored participants and facilitated their meaningful engagement in the National Policy Dialogue with national decision-makers and other key stakeholders in Nigeria. Currently, co-facilitating the learning engagement for 26 youth from Somalia.o Co-developed the UNCCT Facilitators Guide for the delivery of Strategic Communication Training.o Co-organised ‘Young Leaders for Online PCVE in Southeast Asia’ programme to increase the capacity of young people in Southeast Asia to take leadership roles among their peers and in their community, using strategic communications to combat violent extremism narratives.o Co-organised the YEEP in South & Southeast Asia (2022): Provided context-specific expertise, co-facilitated the learning engagement for 35 youth from 9 countries, supported participants through coaching, mentored participants on Youth Participatory Action Research (Y-PAR) and co-developed the in-person Regional Policy Dialogue event.o Facilitated youth thematic university seminars at the Doha Youth Parliamentary Forum on CT/PCVE, hosted in partnership with Qatar University, Georgetown University in Qatar, Hamad Bin Khalifa University and Lusail University. Show less

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  Finn Church Aid

  Mar 2022 - Sept 2022

  IDove Regional Coordinator

  Mentorship and technical, financial, communication and other capacity building support to iDovers and their associated youth organisations in implementing the projects in Asia and Africa.

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  UNDP in Asia and the Pacific

  Jul 2022 - now

  o Contributing as a core research team member of the ASEAN-IPR regional study on YPSo Co-developed the 'Youth Parliament Toolkit', with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA) Secretariato Supporting UNDP COs to implement national youth parliament programmes, YPS action plans and support in data collection and showcasing activities around YPP, in particular youth parliaments and councils, and YPs. o Assisting in developing programmes around UNDP's regional programme on Youth Empowerment in Climate Governanceo Mapped and reviewed the existing work on youth political participation (YPP) by UNDP and other actors in the Asia and the Pacific.o Organising multiple regional community of practice dialogues on YPS, WPS, Climate Justice, Climate Security, Youth Political Participation and Civic Engagement to build synergies and foster collaborationo Co-developed the Movers workshop on Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) Level 1, Youth Political Participation (YPP) Level 1 and Climate Action Level 6 Show less o Reviewed and mapped the existing work on youth peace and security by UNDP and other actors in the Asia and the Pacific, including trends, data and the current programming in different Country Offices of UNDP in the region. o Co-organised the regional event with ASEAN on YPS, including the development of relevant content and inter-agency coordination. o Organised regional dialogues on YPS to build synergies and foster collaborationo Developed and supporting roll out of service offer for the operationalization of YPS agenda at the country level. Show less

  • Youth Political Participation (YPP) and Youth Peace and Security (YPS) Coordinator

    Aug 2023 - now

  • Regional Youth & Peacebuilding Specialist

    Jul 2022 - Jul 2023
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  United States Institute of Peace

  Dec 2022 - now

  Advisor – YPS Agenda

  o Co-developing monthly global YPS briefings for USIP staff, U.S. Government (U.S. Department of State, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. Department of Defense etc.).o Mapped and analysed the trends of global Youth, Peace and Security (YPS) programming from the last 6 years by over 100 organizations and entities working on YPS agenda.o Identified opportunities and challenges of the YPS space and supporting county offices in placing youth at the center of peacebuilding.o Co-developed the USIP’s strategy and roadmap to support furthering the YPS global agenda. Show less

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  FBA (Folke Bernadotte Academy)

  Jul 2023 - Sept 2024

  Researcher

  Co-developed a guidance note focused on the dynamics and interlinkages between climate security and youth, peace and security (YPS)