Call for Board Members 2026-2027
We believe the world needs more, and more accessible, human rights education.
For us, human rights education is not only learning about rights and the values behind them; it is living those values through an intersectional lens, centring diverse lived experiences, amplifying voices often excluded, and standing up for one another. It means advocating for change, calling out injustice wherever it appears, building alliances across communities, and working to transform the systems and structures that cause harm.
At Human Rights Education Youth Network (HREYN), this means grounding our work in fairness, justice, solidarity, empathy, and acceptance. We practise these values through an intersectional approach that centres lived experience, challenges discriminatory structures, and commits to continual learning and unlearning. This begins with ourselves and our relationships and extends to our communities, locally and globally, so that people who are often excluded can participate, lead, and shape outcomes.
If these values and principles speak to you, we need people like you on board,
HREYN is an independent non-profit association of organisations and individuals committed to human rights education. Established in 2006, we are about to celebrate our 20th anniversary.
Today, as a network, we’re navigating authoritarian pushbacks, digital shifts, and the urgent need to bring intersectionality into all domains of human rights education and activism.
We are seeking board members (ages 16-30) for the 2026-2027 term.
As a board member, you will support the network, decide on what direction, contribute to shaping - projects, set up partnerships, strengthen member outreach, and work collectively to address challenges in the human rights educators’ community.
Board of HREYN Calendar
2025
November 29 - General Assembly of HREYN.
2026
January 30 - 31 - Induction Training Course - getting to know each other, to the networks’ projects, meeting previous board members, founders, team building.
February 1-3 - First Board Meeting in Brussels - electing the chair, vice-chair, dividing roles, setting up committees or portfolios, making strategic decisions.
June 5-7 - Second Board Meeting in another city of member organisation - making strategic decisions and preparing for the general assembly,
November 7 - General Assembly of HREYN.
November 28-29 - Midterm Training Course - to improve group dynamics, get experts-led training, prepare for the next year.
2027
January 30-31 - Third Board Meeting in Brussels - making strategic decisions, supporting action plan for the upcoming year, advocacy meetings with the international organisations.
June 12-13 - Fourth Board Meeting in another city of member organisation - making strategic decisions, preparing the handover to the next board, and preparing for the general assembly,
November 13 - General Assembly of HREYN.
December 27-28 - Handover - meeting the new board, supporting handover process, training the new board, transferring the knowledge and memory.
All costs related to your travel, stay, meals, visa, and insurance will be covered by HREYN administration.
Do you want to find out more about the network?
Visit our website: www.hreyn.net
Take a look at our statutes.
Find out what has been done in 2024-2025 in our activity report.
Drop in an open information sessions to find out more:
November 1st 10:00 CET Register here
November 3th 10:00 CET Register here
How to apply for this role?
Gather information about you:
Your short resumé, detailing your experience in human rights education or human rights, civil society, activism, and any previous leadership experience
A little note (under a page), where you explain why you would like to get involved and what you would bring to the network.
Please do not use Artificial Intelligence of any kind drafting your motivation letter, any level of English is acceptable.
Send your documents at: contact@hreyn.net
Deadline: November 10th 23:59 CET
Frequently Asked Questions
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This is not a paid job. However, the role does include occasional travel, networking and training opportunities, as well as scope to develop skills in non-profit management, partnership-building, governance and leadership. You may also engage with aspects of the project cycle; however, this is not an executive position, so you will not be required to implement projects or run day-to-day operations.
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This position is an elected position, the General Assembly of HREYN will consider your candidacy and vote on it. In order to strengthen your position, throughout November 10-14, we will offer you to book a 30 minute interview with the previous board member who can, at their discretion, provide an independent reference/endorsement to the General Assembly to inform members’ consideration. During the elections you will be able to make a short introduction of yourself and answer a few questions our members may have.
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Please plan to be fully present for the dates listed in the calendar (meetings, assemblies and key check-ins). Beyond these, expect around 4-8 hours per month for reading papers, contributing to discussions and occasional follow-ups. If you wish, you can be more involved (e.g., joining a working group or providing advice between meetings), so long as your contribution remains an oversight function rather than implementation. Your level of additional involvement can flex with your availability, priorities and interests.
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Yes. You’re welcome to apply if you can clearly demonstrate how you will bring a youth perspective to HREYN’s work. In your application, please explain how you will:
centre the priorities and lived experiences of young people in decisions and advocacy;
create space for youth leadership (e.g., co-design with young members, mentoring, sharing power);
communicate in youth-accessible ways (plain language, inclusive formats, relevant channels); and
champion issues shaping young people’s lives (e.g., education access, digital rights, climate, inclusion), drawing on evidence and youth input.
We value applicants who actively amplify youth voices, not just speak about them.
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Board members can establish committees or set themes/portfolios that they would like to work on, by statutes, the General Assembly wants few of you to pay specific attention to gender and sustainability, this is why you will find a position of Intersectional Approach Rapporteur and Sustainability Rapporteur, if the number of members on the Board allow it, alongside Chair and Vice-chair as mandatory roles. You can read more about these positions in the terms of references.
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The short answer is no however, you need to be HREYN’s member to be elected as a board member. This means, non-members can apply for this call and their membership will be considered in the General Assembly before the elections.
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The network works in English however, our network is composed of people and organisations representing a diversity of languages and backgrounds. If English is not your first language, it will not be an issue!
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The short answer is no, however, you need to be HREYN’s member to be elected as a board member. This means, non-members can apply for this call and their membership will be considered in the General Assembly before the elections.
HREYN welcomes participation from a wide diversity of communities and lived experiences. We explicitly encourage LGBTIQ+ organisations and individuals, Indigenous peoples, Roma communities, people living with disabilities, and other systematically marginalised groups to apply and to engage in our activities. We do not tolerate discrimination, harassment, or hate speech. We aim to make meetings and materials accessible (format, language, timing and space considerations, etc.) and we will provide reasonable accommodations where needed. Our outreach, selection and onboarding processes reflect our commitment to intersectionality, empathy, and solidarity, so that people who are often excluded from decision-making can help guide the network’s direction.
