1

P S Y C H O S O C I A L W E L L B E I N G S E R I E S

Mainstreaming Psychosocial Care and Support through Child ParticipationFor programmes working with children and families affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and conflict

2Email: knowledge@repssi.org Website: www.repssi.org Telephone: +27 11 998 5820 Postal address: PO Box 1669, Randburg, 2125, Johannesburg, South Africa

REPSSI is a regional non-governmental organisation working with partners to promote psychosocial care and support (PSS)

for children affected by HIV and AIDS, poverty and conflict in East and Southern Africa.

The RePSSI PSyChoSoCIal WellbeIng SeRIeS

Through this series, REPSSI strives to publish high-quality, user-friendly, evidence-based manuals and guidelines, all characterised by

subject matter that can be said to address the issue of psychosocial wellbeing. Within the series, different publications are aimed at

different levels of audience or user. This audience includes: 1) community workers, 2) a variety of social actors whose work is not

explicitly psychosocial in nature, but in which it is felt to be crucial to raise awareness around psychosocial issues, 3) caregivers,

parents, youth and children, 4) specialised psychosocial and mental health practitioners. Apart from formal impact assessments,

towards further developing the evidence base for our tools and approaches, we welcome user feedback around our materials.

The standardised feedback form and a full list of all the titles in the series can be downloaded from www.resspi.org

Jonathan Morgan

Editor, REPSSI Psychosocial Wellbeing Series

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Contents

Foreword 1

1 Introduction 2

• Childparticipationandpsychosocialsupport 2

• Keymessagesinthisguide 3

• Thestoryandpeoplebehindthispublication 3

• Whoisthisguidelinefor? 4

2 Why Consider Child Participation 5

• Activity1:Whatdoyouthinkabout

childparticipation? 5

• Resistancetochildparticipation 6

• Valueofchildren’sparticipation 7

• Participationandprotection 10

• Childprotectionandresilience 12

• Activity2:Childprotection 13

• Thepsychosocialoutcomesofinvolvingand

includingchildren 13

• Therelationshipbetweenparticipation,

protectionandpsychosocialsupport 15

• Whatchildrensayaboutparticipation 16

• Activity3:Sowhatdoyoufeel? 16

3 Understanding Child Participation 17

• Levelsofchildparticipation? 17

• Whatisnotfullparticipation 18

• Whatchildparticipationis 18

• Factorsaffectingthenature

ofchildparticipation 19

• Structuralparticipation 21

• Consultativeandparticipativeprocesses 21

• Integratingparticipationofchildrenand

psychosocialsupport 24

• Activity4:Whereareyouintermsof

childparticipation? 25

4 Introducing Child Participation Into

Your Organisation 26

• Howtogetstarted 26

• Activity5:Findingyourstartingpoint 27

• Gainingorganisationalcommitment 27

• Consultingparentsandcaregiversofchildren 28

• Exploredifferentwaysofinvolvingchildren 29

• Adapttheseideastoyourprogramme

specialisation 29

• Activity6:Applyingtheseprinciplesto

yourprogramme 30

• Activity7:Developaworkplan 31

• Buildingourchildparticipationcapacity 33

5 Structural Considerations 34

• Whoparticipates? 34

• Maintainingparticipation 37

• Childparticipationandadvocacy 38

6 Making Child Participation Practical 42

• Toolsinchildparticipation 42

• Childparticipationfacilitationskills 43

• Childparticipationexercises 44

• Childparticipationquestions 47

7 Measuring Your Success 48

• Childparticipationassessmenttool 48

• Organisationalreviewprocesseswithchildren 49

8 Conclusion 50

9 References 51

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1

REPSSIisaregionalnon-governmentalorganisationworking

withpartnerstopromotepsychosocialcareandsupport(PSS)

forchildrenaffectedbyHIVandAIDS,povertyandconflictin

EastandSouthernAfrica.

REPSSIadvocatesthatservices,programmesandpolicies

designedtosupportvulnerablecommunitiesneedtorespond

holisticallytotheneedsandrightsofcommunitiesandchildren.

Itisimportantthatpsychosocialcareandsupport(PSS)

programmesarenotonlyspecialisedstand-aloneprogrammes.

InsteadREPSSIadvocatesforthesocialandemotionalneedsof

childrenandtheircaregiverstobeaddressedinanintegrated

manner.Thiscanbedonebymainstreamingpsychosocialcare

andsupportintoalltypesofprogrammedesignedtosupport

vulnerablecommunitiesincludingeconomicstrengthening

projectsandprogrammes.

Weappreciatetheactiveparticipationofmanypartner

organisations,adults,childrenandyouthincontributingvaluable

ideasinthedevelopmentofthisguide.

NoreenMasiiwaHuniExecutiveDirector,REPSSI,August,2009

Foreword

“The REPSSI vision is that all children affected by HIV and AIDS, conflict and poverty benefit from stable,

affectionate care and support.”

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ChildparticipationandpsychosocialsupportParticipationisoneofthekeyprinciplesofpsychosocial

support.Indeeditcouldbearguedthat,tosomeextent,

theyaretwosidesofacoin.Itisthroughgettinginvolved

thatchildren:

• Enhancetheirresilienceanddecreasetheirvulnerability

• Discoveranddeveloptheirtalents

• Discoverandenhancetheirownstrengths

• Areabletoovercomemanyoftheirpsychosocialchallenges.

However,participationisnotanactivityorprogrammatic

arealikeearlychildhooddevelopment,nutritionoreconomic

strengthening.Itisawayofbeing,seeinganddoingwithinan

organisationorcommunitywhichcontributestothehealthy

developmentofthecommunityasawholeanddifferent

groupswiththecommunity.

Childparticipationisaninspiringapproachtoaddressingthe

needsofchildrenandfamiliesaffectedbyHIVandAIDS,

conflictandpoverty.Itbringsnewperspectives,energyand

creativitytodevelopmentprogrammes,whilecontributing

directlytothepsychosocialwellbeingofallinvolved.Ifyouare

1 Introduction

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embarkingonthejourneyofchildparticipationforthefirst

time,orifyouwishtocontinuetoadvanceyourunderstanding

ofchildparticipation,wehopethatyouwillfindtheideas

presentedinthisguidehelpful.

KeymessagesinthisguideThemainpointsthatwehopeyouwilltakeawayfromthis

guidearethat:

• Childparticipationisnotanoptionoranadd-on,buta

rightenshrinedintheUnitedNationsConventiononthe

RightsoftheChild(CRC)-toensurethatallchildrenhave

theopportunitytoactivelyparticipateinallissuesdirectly

affectingthem

• Childparticipationcontributessignificantlytothe

psychosocialwellbeingofchildren

• Childparticipationmayincreasetheskills,confidence

andsocialconnectednessofthechildreninvolved

• Childparticipationbringsuniqueperspectiveswhichcan

enhancealltypesofprogrammesrelatingtothewellbeing

ofchildrenandtheirfamilies

• Childparticipationbringsenergy,creativityandfunto

developmentprogrammes

• Onemaystartgraduallywithchildparticipationmethods

sothatthiseventuallygrowsorganicallyinyour

organisationuntilitismainstreamedintoallaspectsof

yourfunctioning

ThestoryandpeoplebehindthispublicationTheguidelineswerewrittenbyREPSSIincollaborationwith

TAMASHA(YouthParticipatoryDevelopmentCentrein

ArushaTanzania)afterconsultationwithREPSSIpartnersusing

childparticipationapproachesinTanzania.Twoconsultative

workshopswereheldtofindouthowpractitionersfelt

thatchildparticipationcouldbestbeintegratedintotheir

programmes.Thefirstworkshopwasheldwith14children

fromvariouschildren’scentersincludingDogodogocentre,

YOPAC,SalvationArmy,AFRICAREandPASADA.Thiswas

followedimmediatelybyaworkshopforadultrepresentatives

fromcountrieswhereREPSSIoperatesincludingTanzania,

Kenya,Uganda,Zambia,ZimbabweandSwaziland.Itwasalso

attendedbyGovernmentOfficialsfromtheMinistryofHealth

andSocialWelfareaswellasUNICEFTanzania.

Thetwoworkshopstriedtoexplorerelevantmethods

andapproachestochildparticipationandtriedtodrawon

existingchildparticipationinitiativesthatenhancepsychosocial

wellbeingofchildren,whilecontributingtothedevelopment

goalsoftheprogramme.Theguidelinesmakeuseofcase

studies,backgroundinformationandpracticalsuggestionsfor

mainstreamingchildparticipationintovariousprogrammes

impactingonthewellbeingofchildrenandtheirfamilies.

These are some of the people that were actively

involved in developing the guidelines:

Writing:RichardMabalafromTAMASHA(YouthParticipatory

DevelopmentCentre-inArushaTanzania)

SeriesEditor:JonathanMorganfromREPSSI

ProjectLiaison:PeterMassesafromREPSSI

Editing:BereniceMeintjesfromSinani

Pretesting:NezerinaBoma&JosephineMwankusyefrom

Ivanconsultancy

DesignandLayout:CandiceTurveyfromSpiritlevel

Illustrations:HelgaMeganHoveka

The partners involved in the consultative meeting

were:

Children:

• ClaudioJosepgh-Dogodogocentre

• ShabanJumanne-DogodogoCentre

• LucyOmari-YOPAC,

• ThabitiKanuti-YOPAC

• ShahaduAyubu-YOPAC

• EmanuelJohnYOPAC

• FatumaAlly-SalvationArmy,

• JumaHaruna-SalvationArmy

• DavidUzale-AFRICARE

• SylvesterMassu-AFRICARE

• BarakaMalolo-PastoralActivitiesandServicesforPeople

withAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

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• JaneMaliva-PastoralActivitiesandServicesforPeople

withAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

• JosephGeorge–PastoralActivitiesandServicesfor

PeoplewithAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

• OliverMaliva-PastoralActivitiesandServicesforPeople

withAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

Adults

• MiriamJames-SalvationArmyTanzania

• BingoyeFred-PMGUganda

• JuliethSsebidde-CCFUganda

• ChristopherOwzmbla–GOALKenya

• AlugamleChisunga-YOPACTanzania

• MarryMmassy-PastoralActivitiesandServicesforPeople

withAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

Tanzania

• AbgailMusonda-CCFZambia

• AndrewMoyo–SWATCYP-Swaziland

• LucyOmary–YPOCTanzania

• JoyceMuthee–KANCOKenya

• FridaKyara–MinstryofHealthandSocialWelfare

Tanzania

• AdmireMadziwanzira-YOCICZimbabwe

• LeonardSogodi-AFRICARETanzania

• BenedictMissani-MCDGCTanzania

The partners involved in the pre-testing of this guide were:

• RanahnahAfriye-AFRICARE

• NezerineBoma-IvanConsult

• SamuelHaule-WalioKatikaMapambanonaAIDS

Tanzania(WAMATA)

• MarthaJerome-UzazinaMaleziBoraTanzania(UMATI)

• MosesKabogo-HumanDevelopmentTrust(HDT)

• MathewKawogo-HelpageInternational

• KathrynLeslie-UNICEF

• RoseFrancisMaige-YouthAliveClub

• PascalJ.Maziku-YouthandParentsCrisisCounselling

Centre

• LeokadiaMbawala-PastoralActivitiesandServicesfor

PeoplewithAIDSDaresSalaamArchiodioces(PASADA)

• AmanaMbise-InstituteofSocialWork(ISW)

• TatuMtambalike-ElizabethGlaserPediatricAIDS

Foundation(EGPAF)

• JosephineMwankusye-UzazinaMaleziBoraTanzania

(UMATI)

• SalmaMwinshehe-DepartmentofSocialWelfare

• HilaryNgude-AFRICARE

• AquesNkya-RighttoPlay

• GozberthaRaphael-WalioKatikaMapambanonaAIDS

Tanzania(WAMATA)

• BernardI.Sefu-InstituteofSocialWork

• ShaabanSipha-KiotaWomenHealthandDevelopment

(Kiwohede)

Whoaretheseguidelinesfor?Theseguidelinesarewrittenforindividualsworkinginor

fundingprogrammesworkingwithvulnerablechildren.

Youcouldbea:

• ProjectManager

• Trainer/counsellor

• Fieldworker

• Donor

• Childinvolvedinadevelopmentproject

Theguidelinesmaybeusedasatrainingtoolfororganisations

wishingtoincreasetheirfocusonchildparticipation.

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2 Why Consider Child Participation

Activity 1:What do you think about child participation?

Childparticipation(CP)isaconceptthatisopentomany

interpretations.Tostartdiscussionsinyourorganisation

aboutchildparticipation,itmaybebesttostartwithsome

selfreflectionquestions.

a) Askagroupyouareworkingwith(staffmembers,field

workers,caregiversetc)tothinkabout/writedowntheir

answerstothefollowingquestions.Stressthattheiranswers

arecompletelyconfidential.Theaimoftheexerciseisnot

toprobeintotheirpersonalviewsbuttogivethemtimeto

thinkaboutchildparticipationbeforesomegroupdiscussion.

Theyarefreetousetheiranswersastheythinkfitduring

thegroupdiscussions.

Questions for reflection

1. Canyourememberanexampleofwhenyouweregiven

achancetoparticipateinaseriousissuewhenyouwerea

child?Howdidyoufeelaboutitandhowdiditinfluence

yourlife?

2. Canyourememberanexampleofwhenyouwantedor

triedtoparticipateinaseriousissuewhenyouwereachild?

Howdidyoufeelaboutitandhowdiditinfluenceyourlife?

3. Whatdoyouthinkaboutchildren’sparticipationin

general?Howimportantandrelevantisittoyou?

4. Howdochildrenparticipateinyourorganisationand

itsprogrammes?Whatisthebestexampleyouhaveof

childrenparticipating?Ofchildrenleadingaprogramme?

5. Whatareyourgreatestconcernswhenyouthinkabout

children’sparticipation?Whatdoyouthinkyouneedtodo,

andyourorganisationneedstodoinordertobeableto

addresstheseconcerns?

6. Howdoyouthinkchildren,communitymembers,or

otherchild-servingorganisationswouldrateyouragency’s

commitmenttoandpracticeofchildren’sparticipation?

Why?

b) Askparticipantstositingroupsof6to8.Eachgroup

shouldchoosealeader.Theleaderthenasksvolunteersto

explaintotheothersexamplesofwhentheyparticipated

orweredeniedthechancetoparticipate.Fromthe

explanations,participantsshoulddevelopamini-dramawhich

bringsoutthemainissueswhichcameoutoftheexamples.

c) Groupspresenttheirmini-dramasfordiscussion.Writedown

themainpointsthatariseoutofthedramasanddiscussion.

d) Askparticipantstositintheirgroupsagainanddevelop

aflipchartwhichshowstheadvantagesanddisadvantages

ofchildparticipation.Tellgroupstheyshouldbeveryfrank

intheirdiscussionasthethereareverylegitimatefears

aboutparticipation.

continued on page 6

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ResistancetochildparticipationTheremaybestrongresistancetochildparticipation,which

isusuallycomesfromgenuineconcernforthewellbeingof

children.Firstly,theremaybegenuineconcernsforthesafety

ofchildren,addingtotheirresponsibilitiesandtime.Secondly,

manysocietiesarenotveryparticipatoryoverallanditis

difficulttopushchildparticipationinasituationwherenot

eventheadultsareabletoparticipateinmeaningfuland

ethicalways.Someoftheirargumentscanbesummedupas

follows:

• Childrenaretooyoungandinexperiencedtoparticipate.

Theydonotknowenough

• Itiscontraryto‘ourculture’thatchildrenparticipateinthis

way.Theyshouldlistentoandlearnfromtheirelders

• Children’sparticipationinotheractivitiesinterfereswith

theirschoolingandpreparationforsucceedinginadultlife

• Childparticipationmaytaketoomuchtime.Itmay

interferewiththegoalsofaprojectorprogramme

• Children’ssafetymaybeatriskiftheyareparticipating

ineventsawayfromtheirfamilyorimmediatecommunity

context.

Alltheseobjectionshavesomeelementoftruth.However,it

isoftenforgottenthatmost(ifnotall)culturesplacealotof

valueonthewellbeingandactivedevelopmentofchildren.

Eveninverytraditionalcultures,therearespacesforchildren

toparticipateinonewayoranother.Inmanytraditional

Activity 1: continued

e) Groupspresenttheirchartstothewholegroupfor

furtherdiscussion.Taketimetohearandacknowledge

people’snegativefeelings.Allowsomediscussionabout

howtheseconcernsneedtobetakenseriouslyinorderto

mainstreamchildparticipationeffectively.

Youmaybeabletousethefollowingsectionsto

acknowledgepeople’sconcernsaboutchildparticipation

andtodeepenthegroup’sunderstandingofchild

participation.

Why child participation? Why not child participation?

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societiesthereweresocialstructuresinplaceformeaningful

participationofchildrenandadolescentsincommunitylife.

Thismodernresistancetochildren’sparticipationmayneedto

beexploredmore.Ontheonehand,itcouldbethereaction

ofsocietiestoextremeadversityandmarginalisation.Itcould

beareactionagainstexternalinterferenceintheirlives.Itmay

alsobelinkedtoanaturalreactiontoacculturation,wheremany

traditionalsocietiesfeelunderthreatandmanyeldersfeelthat

theirchildrenandyoutharelosingtraditionalvalues.However,

ifhandledrespectfully,childparticipationmaybeawayof

supportingcommunitiestostrengthenvaluesthataremeaningful

tobothadultsandchildreninanincreasinglymodernworld.

Valueofchildren’sparticipationChildparticipationisanexcitingandworthwhileprocess,

whichalmostalwaysyieldsrichoutcomesforallinvolved.

Herearesomeideasaboutwhyweshouldpromotechild

participationinourownandotherorganisations.

1. Participation is key to the development capacities

of children

Children’scapacitiesaredevelopedmosteffectivelythrough

interaction.Childrengrowincompetenceandconfidence

throughtheexperiencegainedinparticipation,including

playingactiverolesintheirsociety.Throughparticipation:

• Theydeveloptheirlifeskillssuchasdecisionmaking,

assertivenessandnegotiatingskills

• Theylearndemocraticprinciplesinpracticeandprepare

themselvestoplayafullroleintheircommunitiesand

nationasadults

Soparticipationleadstogreaterlevelsofcompetenceand

psychosocialdevelopmentwhichinturnenhancesthequality

oftheirparticipation.Soitisnotaquestionofwaitingfor

thechildren’scapacitytoevolve.Throughparticipating,their

capacityevolves,whichmeansthattheyareabletoparticipate

evenmore.Inthisway,participationandthecapacityof

childrensupporteachother.

Respect Campaign

InruralKwaZulu-Natal,SouthAfrica,manyeldersfeltthatthestressofmodernlife,violenceandpovertywaserodingrespect

intheircommunity.IntraditionalZuluculture,respect(hlonipha)isagreatlyesteemedvalue.Itappliestoboththewaythat

childrenandyouthbehavetowardsadults,aswellashowadultsbehavetowardschildrenandyouth.Italsoappliestothe

waychildren,youthandadultsbehavetowardsoneanother.Sometraditionalleadersstartedacampaignwhichtheycalled

“Hlonipha”.Theytookthismessagetoschoolsandopeneddiscussionsaboutrespect.Totheirsurprise,childrenresponded

evenmoreenthusiasticallythanexpected,sayingthattheyalsofeltthattherewasalackofrespectintheirlives.Thechildren

eventuallydesignedtheirownposter,heldamarchinthecommunityofUmbumbulu,anddesignedtheirownmessagesaround

respect,sayingthattheytooneededtobetreatedwithmorerespect(seewww.survivors.org.za).

Participation Capacity

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2. Participation enhances protection

Allchild-servingandchild-ledorganisationshavetopaygreat

attentiontoensuringthatchildrenareproperlyprotected

evenwhentheyareparticipatingfully.However,ingeneral,

participationactuallyenhancestheirprotection.

• Participationcontributestowardscapacitydevelopment:

Childrendevelopthepersonalskillsthatenablethemto

protectthemselves

• Participationincreasessolidarity:Participationempowers

thevulnerabletoacttogetherfortheirowncause.They

protectoneanother.Theirbeing,talkingandworking

togethercreatesasafespaceforthem.

• Jointparticipationcreatesmoremeaningfulrelationships

• Isolationmaycontributetowardsgreaterabuse:Research

inSouthAfricahasshownthatisolationincreasesthe

possibilityofsexualharassmentandabuseofchildren.

• Participationmayimprovethepresentationofrealityfrom

theviewpointofthevulnerable.Thismaybetrueof

examplessuchasabusewherewemaylearnfromchildren

aboutwheretheyfeelleastsafe,withwhomtheyfeel

saferetc.Thisistrueincommunityasawholewhere

theparticipationallowsthepresentationofmultiple

viewpoints.Fromthepointofviewofchildren,itallowsthe

spaceforthemtoidentifyissueswhichadultsdonotsee.

• Whenyoungpeoplearegiventhechancetoparticipate,

theyoftenbecomeprotectorsoftheiryoungersiblingsor

otherchildren.

3. Participation enables children to make a significant

contribution to their families, communities and

society as a whole

Itistruethatsomeadultsmayberesistantatfirsttochild

participation,becausetheydon’tbelievethatchildrenhavethe

capacity,ortheyfearthatitwillinterferewiththeireducation

orotherpartsoftheirlives.However,oncetheprogrammeis

initiated,theresistancemostoftenturnstosupport.

Children’s effectiveness

InaprojectonsexualexploitationinEasternEurope,

60adolescentsparticipatedasresearchers–gathering

dataanddevelopingtrainingandadvocacymaterialsand

strategies.

Therewasinitialresistancefromsomeofthepartner

organisationswhofelttheadolescentslackedthe

competenceandexpertisetotakeresponsibilityfor

researchinsuchasensitiveandcomplexfield.Itwas

suggestedthat,inordertotesttheirconcerns,apilot

shouldbeheldusingfirsttheadultprofessionalresearcher,

andthentheadolescentsthemselves.Theoutcome

wasthattheadolescentselicitedmorecomprehensive

responses,inlargepartbecausethechildreninthe

surveyfeltmoreateasewiththeirowngenerationwhen

respondingtoissuesofsexualexploitationandabuse

(Lansdown,2005,page28).

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Childrenmaycontributeinmanyways:

• Theirwayoflookingatthingsbothrevealsthingsthat

maybeadultsdidnotsee–forexamplewherethepresent

systemsarenotworkingforthem

• Theirperspectiveincreasesunderstanding

• Theyareveryactivewhengiventhechanceandcan

completemanyactivities,fromsurveystopeereducation,

toeconomicprojects.

Inthisway,participationimprovesservicesforchildrenand

thechildren’sinvolvementimprovesservicesforeveryone.

Thiscanbeseeneveninbroaderdevelopmentsuchasthe

programmeinthecaseexamplebelow:

Apartfromrunningtheirownactivities(sportsandrecreation,

artisticactivities,studyactivities,livelihoodactivitiesetc),children

cangetinvolvedinmanydifferentwayseveninotheractivitiesof

theorganisation,especiallytheolderchildren.Forexample:

a) Theyareverygoodresearchers,especiallyinchild-to-child

research,bothinqualitativeandquantitativemethods.

Thisisparticularlyimportantbecauseresearchhasshown

thatchildrengivedifferentanswers,eventoquantitative

questions,dependingonwhoisaskingthequestion.

WhenTAMASHAcarriedoutaresearchintomultiple

vulnerabilitiesofadolescentgirlsinDaresSalaam,it

trainedyoungresearcherswhowereparticularlystrong

inelicitinginformationfromtheirfellowyoungwomen.

Childrenarealsothefirsttoknowaboutactivitieswhich

adultswouldrathernotacknowledgesuchasabuseor

neglectoftheirfellowchildren.

b) Theyareverygoodadvocates,particularlythroughthe

useofdramaandotherartisticactivities.Intheoutof

schoolprogrammeinTanzaniawhichhasnowbecome

themodelforyouthwork,youngpeoplecarriedout

researchintotheirowncommunitiesandfedbackto

theircommunitiesthroughtheatrefordevelopment(e.g.

provokingdiscussionontheissuesraised).

c) Theyareverygoodatmobilisingtheirfellowchildren

toparticipate.

d) Theyareverygoodimplementersofactivitiesonce

theyhavebeenconvincedoftheirimportance,including

livelihoodactivities,supporttovulnerablechildrenor

familiesetc.

Inthiswaychildrenbecomesocialactorsfortheirowngood

andforthegoodoftheirsociety.

4. Children’s right to participate

Theparticipationofchildren,asofallotherhumanbeings,

isrecognisedinmanycountriesaroundtheworldasabasic

right.Likeanyoneelse,childrenhavetherighttobeheard,

valuedandtakenseriouslyandifthishappensitisbeneficial

bothtothemandtheirsocieties.Becausethisisoften

forgotten,childrennowhavetheirowndocument,theUnited

NationsConventionontheRightsoftheChild(CRC)which

explainstheirrights:Forexample:

• Article12oftheCRC,saysthatchildrenwhoarecapable

offormingtheirownviewshavetherighttoexpressthose

viewsfreely,inallmattersaffectingthem.Theirviews

willbegivendueweightinaccordancewiththeirageand

maturity

• Article5saysthatchildrenshouldparticipate‘according

totheirevolvingcapacities’.

• Article13saysthatchildrenhavetherighttoobtain

appropriateinformationandsharethatinformationwith

othersaswellasexpresstheirownviews;

• Article15saysthatchildrenalsohavetherighttomeet

othersandtojoinorsetupassociationsi.e.therightto

freedomofassociation;

Improving services

InadevelopmentinitiativeinBarraMansa,Brazil

(Landsdowne,2005),18boysand18girlsareelectedby

theirfellowchildrentoserveonthechildren’scouncil.

Thecouncilmeetsregularly,andsetsprioritiesbasedon

theinputfromthechildrentheyrepresent.Theymanage

anannualbudgetallocatedtothembytheMunicipal

CouncilofUSD125,000inaddressingtheseprioritiesand

overseeingtheimplementationoftheprojects.

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5. Child participation increases impact and reach

Theearlystagesofestablishingchildparticipationactivitiesand

processesmayseemquitetimeconsuming.Butorganisations

involvedinchildparticipationhaveoftencommented

thateventuallyitdecreasesone’sworkloadandbecomes

apleasuretomovetoamoresupportiveroleasone

encouragestheenergyofchildrenandyouthtosupportone

anotherandmakemeaningfulchangestotheirlives.Inthis

waychildparticipationmayreachmanychildrenandmayeven

improvetheconditionsforallchildreninacountry.

6. Child participation is fun

Theabovepointsfocusonthevaluethatchildrenmay

contributethroughparticipation,andontheirrightto

participate.Butonceyourorganisationhastakenthestepto

introducechildparticipation,youwillalsomostlikelyfindthat

theworkbecomesmoreenjoyableasthechildrenbringan

energy,excitementandcreativitythatisoftenmissingwhen

theyaremorepassiverecipientsofservices.

ParticipationandprotectionWhileitisclearthatparticipationcontributestothe

psychosocialwellbeingofthechildren,thiscanonlybe

achievedinasupportiveandprotectiveenvironment.

Caremustbetakentoensurethatchildren’sparticipation

doesnotexposethemtomoredanger.

Inrecognitionoftherelativelackofpowerandstatusof

childrenandadolescents,protectionisakeyright,even

astheirevolvingcapacitiesenablethemtoprotect

themselves.However,theConventionontheRightsof

theChildguaranteessuchprotectionstoallchildrenand

themorevulnerabletheyare,thegreatertheneedto

emphasiseprotectionrightstocomplementdevelopment

andparticipation.

Children running programmes

ASaveUKinitiativeinKampalainvolved200children

intacklingchildabuseinthecommunity(Lansdown,

2005unpublishedpaper).Childrenwereaskedto

identifyprotectionneeds.Onthebasisofthese

findings,theydesignedarangeofactivitiesand

tookresponsibilityfortheirimplementation.The

childrenestablishedaprojectsteeringcommittee

of18childrenfortheoverallplanningofactivitiesto

addressprotectionneeds,amanagementcommittee

forhandlingtheimplementationofprojectactivities,

achildprotectioncommitteeforinvestigating,

hearingandhandlingcasesofabuseandneglectand

anadvocacycommitteeresponsibleforcommunity

sensitisationofchildrightsandchildabuse.Membersof

thesecommitteeswereallelectedbyotherchildrenin

thecommunity.

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Herearesomeimportantwaysofensuringthatchildrenare

protectedduringparticipatoryactivities:

• Caregiversofallchildreninvolvedshouldbeconsulted

beforehandaboutthenatureofparticipation,andshould

bekeptfullyawareofallactivitiesandmovementsofthe

children.Thisiscalledinformedconsent.

• Screeningofchild-careworkerswhoareresponsiblefor

thecareofchildrenisbecominganincreasinglyimportant

aspectofanyworkwithchildren.Inmanycountriesnow

therearestaterecordsofanychildabuseoffenders.

• Trytoorganisethechildrentobetogetheringroupsatall

times,preferablywithotherchildrenofasimilarage.

Childrenshouldnotbeisolatedindividuallyinchild

participationactivities.

• Considerthephysicalorenvironmentalaspectsofchild

protection,forexamplemakingsurethattransportissafe,

havingchildrenescortediftheyaregoingtoameetingin

town,usingmeetingroomsoroutsideareasthatarevisible

atalltimestoothers(ratherthanusingclosedrooms).

• Considerthepsychosocialaspectsofprotection–for

example,avoidstigmatisingorlabelingchildrenwhohave

beenaffectedbycertaintypesofcircumstanceslikeillness,

abuse,orthelossofparents.Itismoreeffectivetoinclude

allchildreninaddressingtheseissuestogether,rather

thansinglingoutthosewhoaremostseverelyaffectedby

certainchallenges.

• Haveregularreflectionprocesseswherechildrenand

adultsinvolvedintheprogrammeareabletogivehonest

feedbackinasafeway.

• Encouragechildrentolookoutforoneanother.Youmay

beabletodiscussnormssuchasalwaysinforming

someoneifyouaregoingsomewhere.

International youth exchange programme

SociallyactiveadolescentsfromTanzania,Mozambique,SouthAfricaandZimbabwewerebroughttogethertoconsultthemabouthowtheyhave

beenabletohelpotheryoungpeopleintheircommunitieswhohavelosttheirparents.Duringthecourseoftheirtimetogether,theyouthwere

givenanafternoonoff.Byevening,twooftheyoungpeoplehadnotreturnedtotheworkshopvenue.Whentheyoungpeoplehadnotcomefor

supper,theorganiserswereextremelyworriedandsentoutasearchparty.Muchlaterthatnightthetwoyoungpeoplecasuallywalkedbackinto

theworkshopvenueandwonderedwhatallthefusswasabout.Theyexplainedthatafterlosingtheirparentsandbecomingtheheadsoftheir

households,theywerenotusedtobeingaccountabletoothersfortheirmovements.Theyhadnoteventhoughtthatotherswouldbeworrying

aboutthem.Theyapologisedfortheconcernthattheyhadcaused.Thiswasanimportantlearningpointforallinvolvedintheproject.Itwasagreed

toopenthediscussiontothewholegrouptoagreeonwhatsystemsofprotectiontheycouldsuggesttoavoidsimilarsituationsinthefuture.

12

ChildprotectionandresilienceItisnecessarytoreviewtheconventionalprotectionmodelin

whichchildrenandadolescentsareconstructedaspassiveand

vulnerable,needingtheprotectionofconcernedadultstosave

themfromharmfullifeexperience.Forexample,despitethe

mostappallingsituationswhichmillionsofadolescentshaveto

face,manyofthemhaveconsistentlyshownthestrengthto

copeandovercome,asisshownbytheexamplesofHumuliza

(seepage22)andtheresponseofchildrentotherecentAsian

tsunami.

Thisiswhyprotectionhastobebalancedbyage-appropriate

childparticipation.Ithasbeenconsistentlyfoundthat

childrenfeltthattheyhadagreatercapacitytodealwitha

givensituationthanadultsgavethemcreditfor.Inaddition,

protectiveapproachesthatmakechildrendependentonadult

supportleavechildrenwithoutresourceswhenthoseadult

protectionsarewithdrawn.

Eveninthemostextremesituations,andalwaysbearingin

mindthesafeguardsthatneedtobeputinplace,itisessential

thatchildrenaregiventhechancetodevelopbyparticipating

intheirownprotection.Itisnotpossibletopromotetheir

participationwithoutensuringthemprotectionbut,equally,

thereislittleprotectionthatcanbeprovidedtothemifno

alternativeopportunitiesfortheirparticipationarecreated.

Indeedparticipationisoftenthebestformofprotection.

• Thepracticeofparticipationdevelopspersonalskills

thatenableadolescentstoprotectthemselvesin

dangeroussituations:

• Participationempowersthevulnerabletoacttogetherin

theirowncause

• Isolationleadstogreaterabuse–inclusionandparticipation

developconnectednessandreduceisolation

• Participationmakesitpossibleforthepointofviewofthe

vulnerabletobeheardandtherealitytobeexposed(eg

onissuesofabuse).Thiscanbeinthemedia,localcouncils

andcommittees,throughtheatrefordevelopmentetc.

• Whenadolescentsandyoungpeoplearegiventhe

chancetoparticipate,theybecometheprotectorsof

theiryoungersiblings(asshownbytheRafikiMdogo

programmeinHumuliza)

• Youthorganisationsprovidesafespaces

• Beingactivelyinvolvedinshapingone’sowndestinymay

beanimportantwayofavoidingthesenseofhelplessness

whichoftenaccompaniesadversesituationsandhas

negativepsychosocialconsequencesforchildrenand

adults.Childrenandadolescentsaremorelikelyto

experiencepsychosocialstressasbystandersratherthan

asparticipants.Thiscanbeseeninrefugeecampswhere

childrenareoftenleftwithnothingtodo.

Itisoftentheneglectofsuchopportunitieswhichleads

themtobemorevulnerable.AsstatedbytheWomen’s

CommissionforRefugeeWomenandChildren(Bainvel,2006)

inrelationtoyoungpeopleinsituationsofwarandconflict:

The costs of not focusing on adolescents are enormous: massive

rights violations committed against adolescents, with long term

consequences for them and their communities as they attempt to

endure and recover from an armed conflict. Perhaps, worst of all,

adolescents’ strengths and potential as constructive contributors

to their societies go largely unrecognized and unsupported by the

international community, while those who seek to do them harm,

such as by recruiting them into military service or involving them in

criminal activities, recognise and utilise their capabilities very well.

Thekeyistoenableparticipationwhileensuringasprotective

andsupportiveanenvironmentaspossible.Onceagainthe

involvementofolderchildrenandyoungpeopleasguardians

intheRafikiMdogoprogrammeisagoodexample.In

Lebanon,guidelinesweredevelopedbytheadolescentsin

conjunctionwithadultswhichenabledthemtoparticipatein

therehabilitationofLebanonwhileminimisingtheriskoftheir

involvement.

13

ThepsychosocialoutcomesofinvolvingandincludingchildrenThemorepeopleactivelyparticipateindecisionsandactivities

thatareimportanttothem,thegreatertheirself-confidence

andself-esteemwillbe.Thesameappliesforchildren.Thisis

notalwayseasyforadultstoaccept,asmanyculturesbelieve

thatchildrenaretooyoungtoparticipateinthiswayanddo

nothaverightsindecision-making.Children“shouldbeseen

andnotheard.”Ittakestimetoconvincecommunitiesto

believethatinvolvingandincludingchildreninprogrammes

willbenefitnotjusttheindividualchild,butalsothewhole

community.

Theimprovedpsychosocialwellbeingofchildrenasaresult

ofgreaterinvolvementandparticipationisbeingexplored

inmanydevelopmentprogrammesacrosstheworld.For

example,anevaluationofchildren’sparticipationprogrammes

inIndia,KenyaandEcuador(Ackermanetal,2003)foundthat

children’sparticipationhadanimpactatdifferentlevels.

Activity 2:Child protection

Part One

Askparticipantsingroupstoconsiderthefollowingquestions.

a) Whatarethekeyelementsofaprotectiveenvironmentforchildrenofdifferentages?

b) Whataretheprotectionmeasuresinplacetoensurethatchildrenarenotexposedtophysicalandpsychosocialharm

c) Areallthemeasurespurelyforprotectionofthechildrenoraresomeofthemfor‘selfprotection’(i.e.toprotectthe

organisationincaseanythinggoeswrong)

d) Howcanchildparticipationbestructuredsothatitenhancestheprotectionofchildrenworkingwithourorganisation?

Part Two

Askchildrenintheorganisation/programmethesamequestions

Part Three

Bringtheadultsandthechildrentogethertoworkoutajointprogrammewhichmaximisestheirparticipationwithina

protectiveenvironment.

14

Thepsychosocialoutcomesofchildren’sparticipationindevelopmentprogrammesinKenya,IndiaandEcuador

levels of impact Psychosocial outcomes

Personal

• Increasedself-confidence• Increasedknowledgeandawareness• Enhancedpersonalandsocialdevelopment• Expandedsocialnetworks

Family• Improvedfamilyrelations• TheremayalsosometimesbenegativePSSimpactslikedecreasedtimeandenergydevotedtofamily responsibility,andconflictofinterestsbetweenchild-ledinitiativeswiththatoftheparentorguardian

Community• Increasedcommunityawarenessandconcernforchildren’sissues• Improvedstatusofchildrenwithinthecommunity• Enhancedcommunitydevelopment

Institutional • Improvedschoolattendance,betterschoolperformance• Enhancedprocessesandinstitutionsofgovernanceduetoimprovedattendanceandparticipationoflearners

15

Therelationshipbetweenparticipation,protectionandpsychosocialsupportInitspresentationtotheStudyonViolenceAgainstChildren,

SavetheChildren(2003)itemisedtheimportanceofchildren’s

participationinthestudy.Inthiswaytheyproducedavery

goodsummaryoftherelationshipbetweenparticipation,

protectionandpsychosocialdevelopment.Thisisanextract

fromthestudy.

It will provide new perspectives on how children experience

violence.

Children’s participation in the study will enable them to give a

voice to the violence they have experienced, their own efforts

to challenge it and the impact of adult efforts to help them. It

will ensure that the views and concerns of those most directly

affected are heard.

It will help to challenge one of the key barriers that children

face in countering violence against them.

Living under the reality or threat of violence has signif icant

consequences for a child’s everyday life. But most boys and girls

are not used to talking about violence they experience from

adults and peers. Girls, disabled children and other groups

facing discrimination may find it even more diff icult to break

out of their silence. Younger children may find it diff icult even

to recognise violence as they may be socialised not to question

the behaviour of adults towards them and others. Some types

of violence may be taboo to discuss or carry heavy stigmas.

Children’s involvement in the study will help explore these

issues and make participation a key tool in the struggle to

eradicate violence against children.

It will ensure that the measures we design to counter

violence against children are more appropriate, relevant and

sustainable – and therefore more likely to succeed.

Children’s participation in the study will help provide a better

understanding of the extent and characteristics of violence

affecting them and will aid the development of programmes

that more effectively respond to children’s needs and which

they can trust.

It can help to heal the past.

Boys and girls affected by violence have indicated that they

welcome participation in the research and interventions

designed to meet their needs. For many of them, the process

of involvement, which must be undertaken in a supportive and

understanding environment, can help children to explore past

experiences and regain confidence for the future. At its best,

participation can be an important tool to counter victimisation,

passivity and silence.

It can enhance child protection.

Participation provides children with the possibility to protect

themselves and challenge abuses of their rights, either directly

or through informing a responsible adult. Children are often

most vulnerable in situations where they have the least

opportunity to voice their views. Having the opportunity to

participate helps children to share their experiences and gain

more control of their lives, lessens the risk of exploitation and

lessens the fear that can prevail in living a situation where

trauma is silenced and strict rules of behaviour are observed.

Experience shows that when children have had easy and safe

access to adults prepared to take their views seriously, hidden

or ignored instances of violence have surfaced. Children who

have access to information about complaints procedures or

reporting mechanisms are more likely to seek help to protect

themselves.

It enhances self-confidence and self esteem.

Children benefit from participation by acquiring and expanding

their skills, by meeting other children and understanding that

others share the same or similar experiences – that they are

not alone. Participation gives children a sense of purpose and

competence in their own lives and a belief that they can make

a positive impact on their own lives and influence and change

the lives of others – their peers, family and community. Children

who have been able to participate in school panels, village

committees or youth clubs have used these opportunities

to proactively seek ways to voice, prevent and stop violence

against themselves, their peer group and the wider community.

16

WhatchildrensayaboutparticipationFortunately,therearemanyexamplesofhowchildren,

eveninsituationsofextremevulnerabilityoremergency,

participateveryeffectively.Theirparticipationisakeypart

oftheirpsychosocialsupport.Herearesomeofthevoices

ofthechildrenthemselves,fromthepartnersofHumuliza

inTanzania(www.humuliza.org).Thechildrensaythattheir

participationintheactivitiesofHumulizagivesthembetter

selfesteemandhope.

JUlIETA

“We play together. If I have some cassava or guava, I bring

these foods to them and we enjoy being together. If I or

my friends are sick at school, we bring them at home.

We do homework together … Also we work together,

for example to go to cut grass for our homes… Other

people, even children, treat you like dogs because we

have no parents. Here, with other Rafiki Mdogos we can

be together, to console each other and to forget that we

have lost our parents.”

Activity 3:So what do you feel?

Aftergoingthroughtheargumentsforandagainstchildren’sparticipation,itisworthwhiletoaskstaff/communitymembers

torevisittheirpersonalresponsestotheissue.Herearesomequestionsthatcouldbeasked:

a. WhatistheunderlyingreasonforanyconcernsthatImayhaveaboutchildparticipation?

b. Whatareimportantbasicconsiderationsthatneedtobeinplaceformetoconsiderincludingchildrenasmore

activeparticipantsinmyprogramme?

c. Whatvaluemayitaddtomyprogrammetoinvolvechildrenasmoreactiveparticipantsofmyprogramme?

Participantsshouldanswerthesequestionsindividuallyfirstbeforediscussingingroupstheirresponsesandfeelingsabout

childparticipation.

Introducetheideaofacompetitionastowhocancomeupwiththebestmaterialwhichadvocatesforchildparticipation.

Thiscanbearoleplay,orposter,orbrochure.Giveeveryonetimetopreparetheirmaterialandannounceanincentivefor

thewinners.

FIlIMEnA

“We construct houses together for members whose houses have collapsed. We have already constructed three houses

for this reason. If we would be alone, we couldn’t do such things. We organise such work in our meetings, where we

decide who we shall support and when we will do the work.”

17

LevelsofchildparticipationProbablythemostfamousexplanationofchildparticipation

isexpressedinRogerHart’sLadderofParticipation(Hart,

1977).Hartshowsthatthereisno‘goldenstandard’or

perfectmarkerforchildparticipation.Instead,thereare

differentlevelsofchildparticipationwhichmaytaketimeto

reach.Hecallsthesedegreesofparticipation.

3 Understanding child participation

“When you show me respect it grows my dignity.”

CHIlD PARTICIPAnT, AgED 12

Hart,R.(1997)Children’s Participation: The Theory and Practice of Involving Young Citizens in Community Development and Environmental Care.London:Earthscan

manipulation

decoration non-participation

degrees of participation

tokenism

assigned but informed

consulted and informed

adult initiated, shared decision with child

child initiatedand directed

child initiated, shared decisions with adults

“LadderofParticipation”Hart(1997)

18

WhatisnotfullparticipationInmanylanguagesthereisnowordforparticipation,inthe

sensethatchildrenparticipateoftheirownfreewill.Rather

we‘participate’theminourownprogrammes.Forexample,

inKiswahili,people‘wanashirikishwa’.Theydon’t‘shiriki’.

Someoneelsecontrolstheparticipation.Thebottomthree

rungsoftheladdershowwhatfullparticipationisnotabout,

eventhoughmanyadultsthinkthattheyhavegivenchildren

spacetoparticipate.

Manipulation

Manipulationmeansthatchildrenareinvolvedindoingcertain

thingsbutinawayentirelycontrolledbyadults.Forexample,

childrenmightmakeaspeechtoavisitor,orsingasong,or

doadrama.Butalltheideasandwordshavebeenprepared

byadultsandthechildrenarejustmouthpiecesforwhatthe

adultswanttosay.

Somepeereducationprogammesareabitlikethis.The

childrenareselectedbyadultsandgivenafewhoursorfew

daystraininginwhattosayandtoldtogoandtellthesame

thingstotheirfellowchildren.Theyhavelittleinputintowhat

shouldbesaidorevenhowitshouldbesaid.

Decoration

WeseethisonbigoccasionsliketheDayoftheAfrican

ChildorWorldAIDSDay.Childrenareinvitedtocomeand

sing,dance,orperformadrama.Theycanbegoodsongsor

dancesbutarenottakenseriously.Adultsenjoythem,and

thengetdowntothe‘seriousbusiness’.

Tokenism

Tokenismiswhenoneortwochildrenparticipatemainlyjust

toshowthatchildrendidparticipate.Onceagain,theyare

usuallyselectedbytheadults.Theymayhavebeengivenno

timetopreparethemselvesandareofteninformedatthe

lastminute.Theymaynothavehadtimetoconsultwiththeir

fellowchildrenaboutwhatitistheywanttosay.Theyareoften

notevengiventhehandoutsetcofthemeeting/workshop.Itis

thereforeimpossibleforthemtoparticipateeffectivelyinthe

meetingwheretheyareoutnumberedbytheadults.Evenif

theyareaskedtospeak,theyareoftenunprepared.

Thisistosaythatadultswhousethesemethodsalways

havebadintentions.Manyadultsoftenworkveryhardto

ensurethatchildrenatleastcometothesemeetings,andthe

messagestheyhaveinthesongsordramaareverystrong.But

theyarenotallowing‘true’childparticipation-thechildren

areeithernotfullyinvolvedinthepreparationoftheactivity

orintheactivityitself.

WhatchildparticipationisInordertohavechildparticipation,theymustbeinvolvedthem-

selvesinpreparation,decisionmakingaboutwhatshouldbedone

andtheactivityitself.Thereareincreasingdegreesofinvolvement:

Assigned but informed

Inthissituation,theadultsarestillincontrolofthesituation

andthechildrenarefullyawareofwhatitistheyareexpected

todoandwhy.Muchofpeereducationalsofallsintothis

category.Heretheyunderstandwhatthemessagesareand

whytheyaresupposedtogivethesemessagestoothers.

Consulted and informed

Inthiscase,childrenarealsoaskedfortheirviewsaboutthe

issue.However,thedecision-makingislefttotheadults.Itis

uptothemwhethertheytakethechildren’sideasonboardor

not.Thatiswhy,inmanyconsultations,childrensaytheyare

tiredofbeingconsultedbecausetheydonotseethatwhat

theyhavesaidorsuggestedbeingtakenseriously.

Adult initiated, shared decisions with children

Manyprogrammesstartthisway.Theadultshaveanideaora

projectwhichtheysharewithchildren.Butasthingsdevelop,

thechildrenstarttoparticipateinthedecision-making.Itmay

nothavebeentheirideainthefirstplacebuttheycanmakeit

theirs.

Child-initiated and directed and child-initiated, shared

decisions with adults

Thislevelshowsthatchildrenhaveinitiatedtheidea,are

activedirectorsoftheprocessandmakeshareddecisions

withadults.HereHartemphasisestheimportanceofa

collaborativechild-adultpartnership.

19

Itshouldbeemphasisedthatwhileit isaladder,apartfrom

thefirstthreelevels,Hartisonlyshowingdegreesofchild

participation.Notallactivitieshavetoreflectthehighestrungs

oftheladder.Activitiesatlowerrungscanstillmeanchild

participation.

FactorsaffectingthenatureofchildparticipationThenatureofchildparticipationdependsonseveralfactors:

• Theageofthechildren:theConventionontheRights

oftheChildsaysthatchildrenarechildrenuptothe

ageof18.Inaccordancewiththeir‘evolvingcapacities’

olderchildrenaremuchmorecapableofinitiating

anddevelopingactivities.Bycontrast,pre-school

(orkindergarten)childrencannotbeexpectedto

dothesame.

• Theexistingknowledgeandexperienceofthechildren:

forexample,ifitisanissuethattheyknowverylittle

about,theywillinitiallybemoredependentonadults.

• Theenvironmentforchildren’sparticipation:ifthere

isalotofoppositiontochildren’sparticipation,itmay

benecessarytostartatalowerrungontheladderand

increasethechildren’sparticipationastheacceptanceof

thevalueoftheirparticipationincreases.

20

However,thesethreefactorsshouldnotbeusedasexcuses

forrefusingtomoveoutofourcomfortzonesonchild

participation,orourownneedtoremainincontrol!Projects

orprogrammescanstartatalowerlevelontheladderand

moveuptherungs.Childparticipationissomethingthattakes

timetodevelopandwecankeepgrowingourabilitiesinthis

approach.Forexampleanout-of-schoolprogrammeinTanzania

wasinitiatedbyUNICEFafterconsultationwiththeyoung

peopleonwhattheythoughtshouldbethekeyelementsof

theprogramme.However,onceitstarted,theyoungpeople

tookovertheprogrammeandmostofthesubsequentactivities

wereinitiatedbythem,inconsultationwithadultsintheir

community,localgovernmentandUNICEF.

Secondlychildrenmaybeabletocontributedifferentideasto

differenttopics.Theymaynothavecertaininformationabout

sometopics.Yetweshouldnotunderestimatehowmuch

childrendoknow,especiallyaboutissuesdirectlyaffectingtheir

lives.Theymaybeabletocontributefromauniqueperspective.

Forexample,atthebeginningofanHIVandAIDSprevention

programme,theymightnotknowhowtheHIVistransmittedbut

theydoknowthebestwaytotransmitthatknowledgetotheir

peers,whichiswhytheirinvolvementindecisionmakingiskey.

Relatedtothisistheneedtorecognisetheevolvingcapacities

ofchildren,particularlyadolescents.ForexampleintheRIATT

Conferencementionedbelow,thechildrendevelopedtheir

ownspeechesandpresentationstogether,whichwerevery

powerful.Yetmanyoftheadultsrefusedtobelievethatthey

couldpreparesuchpresentationsontheirown-theymust

havebeen‘manipulated’.Manyothersexpressedamazement

thatchildrencouldmakesuchspeeches.Thechildrenwerevery

hurtbythisandaskedwhypeopleshouldbesosuspiciousor

amazed.Mostofthemwereatsecondaryschoolsotheyasked

whytheadultsweresendingthemtoschooliftheydidnot

believethatchildrencouldthinkandspeakeffectively.Thefact

thatadultsthoughttheyhadbeenmanipulatedshowedhow

adultsmayunderestimatethecapacitiesofchildren.

getting it Right for Children

Agoodexampleofahalf-waypointintermsoffullchildparticipationistheRIATTconference,GettingitRightforChildren

forChildrenAffectedbyAIDS(CABA)heldinDaresSalaam,2008.Forthefirsttime,itwasdecidedthatchildrenshould

participate.Realisingtheirlimitedexperienceoffacilitatingsuchevenparticipation,theChildParticipationTaskTeamofRIATT

contractedTAMASHA(YouthParticipatoryDevelopmentCentreinArusha)torunthechildparticipationprocess).They

setupacarefulprocessofchildconsultationinthe8countrieswhichagreedtocarryouttheprocesswherebychildrenwere

selectedfromdifferentchild-servingorganisations,inparticularthoseworkingwithvulnerablechildren(therebyensuringgreater

inclusion).Afterapreliminarynationalconsultationwherethechildrenidentifiedtheirmainissuesandwhattheywantedtofind

outfromtheirfellowchildren,theyweregiven2-3weekstoconsulttheirfellowchildrenintheirhomeareasbeforecoming

togetheragaintoshareexperiencesanddeveloptheirnationalreport.Theythenelected2representativestoattendthe

regionalconference.

TheelectedrepresentativesmetinDaresSalaam3daysbeforetheconferenceintheirownspecialsessiontoshare

experiencesbetweencountriesandpreparetheirpresentationstotheconference.Theyspokeatboththeopeningandclosing

ceremoniesaswellasattwoplenarysessions.Thefactthattheyhadconsultedwiththeirfellowchildrenmadeacleardifference

totheirpresentationsastheywerenotjustspeakingforthemselvesbutforallthosewithwhomtheyhadconsulted.The

consultationswiththeirfellowchildrenhadinfactchangedmanyoftheiroriginalideas.

From: Regional Interagency Task Team for Eastern and Southern Africa including REPPSI, Save the Children, Plan, World Vision and UNICEF

21

StructuralparticipationOnereasonforthedisbeliefofadultswithregardto

childparticipationisthefactthattheyoftenseechildren

participatinginlargescaleeventsonlysuchasTheDayofthe

AfricanChildorWorldAIDSDay.Participationinsuchevents

maybeaverygoodexperienceforthechildren,butsuch

one-offeventsdonotnecessarilycontributetothecontinuing

nurturingandfosteringofthechild’spsyschosocialwellbeing

throughongoingparticipationintheirdaytodaylife.

Thus:

“As important as special projects and events can be, participation

in them will be less effective and less sustainable if there is no

scope for meaningful participation in day to day living. An over

focus on more visible and shorter term forms of participation can

run the risk of neglecting the main aspects of adolescent life”

(Rajani,UNICEF)

Theotherproblemiswhenchildren’sparticipationisseen

asaproject,somethingseparate,special,anadd-on,rather

thanpartofallaspectsoftheorganisation.1Thus,children’s

participationneedstobeorganic,builtintothestructuresof

childservingorganisationsandotherplaceswherechildrenare

present,intheircommunitiesandschools.Thisisparticularly

importantforthepsychosocialdevelopmentofthechildrenas

willbeseenlater.

ConsultativeandparticipativeapproachesManyofustendtothinkofchildrenas“deficient”adults.Yet

anyonewhohasopenedthedoortochildren’sparticipation

soondiscoversthattheyunderstandandcanactfarmorethan

weoriginallythought.

However,aswithadults,itisnotpossibletoinvolveallchildren

atalllevelsofprogrammeactivityanddecision-making.The

natureofparticipationvariesdependingonthelevelatwhich

oneinvolveschildrenandtheactivityitself.

Childrenmaybeincludedinprogrammeactivitiesbyinvolving

theminconsultativeprocesses,inparticipativeinitiativesor

inpromotingself-advocacy.Eachofthesehasthefollowing

characteristicslistedintheboxbelow(fromLandsdowne,

2001):

1:Inchildledorganisations,obviouslysuchparticipationisalreadystructured

Consultative processes Participative Initiatives Promoting self-advocacy

• Adult-initiated

• Adult-ledandmanaged

• Childrenhavenocontroloverthe

outcomes

• Childrenmaybeprovidedwith

opportunitiesfororganising

together,acquiringskillsand

confidenceandcontributingtowards

influencingoutcomes

• Initiatedbyadults

• Involvecollaborationwithchildren

• Involvethecreationofstructures

throughwhichchildrencanchallenge

orinfluenceoutcomes

• Usuallyinvolvechildrentaking

self-directedactiononcetheproject

isunderway

• Theissuesofconcernareidentified

bychildrenthemselves

• Theroleofadultsistofacilitate,

not lead

• Childrencontroltheprocess

22

Thus,consultativeprocessesareoftenthefirststagein

promotingchildparticipation.Thenatureandstructureof

theprogrammeremainsadult-led,butchildrenaregivena

chancetofeedtheirownideasintotheprogramme.However,

iftheprogrammeremainsonlyatthestageofconsultation,

childrencanveryeasilybecomefrustratedbecausethey

havenoguaranteethattheirideasandsuggestionswillbe

takenseriously.Thisiswhymostprogrammesmovetowards

increasinglyparticipatoryinitiatives,inparticularamongolder

children.Whiletheprogrammemayhavestartedasadult-

initiated,moreandmorespaceisallowedforchildrento

takeoverthereinsandmaketheirowndecisions.Oncethis

happens,programmesoftenmovetowardsself-advocacyas

childrenstartidentifyingissuesandactivitiesthemselvesand

setthemupwithsupportfromadults.

ThefollowingcaseexampleofHumulizaisaverygood

exampleofthefinalstage,whereinsteadoffacilitating

consultationorparticipation,theorganisationsactually

becomechild-led:

Children Participating in Design, Implementation and Decision-making

TheHumulizaProjectinTanzaniawassetuptoenableteachersandcaregiverstosupportchildrenwhohadlosttheirparents

andtodeveloptheorphanedchildren’sowncapacitytocopewiththelossoftheircaretakers.Onceteachersandtrainershad

completedtheirtraining,thequestionofwhatcouldbedonetoprovideongoingsupportforthechildrenwasasked.

Some17childrenwhohadlosttheirparentsandwereparticipatingintheprojectwerebroughttogetherinaworkshoptohelp

answerthisquestion.Attheworkshopthechildrenspenttimeidentifyingtheirexistingstrengthsi.e.whattheyhadlearntand

coulddowellbecausetheywereorphanedchildren.Theyalsotalkedaboutwheresupportfromotherswouldbehelpful.They

identifiedareasinwhichtheycouldsupporteachother,whichrangedfrompracticalsupportsuchashelpingeachotherwith

agriculturalactivitiestoemotionalsupportsuchasconsolingeachother.Thechildrenalsodiscussedthepossiblefunctionsofan

orphan’sorganisation.

Subsequenttothis,VSIorthe“VijanaSimamaImara–VSI”(Youthstandinguprightfirmly),anorganisationfororphaned

youthwasformed.Attheendoftheworkshop,fivegroups,eachwithanactionplan,hadbeenformedinordertostartthe

VSIorphanorganisation.VSIgrewfrom39membersin2000to1300membersby2004.VSIisrunbytheyoungpeople

themselvesthroughelectedcommittees.Humulizaprovidestrainingandmonitoring.

InitiallyVSIcateredforchildrenaged13to18.Thisexpandedtoincludetheyoungerbrothersandsistersandledtothecreation

oftheRafikiMdogo(Littlefriends)in2002.Theseyoungerchildrenmeetonceaweekforgamesandactivitiesatameetingrun

byolderVSImembers.

ThestructureoftheVSIisinfluencedbytheconceptof“protagonism”–anideamostwidelyappliedinchildren’sprojectsin

LatinAmericaandIndia.Essentiallyprotagonismmeansthatchildrenareseenassocialactorswhohavearighttoparticipatein

continued on page 23

23

FURTHER READIng

For more information about Humuliza and VSI and

how to start your own child-led organization, REPSSI

has recently produced a manual called “Mobilising

Children and Youth into their own Child- and Youth-led

Organisations” written by Kurt Madoerin.

This manual may be downloaded free of charge from

www.repssi.org.za

(continued)

whatevermatterstothem.Protagonsimessentiallymovesbeyondthetypicalformsofparticipationthatweseeinmany

children’sprogrammes.WithintheframeofprotagonismparticipationcanbeplacedatthehighestpointofHart’sLadderof

Participation(Hart,1997).Theactivitiesarechild-initiatedandchild-directed;childrenmakethedecisionssupportedbyadults.

PriortotheprojectVSImembersdescribedthreemain,interrelatedareasofstressincludinggriefanddepression;socialisolation;

andworryaboutcopingandtheirfuture.

FourthemesemergedintheirdescriptionsofhowjoiningtheVSIhadhelpedtheminovercomingthesestresses:

“Thegroupactivities(meetings,trainingsessions,playingandsingingtogether,etc.)providednotonlyasenseofacceptancebut

alsoconfidence,acommonidentityandasenseofpurposewhichrelievedmuchofthegriefandstress.

Thewiderangeoffriendshipsandthestrongsocialco-operationtheyfoundintheorganisationprovidedasenseofself-respect

andsocialacceptance,andcouldalsobeseenasfeedingintoidentityandpurpose.

Similarly,thepracticalandincomegeneratingskillstheylearnednotonlyreducedworriesaboutcopingandthefuturebutcould

alsobeseenasfeedingintoasenseofcompetence,confidenceandpurpose.

Finally,theresourcesthatbecameavailable,throughtheorganisationanditsincomeearningactivities,(meetingschoolcosts,

buyingnewclothes,repairingahouse,etc.)providedasenseofsecurityanddignitywhich,againcouldalsobeseenasfeeding

intocompetence,confidenceandsocialacceptance.”

24

IntegratingparticipationofchildrenandpsychosocialsupportEncouragingactiveparticipationofchildrenisoneofthe

keyprinciplesofpsychosocialsupport.Theparticipationof

childreninissuesaffectingtheirlivesbuildsconfidenceand

contributessignificantlytotheirsocialintegration.Thematters

thatchildrenandadolescentsaddresstogethermayalsobe

directlyrelevanttotheirwellbeing.

Inthesameway,approachestochildparticipationcan

drawactivelyontheprinciplesofpsychosocialsupportto

ensurethattheseapproachescontributetowardsthechild’s

emotionalandsocialwellbeing.Thefollowingsectionhas

thereforebeenaddedasareminderaboutdifferentaspects

ofachild’swellbeingthatmaybeintegratedintochild

participationapproaches.

What is psychosocial wellbeing?

Psychosocialwellbeingisabouttheconnectionsbetween

individualsinacommunity.Itisabouttheconnections

betweentheindividualandothers,itscommunityandsociety

(“social”).Itisalsoabouthoweachperson,adultorchild,

feelsandthinksabouthimorherselfandaboutlife(“psycho”).

ItisoftenlinkedtotheAfricanconceptof“ubuntu”–“Iam

becauseweare,andwearebecauseIam”.

Suchwellbeingincludesmanydifferentaspectsofourlives,

suchasphysicalandmaterialaspects,psychological,social,

culturalandspiritualaspects.Thefocusofpsychosocial

wellbeingisnotjustontheindividual,butonhouseholds,

familiesandcommunities.

Psychosocial support principles to keep in mind

Participationisoneofthefiveprogrammeprinciples

supportedbyREPSSI.Whenorganisingchildparticipation

initiatives,itisworthbearinginmindtheotherfourprinciples

toensurethatthechildren’sparticipationbuildstheirsenseof

selfandconnectionswithoneanotherandthecommunity.

• Attitudes:Oneofthemainwaysofbuildingachild’s

senseofselfandconnectionswithothersisbyrespectful

waysofinteraction.Buildingasenseofdignityis

importantindevelopingasenseofwellbeing.During

childparticipationactivities,itishelpfultoencourage

respectfulwaysofworkingtogetheramongstchildren

andadolescents,andtoensurethatwhenthechildren

engagewithadultstheyaretreatedwithrespect.Inthis

wayallchildparticipationactivitiesshouldbuildthe

dignityofthechild.

• Socialsupport:Thisprincipleisaboutdrawingon

existingcultural,socialandspiritualwaysofdoingthings.

Itmeansfosteringconnectionsandbuildingasenseof

selfandcommunity.Evenifchildparticipationactionis

centredaroundchangingthewaysomethingisdoneina

community,childrenmaybeencouragedtofindrespectful

andculturallyappropriatewaysofaddressingthese

issues.Theymaybeencouragedtodevelopanattitudeof

learningfromanddrawingontheirownculturalwaysof

doingthings.Inthiswaytheybuildontheirrelationships

withtheirsocialsupportsystems,ratherthanbecoming

alienated.

• Familysupport:Thisprinciplesuggestsdrawingon

andenhancingexistingfamilyrelationshipsandties,instead

ofbringinginexternalhelp.Forchildrenitcouldmean

enhancingonecaringrelationshipwithanadultwhois

abletoprovideconsistentcareinthechild’slife.Itaims

topromotewithinthechildandthefamilyasenseof

control(vshelplessness)duringdifficulttimes.Duringchild

25

participationinitiatives,trytoinvolvethefamilyandbuild

ontherelationshipswithcaringadults,siblings,neighbours,

cousinsandotherchildrenwhoarealreadyinthechild’slife.

• Emotionalsupport:Thisinvolvespromotingstability

androutineinthechildorcaregiverslife,especially

duringdifficulttimes.Whenhelpingtoorganisechild

participationactivities,trytocontributetowardsthe

stabilityandroutineintheirlives–forexamplehavethe

childparticipationactivitiesatthesametimeandplace

eachday.Providingemotionalsupportcanalsoinvolve

promotingtheuseofsafespacesforreflectiononpast

experiences,asawayoflearningfromandgrowingfrom

theseexperiences.Duringchildparticipationinitiatives,

sensitiveissuessuchaspainfulpastexperiencesmay

emerge.Trytofosterasafeenvironmentwherechildren

aresupportedtotalkabouttheseissuesiftheyareready

andwilling.Anotherwaytoprovideemotionalsupport

istofocusonpositiveachievementstobuildasenseof

self.Onceagain,normsofencouragementandpositive

feedbackmaybeintegratedintoallchildparticipation

actions,especiallyamongstoneanother,whichisvery

powerfulforchildren.Lastlytrytogivechildrenenough

timetoplayandparticipateinsport,asthiscontributes

toachild’ssocial,emotionalandcognitivedevelopment.

Encouragethemtohelponeanothertofindtimetoplay

andparticipateinsport.

Activity 4:Where are you in terms of child participation?

Aftergoingthroughsomeofthetheoryaboutdifferentwaysofencouragingchildrentoparticipate,itmaybehelpfulto

reflectonwhereyourorganisationorprojectissituatedalongthecontinuumofchildparticipation.Herearesomequestions

thatcouldbeasked:

a. WhatprocessdoIusetoengageyoungpeopleinreflectingonmyorganisation’svaluetoyoungpeopleand

thecommunity?

b. WhatactivitiesdoIchoosetoinvolvechildrenandyouthin,andwhatprocessdoIusetoensuretheirfullinvolvement?

c. WhatdecisionsdoIchoosetoinvolveyoungpeopleinmaking,andwhatprocessdoIusetoensuretheirfull

involvement?

d. DoIcontinuallyconsultyoungpeople,anddoIreallylistentotheiranswers?

e. DoIprovideopportunitiesforyouthtotakeonleadershiproles?WhatactionshaveItakenrecentlytobuildleadership

skillsamongyoungpeopleinpartnercommunities?

f. Onthebasisofmyanswerstotheabovequestions,whatdoIneedtorethinkinordertopromotechildparticipation

inmyorganisation/community/school?

Participantsmaydiscussthesequestionsingroupswithothersinvolvedinsimilarprojects.Thesearethenpresentedtothe

wholegroupfordiscussionandagreement.Section7providesamoredetailedframeworkforassessingyourorganisation’s

mainstreamingofchildparticipation.

26

HowtogetstartedBynowweshouldbeassuredthatmainstreamingchild

participationisaprocess,notaonce-offactivity.Asshownin

themodelsofincreasingchildparticipation,onecanneverbe

afullyrealizedexpertinthesubject!Insteadtherearegradual

stepsthatmaybetakentoincreaseyourchildparticipation

focus.Herearesomeideasonhowtogetstartedwith

childparticipation,orhowtocontinuemainstreamingchild

participationinyourorganisation.

Focus your strengths

Itmaybebesttostartbyfocusingonyourstrengths.Youmay

thinkaboutthefollowingquestions:

• Whatyouarealreadydoingtoconsultchildrenorfamilies

inyourwork?

• Wherearechildrenmostactivelyparticipatinginyour

programmes?

• Whereistherealreadyenergybeinggeneratedtogether

withchildren?

Trytoidentifythesepointsofleverageandstartwithgrowing

thechildparticipationfocusintheseareasofexistingstrength.

4 Introducing Child Participation Into Your Organisation

27

Start with a specific project

Anotherwayofstartingonthejourneytomainstreaming

childparticipationistotryoutsomeofthesemethodswith

onespecificprojecteventoractivity.Thiswillhelptoincrease

one’sconfidenceandbeliefinthisapproach.Youmaybeable

toidentifyaprojectoractivitywithinyourorganisationthat

lendsitselftoanincreasingfocusonchildparticipation.

Start with talking and listening

Likeallprocessesindevelopment,talkingandlisteningis

alwaysthebestplacetostart.Thisissoforpromoting

children’sparticipation.Itisworthspendingtimetalking

totheadults,intheprogramme,inthecommunity,andin

thechildren’sfamiliesabouthowtheybelievechildrencan

participate.Thenonemaytalktochildren,andfinallybring

thetwotogethertoexchangeviews.Theymaynotagree

oneverythingtobeginwith,butifonetruststheprocessof

collaborationusuallypeoplewillfindacreativewayofmoving

forwardtogether.

Youmayalsodecidetotalktofieldworkersandprojectstaff

workingonyourprogramme.Theywillhaveinsightsintothe

valueofstrengtheningchildparticipationintheirprogramme.

GainingorganisationalcommitmentBeforemakingthedecisiontopromotechildparticipationina

programmeororganisation,itisveryimportanttoensurethat

peopleintheorganisationactuallysupportchildparticipation.

Ifstaffandsupportingcommunitieshavenothadthechance

tothinkthroughwhyandhowthechildrenshouldparticipate,

theywillonlypaylipservicetothatparticipationandit

willenduponthebottomthreerungsofHart’sladder.

Thereforeyoumaywishtofacilitateworkshopsforstaffand

community(inwhichtheyparticipateaswell,ratherthanjust

beingconsulted)toworkouttheirownmodalitiesforchild

participation.

• Whereandhowwilltheyparticipate?

• Howwilltheirparticipationaffecttherunningofthe

organisation(howwilltheybeinvolvedinthedecision

makingprocess)?

• Whatfurthertrainingisrequiredtoensurethatallkey

personnelarecapableandcomfortablewiththe

participationofthechildren?

Someoftheissuesthatwillhavetobeconfrontedinthe

workshopsinclude:

• HowdoIreactifchildrendisagreewithmyideasorcome

upwithdifferentpriorities?

• HowdoIfeelifachildchallengesme?Orifthechildren’s

groupdisagreeswithmyideas?

Activity 5:Finding your starting point

Herearesomesimplequestionstohelpyour

organisationtofindastartingpoint(orpointof

leverage)forgrowingyourfocusonchildparticipation:

• Wherearechildrenalreadyinvolvedinour

organisation?

• Wherewouldweappreciatemoreinvolvement

fromchildren?

• Isthereanexistingprojectthatwecanworkonto

strengthenchildparticipation?

28

• Howdoestheorganisationcreatethetimetogiveto

participation?

• Howdowecreateanenvironmentthatischild-friendly

andpromotesactiveparticipationofchildrenandyouth?

ConsultingparentsandcaregiversofchildrenItisalsoimportanttogainthecommitmentoftheparents

orcaregiversofchildreninvolvedinchildparticipation.

ManyparentssharesimilarconcernsascoveredinStep1in

thesectiononResistancetoChildParticipation.Hereare

someideasonhowtoengageparentsinchildparticipation

processes:

• Spendtimebuildingtrustingrelationshipswithparents.

Trynottoonlycontactthemwhenyouneedsomething

urgentfromthem(likeaskingthemtosignanindemnity

form!).

• Commentonthestrengthsofthechildandcompliment

theparentsonhowtheymusthavecontributedtothese

strengthsthatyouhaveobservedintheirchild.Takecare

nottosoundpatronizingandbegenuineinwhatyousay.

• Explainwhytheirchildwasselectedandwhattheproject

isabout.

• Givefulldetailsabouttheactivitiesthechildwillbe

involvedin.

• Listentotheirideasandpriorities.

• Takeseriouslytheirconcernsandaskabouttheir

suggestionsinhowbesttoaddresstheseconcerns.

• Inviteparentstovisittheprojectandwitnessspecial

eventsandachievements.

• Givefeedbacktotheparentonaregularbasis.Againuse

thisasanopportunitytocommentonwhatyouobserved

thechilddoingwell.Bringphotographsandother

interestingmaterialstoshowtheparentswhatthechild

achieved.

Buildingagoodrelationshipwithparentsorcaregiversofthe

childreninvolvedinyourprogrammeisanimportantaspect

ofpsychosocialwellbeing.Youmaybeabletodrawstrength

andcreativeideasfromparentsandyoumaybeabletoadd

valuetotheparents’ownrelationshipswiththeirchildren.

Inmoretraditionalruralcommunitiesoringovernment-

ledinstitutionssuchasschools,itwillalsobeimportantto

consultleadershipandrelevantauthoritiesaboutthechild

participationinitiativesthatareplanned.Onceagainthis

canbeavaluabletimeofconsultation,whereonenotonly

gainssupportfromsuchauthorities,butgetsasenseofthe

prioritiesandideasfromsuchstructures.

29

ExploredifferentwaysofinvolvingchildrenOncethereisgoodorganisationalcommitmentanda

foundationofagoodrelationshipwithparents,caregiversor

communitystructures,yourorganisationmayalreadyhave

beengivenmanygoodideasabouthowtoworkwellwith

childrentoincreasetheirparticipationinyourprogramme.

Herearesomeideasabouthowyourorganisationmay

increasechildparticipationactivitiesandprocesses:

• Startchildandyouthconsultationmeetingstolearnabout

theirideasandtopicsthatwouldberelevanttotheirlives

• Encouragechildandyouth-ledoutreachwherechildren

identifyandinvitevulnerablechildrentojoinexisting

projectactivities

• Facilitatechildren’sandyouthgroupworkshopsonspecific

topicswherechildrenandyouthareactiveindetermining

thedirectionofthediscussionsontopicsthatarerelevant

totheirlives

• Encouragechildrentoco-facilitatesuchgroupsessions

• Startkidsclubswherechildrenandyouthtakealeadrole

infacilitatingsessionsontopicsidentifiedbytheirgroup

• Encouragechildandyouth-ledresearch

• Facilitatechildandyouth-ledorganisations

• Supportchildandyouthledcommunitycampaigns

• Supportchildandyouthledadvocacycampaignswhere

presentationsaremadetogovernmentdepartmentsand

keydecisionmakers

• Facilitatechildandyouth-ledmediacampaignstoraise

awarenessaboutissuesthatareimportanttochildren

Again,dependingontheextenttowhichchildrenhavealready

beenparticipating,itwillbenecessarytocarryoutsome

capacitydevelopmentactivitywithchildrentoenablethem

tothinkthroughwhatparticipationmeansintheirparticular

contextandhowtopromoteit.

Section5givesfurtherpracticalideasonhowtomainstream

childparticipationinyourorganisation.Theseideaswillneed

tobeadjustedaccordingtoyourprogrammespecialization.

AdapttheseideastoyourprogrammespecialisationThewaysinwhichchildrencanparticipateintheprogramme

dependsonthenatureofthatprogramme.Forexample,child

participationactivitiesandprocesseswillbedifferentifyou

areworkinginanorganisationthatspecialisesinagricultural

projects,versusHIVandAIDSpreventionwork,versus

incomegeneratingactivities.Thinkcarefullyaboutyourtype

ofprogrammeandhowchildparticipationmaybeappliedto

yourownareaofspecialisation.IntheREPSSIMainstreaming

PsychosocialCareandSupportintoEconomicStrengthening

Programme(REPSSI,2009),thereisagoodexampleofhow

participatoryactivitieshavebeenthoughtthroughinrelation

toadevelopmentprogramme.

30

economic strengthening activity

Ways of involving children

activities for children in the economic strengthening

programme

Cash transfer

• Consultative

• Consultative

• Selfadvocacy

• Consultingchildrenaboutthewayin whichthemoneyisspent• Beingtransparentaboutthehousehold budgetandwherethemoneygoesto• Allocateasmallportionofthemoneyto olderchildrentopursuesomelivelihood projectoftheirown

Vocational training for older children

• Consultative

• Participative

• Solicitingchildren’sopinionsonvocational skillstheythinkareneededinthe community• Involvechildreninthetrainingand mentoringofchildrenenteringthe programme

group based savings

• Participative

• Consultative/participative

• Participative/self-advocacy

• Begingroupsavingsschemeswitholder childrentoencourageacultureofsaving• Encouragechildrentoofferideasofhow andwheremoneysavedcanbeusedto improvetheireducationaloutcomes• Startadreamclubwherechildrenputa smallamountofmoneytowardsthefirst stepoftheirdreams.

Income generating activities (IgAs)

• Self-advocacy • EncourageyouthtostarttheirownIGAs andgivethemresponsibilityofrunning andmanagingtheirownsmallbusiness (seeCasestudy)

Activity 6:Applying these principles to your programme

Inordertoapplysomeoftheideasaboutchildparticipationtoyour

programmespecialisation,youmayfindthefollowingprocesshelpful:

• Thinkcarefullyaboutthetypesofchildrenthatareinvolvedinyour

programme,andthosewhichcouldpossiblybeinvolvedinfuture

• Drawatablesimilartotheoneonthispage,butwithonly2columnsfor:

o Yourexistingprojects

o Activitiestopromotemoreinvolvementofchildren

31

Activity 7:Develop a workplan

Thedevelopmentofchildparticipationmaythereforestartgraduallyasanorganisationand

facilitatorsgrowinconfidence.Especiallywhereanorganisationwantstopromotechild

participationforthefirsttime,agradualprocessisoftenthebest.Itisbettertostartsmall

andbeeffective,thantoattemptlarge-scaleparticipationthatmaybeoverwhelming.Both

adultsandchildrenneedtimetoadjusttogreaterparticipation.

1.Listanygoalstomaintainorimprovechildparticipationinyourinstitution

Decideonafewconcretewaystocontinueandadvancepromisinggoalsandactivities.How

manygoalscanwerealisticallyachieve?Thisdependsonthelevelofcommitmentfromyour

institution.Ifyouhavejustreceivedfundingdevotedtochildparticipation,youmaybeable

tocreatemanynewactivitiesandimproveonexistingprogramming.Otherwise,youmay

identifyfewergoalsoralong-termgoal.

2.Evaluateeachgoalbyansweringtheeightsubsequentquestions2.Somegoalswillbemore

realisticthanothers,sothegroupwillhavetoestablishpriorities.Theeightquestionswhich

follow,appliedtoeachgoal,canhelpyourinstitutioncreateasensibleworkplanforchild

involvement.

how will this goal benefit the institution/project/activity?

Thisquestionshouldhelpclarifywhyeachgoalisimportantandhowmeaningfulparticipation

forchildrencanbepractical.Institutionsshouldnotassignchildrentotokenpositionsor

positionsthatdemandskillsandexpertisethatgobeyondtheirtraining.

What are the challenges?Awidevarietyofobstaclesmayneedtobeaddressed.

Sometimesstaffattitudes(extremesinfavourof,oropposedto,childinvolvement),time,or

financialconstraintscanarise.Moneyandtimewillbeneededtorecruitandmanagestaff,

paysalaries,conducttraining,monitorprogress–everythinginvolvedwithhiringanynew

employee,plustheextraattentionneededtochild-adultpartnershipissues

What are the steps to achieve the goal?Thisquestionhelpsyououtlinehowyour

institutionwillattaintheexpectedresult.Detailingthesestepscanhelpidentifytheactivities

requiredforeachgoal,whichhelpscomparisonsbetweenpossiblegoals.

What resources are currently available?Byassessingtheexistingcapabilitiesofyour

institution,theframeworkforsuccesscanbeidentified.Oftenthisprocessbeginswithsenior

managementmakingacommitmenttoprovidefundingtosupportchildinvolvement.Once

thisisaccomplished,stafftimecanbeallocatedtomanagetheprocess.

What gaps need to be filled?Recognisetheplaceswherefurthercommitmentisneeded.

What is the timeline?Planwheneachstepneedstooccurinordertoattainthegoal.

What is the monitoring and evaluation plan?Youneedastrategytoreviewboth

processesandresultsassociatedwithinvolvingchild.Thisiscriticalforfuturedecisionsrelating

tochildinvolvement.

2:AdaptedslightlyfromYouthParticipationGuide:Assessment,Planning,andImplementation©2005byFamilyHealthInternational continued on page 32

32

Activity 7: continued

Who in the institution could or will take responsibility to achieve this goal?

Perhapsthereisalogicalpointorpersonformaintaininganexistingactivity,butsucha

personmaynotbeeasytoidentifyforanewactivity.Youshould,therefore,thinkcarefully

aboutwherethegoalfitsintotheinstitutionalstructure.

3. Decidewhichgoalstoimplementofallthegoalsdiscussed.Asagroup,youmaynotbe

abletomaketheofficialdecision,butyoucanatleastprepareacaseforproposingthese

activitiestoseniormanagement.Thefacilitatorswillberesponsiblefortakingtheseideas

toseniormanagement,aswellastothosewhoparticipatedintheassessmentandplanning

process,whendeliveringthefinalreport(andpresentation,ifneeded).

4. RevisittheworkplanperiodicallyOnceortwiceayear,evaluatehowwellyourinstitution

isimplementingtheworkplan.

3:InstitutionalAssessmentandPlanningToolYouthParticipationGuideYouthParticipationGuideInstitutionalAssessmentandPlanningTool29

goal 3 activity

1. Howwillthisgoalbenefit

theinstitution/project/activity?

2.Whatarethechallenges?

3.Whatarethestepstoachieve

thegoal?

4.Whatresourcesarecurrently

available?

5.Whatgapsneedtobefilled?

6.Whatisthetimeline?

7.Whatisthemonitoringand

evaluationplan?

8.Whointheinstitutioncould/will

takeresponsibilitytoachievethisgoal?

33

BuildingyourchildparticipationcapacityOncethestaffinyourorganisationhaveshownaninterest

inchildparticipation,itisimportanttokeepbuildingtheir

capacityinthisregard.Itisalsoimportanttokeepbuildingthe

capacityofchildrenwhoareinvolvedinchildparticipation,so

thattheirskillsandconfidencemayincrease.

Thecapacityofthestaffandchildreninvolvedinchild

participationmaybefurtherdevelopedthrough:

• Gettingmoreliteratureandbooksaboutchild

participation

• Encouragingpeopletoattendworkshopsandfurther

trainingonchildparticipationmethods

• Accessingsupervisionormentorship

• Networkingandexchangewithothersinvolvedinchild

participation

• Writingabouttheirownexperiencesofchildparticipation

• Self-reflectionandresearchabouttheirwork

ASK REPSSI!

For more information about the training, resources

and networks in your area, contact your REPSSI sub-

regional manager. You can find out this information

from www.repssi.org.

34

Ifyouwishtomovefurtheralongthejourneyofchild

participation,herearesomeotherissuestothinkabout.Try

toapplythesetoyourorganisationasyoureadthroughthis

section.

WhoparticipatesTheobviousansweris‘allchildren’.However,unlesscertain

safeguardsareputinplace,itwillusuallybetheoldest,better

off,malechildrenwhoparticipatethemostactively.Youth

centresareagoodexample.Researchcarriedoutbythe

PopulationCouncilintoyouthcentresandpeereducation

programmes(Erulkaretal),foundthatitwastheolderboys

whobenefittedthemostbyfar.ThusinEthiopia,research

intowhoparticipatedshowedthatmorethanonequarterof

olderboyshadattendedayouthcentreandnearlyonethird

hadhadcontactwithapeereducatorwhereaslessthan4%of

theyoungergirlshadattendedsuchacentreandonly12%had

hadcontactwithapeereducator.

5 Structural Considerations

35

Oneofthemostvulnerablegroupofgirlsinthatarea,young

femaledomesticworkers,werehardlyreachedatall.Only1%

hadattendedayouthcentreand6%hadbeencontactedbya

peereducator.

Thepatternwassimilarinresearchesinothercouncil

researches.InGhana,theaverageageofattendeesatyouth

centreswas18.InZimbabweitwas21andalmostnoneof

theparticipantswasbelowtheageof15.InKenya,86%ofthe

participantswereover20,theaverageagewas24and26%of

theparticipantswereabovetheupperagelimitof24.

Bycontrast,asnotedintheguidelineonEconomic

Strengtheningactivities,manyprogrammesforvulnerable

childrentendtofocusonyoungerchildren,oftenoverlooking

theneedsandconcernsofolderchildren(10-18years).Older

childrenaremostoftenattheforefrontofsupportingfamilies

thatarevulnerable,andbecomecaregiversatanearlyage.

ChildrenontheBrink(2004),estimatesthatabout55percent

ofallorphansareaged12to17,whichmakessenseinthat

theoldertheyare,themorelikelytheirparent(s)aretohave

died.Theguidelinenotesthatolderchildrencanbeinvolved

ineconomicstrengtheningprogrammesandarethekeytarget

groupforgreaterparticipation.Theycanalsobeincreasingly

involvedinallactivitiesconcerningthem,inaccordancewith

theirevolvingcapacities.

Therefore,inensuringthatchildrenparticipateinprogrammes,

thereisaneedtopayattentiontothreevariables-gender,

ageandvulnerability.Herearesomequestionstostimulate

furtherthinkingabouttheseaspectsofchildparticipation:

gender

• Aregirlsparticipatingequallywithboys?

• Cangirlsspeaktheirmindfullyifboysarepresent

(orboysifgirlsarepresent?)Isthereaneedtohave

genderspecificactivitiessometimes?

• Aregirlstakingleadershippositionsequallywithboys?

• Arethereanyconstraintswhichpreventgirlsfrom

participatingequallywithboys?

Age

• Howdowemakesurethatchildrenofdifferentages

participate?Dowehavedifferentagegroups?Doeseach

agegroupchooseitsownleaderswhothenbelongtoan

overallleadershipgrouporcouncil?

• Willyoungerchildrenparticipateinadifferentwayfrom

olderchildren?Whatkindofactivitiesshouldtherebefor

them?

Vulnerability

MostREPPSIpartnersandprogrammesarefocusedonthe

needsofvulnerablechildren.Howeveritisstillworthasking:

• Whatmechanismsareinplacetoensurethatthemost

vulnerablechildrenalsoparticipateequallywiththeir

peers?

• Howdoweensurethatvulnerablechildrenalsobecome

actorsandleadersintheprogramme,ratherthantargets

ofoutreachprogrammes?

• Dowehavemechanismsinplaceforchildrenwith

disabilitiestobeabletoparticipatefully?

All ados All boys All girls Boys 10-14 Boys 15-19 girls 10-14 girls 15-19

Youth centre 11.9 20.3 7.2 10.5 27.2 3.9 9.0

Peer education 19.6 26.5 15.1 18.3 32.3 12.7 16.5

PercentageofEthiopianchildrenwhohave

attendedayouthcentreorhadcontact

withapeereducator(Erulkaret al)

36

Child participation after the tsunami in Asia

AfterthetsunamiinAsia,childrenplayedakeyroleinthe

cleanupandrestorationofthecommunity(WorldVision

International).Inaworkshopaftertheevent,thefollowing

observationsweremade:

Factorsenablingparticipationinthisexample:

• Freedomtothinkandactforthemselvesaswellas

acceptance,respectandsupportfromadults

• Feelingsafeandself-confident

• Notbeingorderedwhattodoandprovingtoadults

thatyoungpeoplecantakeaction.

• Cleargoals,dreams,andvisions.Needwelldefinedroles

andclearguidelines

• Strongsupportandhelpfromadultsandpeers;

• Coordinationandconstantcommunication;

• Leadershipamongyoungpeople

• Adequateresources,skillsandknowledge(thereforeon

thespotcapacitydevelopment)

Barrierstoparticipationinthisexample:

• Viewsthatchildrenandyoungpeoplewereinferior;

• Neglectorignoranceofchildrights;

• Lackoftrustorsupportforyoungpeople;

• Differentinterpretationsofchildandyouthparticipation;

• Failureorrefusaltoacknowledgeyoungpeople’sopinions.

• Fearsofchildlabour,abuseandtrafficking

• Lackofgovernmentsupportandchild-friendlyspaces.

• Theabsenceofchildrenandyouthgroupsaswellasa

lackofforumsforyoungleaderstoairtheirviews.

• Lackofinformationonhowtoparticipate.

• Attitudesamongyoungpeoplethemselves.Somewere

fixatedongrandschemeswhensmall-scalecontributions

weremorerealisticand,ultimately,moreeffective.

• Manyyoungpeoplelackedtheconfidencetoplaya

moreactiverole,whileothersweresimplynotinterested

incontributing.

Participation of children with disabilities

Inthesamedocument,examplesweregivenofparticipation

ofchildrenwithdisabilities.

AccordingtoWorldVisionVietnamspecialistDrMichael

Hegenauer,whohelpedestablishthisproject:

“It is not developing ‘special services’; it is simply having the

community and our development programs include children with

disabilities in the activities that are already being delivered health

care, education, culture, leisure, play, child participation, etc.). Part

of key learning here is that it’s not that children with disabilities

can’t participate – it’s that we don’t let them participate... we

don’t even think about letting them participate.”

Developmentagenciesneedtointentionallydevelopproject

designs,objectives,activities,indicatorsandbenchmarksthat

engagethistargetgroup,suchthat:

• Familiesaresupportedinpracticalways.

• Childrenwithdisabilitiesareincreasinglyincludedinthe

conceptofcommunity.Thecommunitybecomesricheras

itinvolvesitsdisabledchildren.Attitudesandpracticesthat

areharmfultosomeofitsmostvulnerablememberscan

bechallengedandchangedwithtangibleresults.

• Theparticipationofdisabledchildrenisencouraged,has

anavenueandtheirviewsareheardasissuesaffecting

thembecomerecognised.Communities,localgovernment

37

andvolunteerCBRworkerstogetherhavestartedto

organisesocialoccasions(withprojectfunds),suchas

parties,towhichallchildrenarewelcome–whereas

beforetherewerenoneforchildrenwhodidnotgo

toschool(notonlychildrenwithdisabilities,butstreet

children,andchildrenwithoutresidenceregistrationora

birthcertificate).

• Changesinattitudeandactionhavefollowedplanned

awareness-raisingeffortswhereboththeproblemand

thepotentialhavebeenpresented.Thisisimportant,

asawareness-raisingdoesnotalwaysmovebeyondthe

problem.Ifthepotentialforchangeisnotpresentedwhen

theattentionoffamiliesorthebroadercommunityhas

beenbroughttoanissueofsocialimportance,thereisa

riskofapathy.

• Workingwithpeopleinpositionsofpowerhelpsto

gainsupportonchildprotectionfromlocalauthorities.This

observationhasbeennotedinastudybyUNICEFin1994

whichfoundthaturbanprojectsthatworkedcloselywith

peopleinpower(suchasthemayor’soffice)weremore

effectiveinprotectingchildrenthanprojectsthatdidnot.

Supportfortheintentionalinclusionofchildrenwithdisabilities

inbroadercommunitydevelopmentprojectsandactivitiesisan

ongoingchallenge.Thesechildrenareoftenforgotten;theyare

verymuchhidden,andmaybeunabletoleavetheirhomesby

themselves.UnlessNGOs,volunteersandlocalgovernments

activelyenquireabouttheincidenceandtreatmentofdisability

in-community,thereisariskthattheywillbeexcludedfrom

development.Itishelpfulforallorganisationstoreviewtheir

attentiontothese“invisiblechildren”.

MaintainingparticipationItisveryimportanttothinkthroughhowchildparticipation

maybemaintainedinyourorganisation,becauseissueslike

participationareoftenvictimsofwhatmightbecalledthe

“VanishingTrick”.Participationmaybeclearlypresentinthe

earlystages,butoftengraduallydisappearsastheprocess

continues.Thustheissueofparticipationmightbestrongly

presentintheoriginalresearch/studyandeventheplanning,

butastheprogrammemovestowardsimplementation,

theactualparticipationofthechildrengetslessandless.

Orchildparticipationmaybecomemoreandmore

theoreticaluntil,intheend,itistheadultscontrollingthe

processesasusual.Similarly,childrenmightbeallowedto

participatemoreinspecificeventsbuttheparticipation

coulddisappearwithregardtotheongoingactivitiesof

theorganisationorinstitution.

Onewaytoensureongoingchildparticipationistohaveregular

planningandreviewprocesseswherethistopicisexplicitly

discussed.Anotheraspectofmaintainingchildparticipationis

tobecomemoreawareofthelanguageandattitudeswithin

theorganization.Ourdevelopmentlanguagefrequentlygives

usaway.Weseepeopleweworkwithas‘targets’ratherthan

aspartners.Inotherwordstheyareexternaltous,‘theother’

whichhastobereachedbythoseofuswhoare‘intheknow’.

Thiscannotleadtomeaningfulparticipationuntilweviewthe

childrenasourpartners.Andoncewedo,theyprovethatthey

areveryworthytobeourpartners.

38

Diagram 2: Multi-layered, Integrated Psychosocial Support

2 . PROVIS IOn OF BAS IC SERVICES

3. FAMIlY & COMMUnIT Y

SUPPORT

4. FOCUSED SUPPORT

5. SPECIAlISED

MEnTAl HEAlTH SERVICES

1 . A DVO C AC Y

ChildparticipationandadvocacyREPSSIalsoadvocatesthatpsychosocialsupportservices

shouldnotbespecialisedservicesthatreachonlyafew

children.Instead,weshouldbefindingwaysofimprovingthe

psychosocialwellbeingofallchildren.Thisisshowninthe

pyramiddiagrambelow:

5.SpecialisedMentalHealthServices:

Psychiatric,clinicalpsychologicalandotherspecialised

servicesforthefewchildrenwithmoresevereresponses

4.FocusedSupport:

Additionalnon-specialisedsupportforchildrenwhoare

notcopingandwhoareshowingsignsofdistress

3.FamilyandCommunitySupport:

Everydaycareandsupportprovidedbycaregivers,friends

andcommunitymembers

2.ProvisionofBasicServices:

Shelter,food,healthandeducation,intowhichPSSneedsto

bemainstreamed,toreachmanychildrenandsupportways

ofcoping

1.Advocacy:

Influencingpolicyandchangestothesocialconditions

thataffectthewellbeingofmillionsofchildren

Multi-layered, integrated Psychosocial Support

Therearemanydifferentformsofpsychosocialsupport(PSS).

Thesemaybeofferedatdifferentlevelstosupportchildren,

familiesandcommunities.Themodelbelowmaybeusedto

considerthevariouslevelsatwhichpsychosocialsupportcan

bestructured.

39

REPSSIisencouragingmoreorganisationslikeyoursto

focusonwhatcanbedoneatlevels1and2tomainstream

psychosocialsupport.Thisisaboutthinkingstrategicallyabout

howtoreachmanychildrenwithbasicpsychosocialsupport.

Childparticipationmaybeapowerfulwayofdoingadvocacy

andensuringbasicservicesforthewellbeingofallchildren.If

childrenaregivenachancetopreparethemselvesandconsult

withtheirfellowchildren,theirvoicecanhaveatremendous

impactasshownintheRIATTconferenceinDaresSalaam

andtheGlobalPartnersForuminDublininSeptember/

October2008.However,thisalsoneedstobesupportedwith

followupactivities.

Advocacyinitiativesmaybeenhancedbyworkingtogether

withotherorganisationsinanetwork.Thismaybean

opportunitytoshareideasaboutbothpsychosocialsupport

andchildparticipationandtolearnfromoneanother.

Advocacy and networking initiative

UNICEFandotherpartnersarestronglysupportingtheconceptof‘childfriendlyschools’whichincludeschildparticipation.

ThereareNGOs,suchasHakiElimuinTanzaniawhicharepromotingthesame.Mostschoolsalreadyhavesomerudimentary

participationsuchasschoolcouncilsandaprefectsystemwhichprovidesspaceforchildleadership.Manyalsohavesome

formofpeereducationprogrammesrelatedtoHIVandAIDS.Thereforemostschoolsalreadyhavesomechildparticipation

approacheswhichmaybestrengthened.UNICEFhasfoundthateventeacherswhowereresistantatfirsttotheideasof

increasingchildparticipation,saidthatthebenefitsofhavingchildrenactivelyinvolvedindevelopingtheschoolandsupporting

oneanotherweresoonevident.Improvingchildparticipationandpsychosocialsupportinschoolsisanexcellentwaytoreach

manychildrenwithinastructuredandconsistentenvironment.

40

Anotherexampleofbeingstrategictosupportmorechildren,

throughtheuseofchildparticipationmethods,isshowninthe

casestudybelow.Whileitwassetupforyoungpeople,itcan

beappliedalsotoachildren’sprogramme.Itshouldalsobe

recognisedthatyoungpeople(aged19to24)arekeyallies,

supportersandmentorsinthedevelopmentofchildren’s

programmes.

Theimpactofthisyouth-ledprogrammeinTanzaniahasbeen

far-reaching:

• Youngpeoplehaverespondedpositivelytothechange

toparticipateasartists,shownagreatdealoftalentand

analyticalskills.

• Peereducatorsincludingthegirls,changedvisiblyduring

thetraining,showingheightenedself-awarenessandself-

esteem.

• Therecognitionofyoungpeoplebytheircommunitiesas

vanguardsoftheHIV/AIDScampaignhascontributedto

self-confidenceandachangeinbehaviourbasedonthat.

• Theparticipatoryactionresearchhasprovidedthe

communitieswiththeinformationtheyneededforaction

toreduceriskwiththeyoungpeopletakingthelead.

• Someartistsandpeereducatorshavebecomenational

facilitators.Artistsprovidetheanalyticalandassessment

role,somethingusuallydonebyadults,whoaremore

expensiveandmostlytoodistantsocially,culturallyand

economically,fromyoungpeopletobeabletorelateto

themonintimatepersonaldevelopmentissues.

Out of school youth programme

in Tanzania

In1999/2000,UNICEF,inconjunctionwithlocal

government,supportedthedevelopmentofanoutof

schoolprogramme,basedoncommunityresearchand

feedbackbyyoungartists,theestablishmentofcommunity

basedyouthcentresandtrainingofmembersofthese

centres.Theoriginalgoaloftheprogrammewasto

empoweryoungpeopletoprotectthemselvesfromHIV

buttheyoungpeoplesoontransformeditintoamore

holisticyouthdevelopmentprogramme.Theprogramme

quicklyexpandedto19districtsandbecamethemodelfor

youthdevelopmentintheMinistryofLabour,Employment

andYouthDevelopment(MLEYD).Particularfeaturesof

theprogrammeincluded:

• Adistrictwideapproachfromtheoutset.Whenthe

programmestartsinadistrict,everywardis

encouragedtodevelopitsownyouthcentreand

youngpeoplearetrainedfromallthewards.Thisisin

recognitionoftheneedtoreachasmanyyoungpeople

aspossiblefromtheoutset.

• ParticipatoryActionResearchcarriedoutbytheyoung

peoplethemselvesandfeedbacktotheircommunities

throughtheatrefordevelopment.Thiscreated

tremendousdebateincommunitiesastheycould

notignoretheissuesbeingraisedbytheirown

children,producedmomentumforchangeandgreatly

empoweredtheyoungartiststakingpartastheir

contributionwashighlyrecognisedbytheircommunities

• Indepthtraining(onemonth)ofthepeereducators,

basedonalifeskillsapproach,whichmeantthat

theywerereallyabletoactaseducatorsintheir

communities

KisaraweDistrictDevelopmentNetworkisanexample

ofaDistrictDevelopmentNetwork,whichaftertwo

yearsofexistencewasregisteredasaNon-Governmental

Organization.Ithasmembershipfromthe15wardsofthe

District.IthasanExecutiveofmemberselectedbythe

variousYouthWardcentres.Thefollowingagegroups

characteriseitsmembership:10-14,15-18,19-24,and25-

35.TheseagegroupsdeterminetheactivitiesinNetwork.

Thereisaconstitutionandleadershipchangeseverythree

years.TheDistrictofKisarawehasoffereditspaceforits

ownDistrictoffice.

41

• Ward-basedyouthgroupshaveestablisheddistrictyouth

networkinggroups.Theycoordinateandworkwithlocal

internationalcivilsocietyorganizations.

• Insomedistricts,theleadersoftheyouthcentreshave

beenincorporatedintothecommunitygovernance

structuresandwarddevelopmentcommittees.

Theoutcomesofthevariousinterventionshadimpactat

personal,family,community,institutionalandnationallevels.

Theresearchshowedthat:

• Moredevelopmentagenciesandotherdonorsnowtrust

youngpeoplewithfunds.Thisisarecentdevelopment,as

itwasnothappeningbefore.

• MoreandmoreDistrictCouncilsdoconsultandlistento

viewsofchildrenandyoungpeopleondevelopmentissues.

• Childrenandyoungpeoplefromthenetworkshave

participatedfullyinandmadeveryinsightfulinputintothe

nationalDevelopmentandGrowthStrategy(MKUKUTA);

thereviewoftheChildandYouthDevelopmentPolicies

andtherevisedChildrenAct.Inthewordsofone

governmentofficial“TheviewsofchildrentotheChildren

DevelopmentPolicyleftusall(themanagementofthe

ministry)amazedwithwhatwegotfromthem.Children

areintelligent,havegoodideasandcancontribute

effectivelyonissuesconcerningthem.”

• InthefightagainstHIVandAIDS,moreandmoreyoung

peoplearebeingrecognisedasthevanguardsinthe

campaignthathasinturncontributedtoself-confidence.

42

ToolsinchildparticipationThereisagrowingbodyoftoolsonchildparticipation.Many

oftheseareavailableontheinternet.Othersmaybeordered

asmanualsandtoolkits.Oneofthemosteffectivewaysof

mainstreamingchildparticipationinyourorganizationisalso

tofindoutwhichlocalorganisationsinyourareahavesome

experienceandmaterialsinthisregard.Thenyouareableto

shareresourcesandsupportoneanotherinthejourneyof

childparticipationmainstreaming.

Thissectionhighlightsafewgenerictoolsonchildparticipation

whichmaybeusefultosupportyourwork.

6 Making Child Participation Practical

43

Child Participation Toolkits

DynamixLtdhasausefultoolkitcalled“Participation–Spice

itup!Practicaltoolsforengagingchildrenandyoungpeoplein

planningandconsultation.”ThiswasdevelopedwithSavethe

ChildrenUK,London.Itmaybepurchasedontheirwebsite

www.dynamix.ltd.uk.

SavetheChildrenUK(www.savethechildren.org.uk)hasan

activeonlinelibrarywithfreelyavailabledownloadmaterials

suchas:

• Soyouwanttoconsultwithchildren?Atoolkitofgood

practice

• Soyouwanttoinvolvechildreninresearch?

• AllTogetherNow:Communityparticipationforchildren

andyoungpeople

Kids Clubs

AnothercurrentandusefulresourcefromREPSSIisatraining

guideforKidsClubLeaders,called“FacilitatingCareand

SupportThroughKidsClubs”.Thisisapracticalworkshop

programmeforKidsClubleaderstohelpthemestablishtheir

ownyouth-ledclubs.Theguidemaybedownloadedfreeof

chargefromwww.repssi.org.

SoulCityproduceregularmulti-media“edutainment”

materialsforSoulBuddyzClubs,whichmayberuninschools.

Thematerialsarecreativeandsimplyproducedsothat

childrenandyouthcantakealeadroleinfacilitatingsessions

oninterestingtopicsaroundhealthandwellbeing.Thetopics

themselvesareselectedinconsultationwithchildrenand

youthfromSouthAfrica.Thesessionsaredesignedforspecific

agegroups.Youcandownloadthesematerialsfreeofcharge

fromwww.soulcity.org.za.

Starting Child- and Youth-led Organisations

HumulizaandREPSSIhavejustproducedavaluableresource

onhowtostartyourownchild-ledorganization.Called

“MobilisingChildrenandYouthintotheirownChild-and

Youth-ledOrganisations”,themanualwaswrittenbyDr

KurtMadoerinwhohasmanyyearsofexperienceinchild

participation.Thismanualmaybedownloadedfreeofcharge

fromwww.repssi.org.za.

ChildparticipationfacilitationskillsItishelpfulforanorganisationwishingtomainstreamchild

participationtoinvestinpeoplewhoarewellsuitedtothis

typeofwork.Thesemaybepeoplewhonaturallyconnect

wellwithchildren,whoareenergeticandenthusiastic.They

arealsopeoplewhoaresensitivetogroupdynamicsandare

abletosupportchildrentobeconstructiveandcaringtowards

oneanother.

Facilitatingchildparticipationisalsoaskillthatmaybe

developedovertime.SavetheChildrenUKgivesthefollowing

usefultipsforfacilitatingchildparticipationactivities:

• Honoureachchildandyoungperson

• Trusttheresourcesofthechildrenandyoungpeople’s

group

• Tapintochildrenandyoungpeople’senergy

• Monitortheenergylevelandgowithwherethereis

energyfromthechildrenandyoungpeople

• Beattentiveatalltimes

• Beadaptable

• Ifyoudon’tknow,sayso

• Whenindoubt,askthechildrenandyouthfortheirideas

• Beyourself

• Keepinterventiontoaminimum

• Don’tbeattachedtoyourowninterventions

• Takeeverythingthathappensasrelevant

• Becreative

• Haveasenseofhumour

Oneofthemostimportantthingsinencouragingchild

participationistocreatearelaxedandfriendlyatmosphere.

In“Arewemakingadifference?”MadoerinandClacherty

advocatethatifchildrenarequietinresponsetoquestions,

theymaynotfeelrelaxedorsafeenoughtospeak(REPSSI,

2009).Theyadvocatespendingsometimeplayinggamesor

askingquestionsaboutthechild’slifebeforecontinuingwith

theotherquestions.Herearesomeexercisesthatmaybe

enjoyablewaysofencouragingchildrentocontributeand

participateactively.

44

ChildparticipationexercisesThereisawealthofideasgeneratedfromorganisations

throughoutAfricaandtheworldoninvolvingchildrenin

creativeways.Theseareafewselectedideasofexercises

thattendtoworkwellwithchildrenandyouth.Theymaybe

adaptedtothetopicwhichoneisaddressingwithchildrenat

thetime.

Rituals

Mostchildrenenjoyasenseoforderandritual.Thisusually

meanssayingordoingspecialthingsatcertainsettimes.For

exampletherecouldbecertainthingsthatthechildrensay

togetherorasongordanceorprayerthattheydoatthe

startandendofeachmeetingortimetogether.Trytoletthe

childrencomeupwiththeseideasandimplementthemat

timetheymeet.

Stories

Mostchildrenlovetohearstories,especiallyaboutother

childrenoranimals.Toencouragediscussionaboutaparticular

topic,onecantellastoryaboutachildorananimalthat

wasinaparticularsituation.Thechildrenmaythendiscussin

groupshowthatsituationmaybehandledbythechild,the

animalorothersinthestory.Thisdistancesthetopicslightly

fromthemselves,whileaccessingtheiropinionsonthesubject.

Drawings and art work

Creativeartworklikedrawings,claymodelingandmaking

acollagetogethercanbeveryhelpfulwaysforchildrenand

youthtoengagewithaparticulartopic.Drawingsmaybeof

amapofthechild’scommunity,thechild’shouseorfamily,

school,thechild’sbodyorself,tomentionbutafewideas.

Music

Mostyoungpeopleenjoysongs,musicanddancing.Allow

plentyoftimeforthisimportantformofcreativeexpression.

Youngpeoplemayalsowritetheirownwordstotheir

favouritesongs.Particulartypesofsongsmayalsobechosen

toexpresscertainmoodsofthegroup.Thesongsthatthey

selectorcreatecancontributemeaningfullyintermsoftheir

participationinaparticularsubjectorprocess.

Drama and role plays

Mostchildrenenjoydesigningshortdramaproductionsorrole

plays.Actingoutcertainsituationsorfeelingscanhelpchildren

toexpresswhatishappeningintheirlivesorwhattheywishto

communicate.Trytostructurethesedramaticrepresentations

carefullysothatthechildrencomeupwithpositivemessages

aboutthetopicstheyareaddressing.

Media presentations

Childrenandyouthusuallyenjoycomingupwithpresentations

inaformatthattheyareusedtofromtheirhomelife.For

example,youcouldasktheparticipantstocomeupwitha

radioshow,televisionpresentationoranewspaperarticle.

game shows and competitions

Creatingspecialgameshowsorcompetitionsmaybeafun

wayoftacklingcertaintopics.Forexample,childrenmaybe

awareofaparticulargameshowontelevision,oraparticular

gamethatisplayedinthecommunity–thiscanbeadaptedto

suitthetopicathand.Careshouldbetakenthoughtoavoid

negativecompetitionorridicule.Thefacilitators(adultsand

children)mayalsotrytostructuregamesandcompetitions

sothatchildrenwithdifferentabilitiesmayselectanddowell

atdifferenttasks.Childrenshouldnotfindparticipationinany

gamesorcompetitionsembarrassing.

45

Physical exercises

Trytostructuretopicssothattheyinvolvephysicalexercisesuch

asrunning,standingtogetherwithcertainsimilarpeople,jumping

andcatching.Trytotakecaretoallowchildrentofeelcompetent

inwhattheyaredoinganddon’tchoosedifficultexercisesthat

makeanychildrenfeelembarrassed.Ifpossible,allowchildrento

getmessyorplaywithwateriftheweatherallows.

Physical contact

Althoughmanyofourtraditionalculturesdiscouragecertain

typesofphysicalcontactbetweenpeopleaswegrowolder,

youngchildrenhaveastrongneedforsomeformofphysical

contact.Thismaybeespeciallyimportantforchildrenwho

havebeenneglectedorabused.Itisimportantforthemto

understandsafecontactandtoexperiencecaringhuman

contact.Dependingonwhatisappropriateinyourcontext,

encouragesafephysicalcontactlikeshakinghands,hugging,

linkingarms,gameswherechildrencarryoneanotherontheir

backsorclimboveroneanotheretc.Thechildrenthemselves

maybeabletosayhowtheywouldliketogreetoneanother

andcouldevencomeupwithaspecialhandshakeorhugging

ritual.Ifyouareworkingwithagroupofchildrenfroma

differentculturalorethnicgrouptoyourown,becarefulnot

tointroduceculturallyinappropriateformsofphysicalcontact

–forexamplehuggingmaybeconsideredinappropriatein

somecontexts.

Membership and signs of belonging

Thingslikeclothes,capsandbadgesareusuallyveryvaluable

toyoungpeople,especiallywhentheyshowbelongingtoa

cluborsocialgroup.Helpchildrenandyouthtodesignalogo,

andselectanameforthemselves.Theymaybeabletomake

smallbadgesthattheypinontotheirshirts,orifyourbudget

allows,letthemhavespecialT-shirts,capsorbagsprintedwith

theirlogoandname.Suchphysicalsignsofbelongingmaybe

helpfulwhenengaginginchildparticipationactivitiessincethey

makethechildreneasilyidentifiable.Theyarealsopowerful

foractivitieslikeadvocacywhereonewantstocreatean

imageofaunitedmovementofchildrenandyouth.

letters

Writingletterstooneanother,ortoapersoninauthority

canbeacreativewayofhelpingchildrentoexpresstheir

appreciationsandconcerns.

Home visits

Encouragechildrentovisitoneanother’shomesforspecial

occasionslikebirthdaysorcondolences.Haveopendiscussions

aboutconcernsthatchildrenmighthave,likethosewhodo

nothavetheresourcestogivevisitorsrefreshments,sothat

thisdoesnotcauseembarrassment.

Friends’ visit days

Specialdaysorshowsmaybearrangedwherechildreninvite

familyandfriendstohearaboutwhattheyhavebeenworking

ontogetherintheirgroup.Careshouldbetakennotto

excludechildrenwhodonothaveparents,hencetheterm

“friends”.Thedaymaybecalled“Friendsof….”,usingthe

nameofthegroup.Wherepossible,encouragethevisitors

togivepositivefeedbacksothattheexperiencebuildsthe

children’sself-esteem.

46

Objects and symbols

Childrenandyoungpeopleoftenrespondwelltoexpressing

themselvesinrelationtoanotherobjectoranimal.For

example,Humuliza,inTanzania,usesanexercisewhere

childrenbringanactualstonetothegrouptorepresenthow

theyarefeelingandwhathasbeenhappeningintheirlives.

Soforexampleifsomeonebringsinabigheavystone,heor

shemayexplainthattherehavebeenheavythingshappening

inthepastweek.Humulizaalsohaveasetofdrawingsof

adinosaurcreature(called“Dino”)whichshowsdifferent

expressions.Thisallowschildrentotalkaboutthemselvesand

comeupwithideasthroughanothercreature,whichisless

threatening.TheDinocardsarefreelyavailablefrom

www.repssi.org.Notethatsomeculturesfinditoffensiveto

becomparedtoananimal,sotakecaretoexplainthatyouare

notsayingthatpersonisananimal.Sinani,inSouthAfrica,use

theimageofuseachcarryingabasketonourbackswherewe

bringcertainthingstothegroupandwherewewouldliketo

addcertainthingstoourbasket.

Scaling exercises

Ifyouwanttoaskchildrenaquestionthatinvolvessomething

likeascalefrom1to5,youcanuseaphysicalscale,likealine

drawninthesand.Forexample,itmaybeexplainedtothe

childrenthattheoneendofthescaleisforthosewhofeel

veryhappyaboutsomethingandtheotherendoftheline

isforpeoplewhofeelveryunhappyaboutit.Theareasin-

betweenareforpeoplewhofeelalittlebithappyorunhappy.

Rotating leadership

Considerencouraging6-monthlyorannualleadershipposition

changesforchildren’sgroupsororganisations.Thisenables

differentpeopletopracticetheirleadershipskills.Italso

preventscertainpeoplefromdominatingorbecomingtoo

powerfulinagroup.Askdifferentmemberstorundifferent

partsofameeting.Thiscanalsobethemainroleofaleader–

toshareandallocateresponsibilitiesamongstmembers.When

choosingleaderstrytoencourageprinciplesofdemocracy,but

alsoencouragequietermembersofthegrouptohaveaturn

atleadershiproles.

group discussions

Childrenmayfinditeasiertodiscusstopicsinasmallgroup.

Helpthegroupstofindwaysoflisteningtoeveryoneinthe

groupandtorecordtheirdiscussions.Reportingbacktothe

biggergrouponbehalfofasmallgroupcanbeanempowering

exerciseifchildrenarewellsupported.

games and energizers

Ofcourse,whenworkingwithchildrenandyouth,itisalso

helpfulandfuntoincludeasmany‘energizers’andgamesas

possible.Youmayaskdifferentchildrentotaketurntocome

upwithandleadsuchenergizers.

Whereverpossible,allowchildrentodesignandselectthe

activitiesfortheirprogramme,givingasmuchcontroltothem

aspossible.Theadultfacilitatorsmaybemoreactiveinthe

earlystagesoftheprocess,buthopefullychildrenwillsoonbe

abletoexpresstheirownideasandfollowtheirpriorities.

CHIlD PARTICIPATIOn In ACTIOn

Kurt Madoerin and glynis Clacherty have written a useful manual called “Are we making a difference?” This is a guide

for facilitating participatory evaluations with children, and it contains many useful exercises that may be used in a range of

settings. You can download this manual from www.repssi.org.

47

ChildparticipationquestionsChildparticipationismoreaboutanattitudethanspecific

techniques,buthereisasimplesetofquestionsthatother

peoplehavefoundusefulinencouragingchildparticipation.

Theyarequestionsthatmaybeaskeddirectlytochildren.

SomeoftheseideascomefromtheoriesonSolutionFocused

Approaches4.Ifchildrenareoldenoughtoread,someofthe

questionsmaybewrittenoncardsandaskedbygroupleaders

totherestofthegroup.

general questions

• Whatdoyouthinkwouldbethebestwaytodothis?

• Howhaveyoudonethissuccessfullyinthepast?

• Canyouthinkofatimewhenyoudidthiswellbefore?

Whatdidyoudo?

• Howwoulditlookifyouthatwasnolongeraproblem

foryou?

• Whatwouldyoubedoingifyouhadalreadyovercome

thatproblem?

• Whothatweknowmaybeabletohelpuswiththisissue?

• Whodowetrusttobeabletotalktoaboutthisissue?

• Wherecanwegetmoreinformationaboutthis?

• WhatamIgoodatthatIcouldbringtothisproject?

• Inresponsetoastory:Whatdoyouthinkthepersonin

thisstoryshoulddo?

Questions about participation

• Whattypeofchildoryoungpersondowewishtohave

inourproject?

• Howcanwechoosememberssothatwehearfrom

allthedifferenttypesofchildren?

• Whichchildrenoryoungpeopledowenoticeare

missingfromourproject?

• Howcanweinviteotherstojoinourproject?

Questions about how to behave towards each other

• Howdoyouthinkwecanmakesurethateveryone

whojoinsthisgroupfeelswelcome?

• Howdowemakesurethateveryonehasanequalchance

tosaywhattheythinkinthisgroup?

• Howdowebuildeachotherup,ratherthanbreakingeach

otherdownwhenwespeaktooneanother?

• Ifyouwereaveryshycreature,likeaverysmallmouse,

howcouldothermicehelpyoutobebraver?(this

questioncanbeadaptedtoothercreaturesandgroup

dynamics–likeanangrylionthathashurthisfoot)

Questions about caring for one another

• Ifyouweresomeonewhohadabadweekathome,

whatwouldyoulikeotherstodoforyou?

• Ifyouknewsomeonewhowasstrugglingwithsomething,

howcouldyouhelpthatpersontofeelbetter?

• Ifwenoticethatsomeoneismissingfromourgroup

meetings,whatshouldwedo?

• Howdofriendsshoweachotherthattheyarefriends?

Questions about priorities

• Whatdoyouthinkisthemostimportantthingthatwe

shouldbeworkingontogether?

• Whatwouldneedtohappenhereforyoutosaythatit

wasworthwhileforyoutobepartofthisproject?

Reflection questions

• WhatIlikedmostabouttodaywas…

• Ifeltmostexcitedwhenwewere…

• Ifeltmostdisconnected(cutofffromwhatwas

happening)whenwewere….

• WhatIwishwecoulddomoreofis…

• WhatInoticedsomeoneelsedoingwelltodaywas…

• WhatIlikeaboutyouis…

4:Berg,I.andSteiner,T.(2003)Children’sSolutionWork.NewYork:W.W.NortonandCompany

48

Itisgoodtoremindyourselfofyourprogressingrowingyour

focusonchildparticipationasanorganisation.Measuringthe

valueandimpactofchildparticipationcanbetricky,asitis

difficulttoseparatetheimpactofchildparticipationfrom

othercontributingfactors.However,herearesomesuggested

indicatorstohelpyoumeasurechildparticipationandits

impactinyourorganisation.

7 Measuring Your Success

Focus Question answer

Starting off• Haveyouhaddiscussionsaboutinvolvingchildreninyourinstitution-

withallstaff,boardmembers,supervisors,andchildren?

Planning and review processes

• Isthereanactionplanwhichincludeschildren’sparticipation?

Werethechildreninvolvedinpreparingtheactionplan?

• Arechildrenincludedinplanning,decision-making,implementation,

andmonitoringandevaluation?Dochildrenchoosetheirown

representatives?

• Whatmeasuresaretakentoensuremaximumrepresentation(byage,

sex,educationlevel,socioeconomicstatus,ethnicity,urban/ruraletc)

• Dochildreninitiateandplantheirownactivities?

• Dochildrenhaveanactivitytomonitorandfeedbackontheir

participationatregularintervals(e.g.quarterly)?

Capacity development

• Whatprogrammesareinplacetodevelopthecapacityofadultsto

workwithchildren?Howmanyhavebeentrained?

• Dochildrenreceivetrainingtoleaddiscussions,participateindecision-

makingmeetings,andrepresentyourinstitutionexternally?Howmany

havebeentrained?

• Arethereopportunities(timeandfunding)forchildrentonetwork

withpartnerinstitutions?

Activities of the organisation

• Howmanychildrendoyouhaveservingondecision-makinggroups

(ratioofchildrentoadults)?

• Howmanychildrendoyouhaverepresentedinplanningand

implementingprojects

Childparticipationassessmenttool

49

OrganisationalreviewprocesseswithchildrenHerearesomeideasofthetypesofquestionsthatyoucould

usewithchildrenthemselvestoreviewtheorganisation’s

growingcommitmenttochildparticipation.Youcoulduse

thesequestionsregularlyintheformofgroupdiscussionswith

children.

• Howdoyoufeelaboutthewayyouparticipateinthe

organisation?Doyoufeelyouhaveavoice?How?Towhat

extentisyourvoicelistenedtobyadultsandyourfellow

children?

• Howhaveyoubeeninvolvedindifferentactivities?

Wereyouinvolvedintheplanning?How?

• Doyoufeelyourleadersrepresentyourideasproperly?

Dotheyaskyouforyouropinionbeforetheygoto

meetings?

• Howdoyoufeelaboutyourparticipationingeneral?

Whatarethestrengthsandweaknesses?Howcanitbe

improved?

• Ifeelmostsupportedbythisorganisationwhen…

• Ifeelmostleftoutwhen….

Asthechildrengrowinconfidenceandskilltheycould

facilitateanddiscussthesequestionsthemselveswithoutadult

supervision.

CHIlD PARTICIPATIOn REVIEW PROCESSES

REPSSI have written a useful manual called “Are we making a

difference?” This is a guide for facilitating participatory evaluations with

children. You can download this manual from www.repssi.org.

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ItisthehopeofREPSSIthatorganisationsinspiredtoembarkonajourneyofinvolvingchildreninmore

aspectsoftheirfunctioningwillfindthisarichlyrewardingone.Inthemidstofdifficultcircumstances,the

activeparticipationofchildreninfulfillingtheirpotentialashumanbeingsgivesuscleardirection,energy

andhopeforthefuturewellbeingofallchildren.

8 Conclusion

51

Ackerman,L;Hart,JandNewman,J.November2003.EvaluatingChildren’sParticipation:A

draftdiscussiondocumentbasedonfieldresearchinIndia,KenyaandEcuador.PlanUK/Plan

International.p6-15.

Ackerman,L;Feeny,T;Hart,J ;andNewman,J.October2003.UnderstandingandEvaluating

Children’sParticipation:Areviewofcontemporaryliterature.PlanUK/PlanInternational.p14-21.

Bainvel,B.2006.The Thin Red LineDraftDiscussionPaper

Berg,I.andSteiner,T.2003.Children’sSolutionWork.NewYork:W.W.NortonandCompany

Clacherty,G.andProf.Donald,D.2005.ImpactEvaluationoftheVSI(VijanaSimamaImara)

organisationandtheRafikiMdogogroupoftheHUMULIZAorphanproject.Nshamba,Tanzania

Clacherty,G.andProf.Donald,D.2005.ImpactEvaluationoftheVSI(VijanaSimamaImara)

organisationandtheRafikiMdogogroupoftheHUMULIZAorphanproject.Nshamba,

Tanzania.P98

DynamixLtd.2002.Participation–Spiceitup!Practicaltoolsforengagingchildrenandyoung

peopleinplanningandconsultation.SavetheChildrenUK,London.

Erulkar,AnnabelS.,Tekle-AbMekbib,NegussieSimie,andTsehaiGulema.“Migrationand

vulnerabilityamongadolescentsinslumareasofAddisAbaba,Ethiopia,”Journal of Youth Studies

9(3):361–374.

FamilyHealthInternational.2005.YouthParticipationGuide:Assessment,Planning,and

Implementation.

Gray,L.2003.Childrenatrisk:Practicalapproachestoaddressingchildprotectionissuesin

Cambodia,Indonesia,thePhilippines,SriLankaandVietnam.WorldVisionInternational.

Hart,R.(1977)Children’sParticipation:TheTheoryandPracticeofInvolvingYoungCitizensin

CommunityDevelopmentandEnvironmentalCare.UNICEF,NewYork.

InstituteonChildResilienceandFamily.1994.QuotedinInvestinginAdolescents:Argumentsand

ApproachesforLatinAmericaandtheCaribbean)

Lansdown,G.2001.PromotingChildren’sParticipationinDemocraticDecisionMaking.Unicef,

InnocentiResearchCentre,Florence,Italy.p16-29.

Lansdown,G.(2005)TheEvolvingCapacitiesoftheChild.InnocentiUNICEF,Florence.

NationalResearchCouncil.2009.GrowingupGlobal:TheChangingTransitionstoAdulthood.

Page377.WashingtonD.C:NationalAcademiesPress.

REPSSI.2009.MainstreamingPsychosocialCareandSupportintoEconomicStrengthening

Programmes.NancyBaronandNirvanaPillay.

REPSSI.2008.PsychosocialCareandSupportMainstreamingGuidelines.

REPSSI.2008.MobilisingChildrenandYouthintoTheirOwnChild-andYouth-ledOrganisations.

KurtMadoerin.

REPSSI.2009.Arewemakingadifference?Participatoryevaluationtoolsformonitoringand

measuringtheimpactofpsychosocialsupportprogrammesforchildrenaged6to18.Kurt

MadoerinandGlynisClacherty

SavetheChildren.2003.Promotingchildren’smeaningfulandethicalparticipationintheUN

GlobalStudyonViolenceagainstChildren:AshortguideformembersoftheNGOAdvisory

PanelandOthers.

9 References

52

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DerivativeWorks.• Weencourageorganisationstotranslatethismanualintootherlanguages,and/orprintadditionallargequantitiesfordistributionanduse,butrequest thattheycontactusfirst.Wearepreparedtomakehigh-resolutionfilesfreelyavailableforthispurpose.• Similarlyweunderstandthatthemanualmighthavetobeadaptedforuseindifferentcontexts.However,forqualitycontrolpurposes,andtoensure thatnoharmisdone,weaskyoutopleasebeincontactwithusaroundanychangesyoumightwanttomake.• Wehopeyouwillbeintouchwithanyquestions,comments,suggestionsandstories.REPSSI,POBox1669,Randburg,2125,SouthAfrica, tel+27119985820,email,knowledge@repssi.org

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