Module 3: Child Participation

2. Module 3: Child Participation

3. “If you had a problem in the Black community and you brought in a group of White people to discuss how to solve it, almost nobody would take that panel seriously. In fact, there’d probably be a public outcry. It would be the same for women’s issues or gay issues. But every day, in local arenas all the way to the White House, adults sit around and decide what problems youth have and what youth need, without ever consulting us.” - Jason, 17, Youth Force Member, Bronx, NY

4. Introduction • Key issues • The right to participation is one of the fundamental values and guiding principles of the CRC • However, both governments and donors have tended to address child participation in rather limited ways

5. Session map • Topics: • Definition of what is meant by authentic, meaningful child participation • Steps to develop an environment conducive to realizing participation rights • Interventions for integrating participation within programming

6. Definition of participation • Childparticipation is • The on-going process of children’s expression and active involvement in decision-making in matters that concern them. • It requires • Information-sharing and dialogue between children and adults based on mutual respect • Full consideration of children’s views, taking into account the child’s age and maturity.

8. Child participation • Notonly a right in itself; also a prerequisite for the exercise of all other rights • Participation protects children • Children who are silenced and passive can be abused by adults with relative impunity • Participation leads to better health outcomes • Children who have information about health & sexuality are better able to protect themselves • Participation contributes to personal development • Empowered children can become active and effective advocates for their own rights

9. Group Activity

10. Fact or Fiction? • Despite widespread recognition that child participation is a fundamental human right, there still remain some powerful challenges to its universal acceptance. • For each statement, indicate whether the statement is fact or fiction • If you decide the statement is fact, provide a justification • If you decide the statement is fiction, provide a counterargument

11. Counterarguments

12. Meaningful participation • To be meaningful, effective, ethical, systematic and sustainable, participation must be: • Transparent and informative • Voluntary • Respectful • Relevant to children’s lives • Child-friendly • Inclusive • Supported by training for adults • Safe and sensitive to risk • Accountable

13. Group Activity

14. Which of the following are examples of meaningful participation? • A mother playing with a very young child. • Yes, this is an example of meaningful participation, since every child can express views in accordance with his or her level of maturity. • No, this is not an example of meaningful participation since the child is too young to be able to express his/her views.

15. Which of the following are examples of meaningful participation? • A child giving evidence in court. • Yes, this is an example of meaningful participation, since he is engaged in a legal proceeding that affect him. • No, this is not an example of meaningful participation

16. Which of the following are examples of meaningful participation? • Children participating in sports as a required part of the school curriculum. • Yes, this is an example of meaningful participation, since the children are expressing themselves through play. • No, this is not an example of meaningful participation.

17. Which of the following are examples of meaningful participation? • Children participating in an international conference on human rights. • Yes, this is an example of meaningful participation, since the children are expressing themselves and being heard in an important forum that affects their rights. • No, this is not an example of meaningful participation

18. Mainstreaming in country programming • Key elements of mainstreaming child participation include • Participation rights context analysis • Child participation in programme implementation • Evaluation of participation

19. Mainstreaming in country programming (continued) • Evaluation • Scope: What is being done? • Tool 3.2provides a matrix for measuring the scope of children’s participation • Quality: How is it being done? • Tool 3.3provides a matrix containing details of the basic requirements and benchmarks for measuring the quality of children’s participation. • Outcome: Why is it being done? • Tool 3.4provides matrices on possible outcome indicators.

20. Participation rights analysis

21. Group Activity

22. Interventions to realize participation rights A broad range of measures are needed to ensure that participation is embedded & institutionalized