PROMOTING PARTICIPATION AMONGST CHILDREN & YOUNG PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED VIOLENCE: WHAT WE DID AND HOW WE DID IT User [Pick the date]

WHAT IS “CHILD PARTICIPATION”? “the process of sharing decisions which affect one’s life and the life of the community in which one lives. It is the means by which democracy is built and a norm against which democracies should be measured.” Hart (1992:5)

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES To promote good practice in relation to young people’s participation in projects to combat violence against children. This will be achieved through: 1. Drawing on young people’s experience of participating in projects of violence 2. Working with young people to develop and pilot a good practice guide and materials for practitioners, managers, policy- makers and researchers 3. Produce and make freely available the Guide

 THE UNITED KINGDOM The University of Sheffield (Prof Jan Horwath, project lead ) Walsall Youth Service (Daniel Hodgkiss, Shain Akhtar)  GREECE South-East European Research Centre (Dr Efrosini Kalyva, Chrysanthi Dikaiou) Institute of Child Health (Irene Fereti)  CYPRUS European University Cyprus (Dr Spyros Spyrou, Maria Kalli)  BULGARIA Social Reforms for Development and Integration Foundation (Milena Nikolova, Kalina Yordanova) THE PROJECT PARTNERS

UK10 girls15 boysEngaged in projects on forced marriage Children in care: Vulnerable to abuse and neglect yrs Greece8 girls12 boysUASs from Afghanistan and Somalia Young people in care through abuse and neglect 9-19 yrs Bulgaria7 girls7 boysRoma young people who experienced harassment yrs Cyprus8 girls7 boysYoung people in care through abuse and neglect yrs 33 girls26 boys

An initial comprehensive review of the literature Further exploration among groups of young people Identifying key messages Translating messages into a good practice guide Piloting of guide Amendments in collaboration with the young people PROJECT ACTIVITY

THE LITERATURE REVIEW AND THE VIEWS AND EXPERIENCES OF YOUNG PEOPLE

KEY MESSAGES FROM THE LITERATURE When children’s views heard, services and communities can be significantly improved Through participation, children and young people develop useful capacities as active citizens Different types of participation: from manipulation to child-initiated shared decisions Developing awareness of needs of vulnerable groups e.g. disabilities Awareness of the impact of witnessing and experiencing violence on children and young people

PARTICULAR CHALLENGES FOR VULNERABLE YOUNG PEOPLE Lack of self esteem and confidence especially during initial encounters Feelings of embarrassment Fear or intimidation from participating Concerns about limited knowledge of the issue/topic Being verbally inadequate and unable to meaningfully express themselves Fear of sharing personal information Impact of past experiences

THE FACILITATOR ‘’A good facilitator listens carefully and respects what children and young people have to say even if s/he disagrees with what they say, because he must listen to all children’s ideas and then decide which one is better. The most important characteristic of a good facilitator is to have open-minded ideas, but above all to understand young people.” (16yrs)

An effective facilitator is able to support children and young people to participate in decision-making without patronizing them and limiting their right to participate through unwarranted assumptions and stereotypes. A weak facilitator, on the other hand, fails to be involved with children meaningfully and to provide them with the means to express themselves freely and to be part of the process of deciding, alongside with adults, about issues which affect their lives. When evaluating the effectiveness of a facilitator, children and young people pay attention to details that adults may not consider to be so important (for example, dress code) or to things that could not possibly change, such as gender and age. THE FACILITATOR KEY MESSAGES

Children and young people need an environment in which they are able to: express themselves freely feel they have given meaningful consent be treated with respect by others know their views to be taken seriously have cultural and religious beliefs respected feel safe and secure with individual needs addressed know they are valued EFFECTIVE PARTICIPATION & ETHICAL ISSUES

Pay attention to group process Do not make assumptions about needs and experiences: check out Give young people voice Use a variety of different methods Recognise the other demands and expectations placed on young people Make certain that opportunities for honest feedback are available throughout Do not take credit for what is not yours Ensure that young people are kept engaged /informed of project outcomes KEY MESSAGES: WORKING WITH VULNERABLE YOUNG PEOPLE

FROM VIEWS AND EXPERIENCE TO A GUIDE Key themes identified: The nature and challenges to participation Being an effective facilitator Preparation, setting the scene Working with children and young people in participatory projects

Hart’s Ladder of Participation

IT IS POSSIBLE TO GO UP THE LADDER AND BACK DOWN DEPENDING ON HOW SAFE IT FEELS DIFFERENT FACILITATORS PROMOTE OR INHIBIT THE MOVE UP AND DOWN THE LADDER IT ’ S HARD WORK SUSTAINING PARTICIPATION AT THIS LEVEL DIFFERENT RUNGS ARE APPROPRIATE FOR DIFFERENT ACTIVITIES DIFFERENT RUNGS OF THE LADDER REQUIRE DIFFERENT THINGS OF YOUNG PEOPLE MISUSE OF POWER, MANIPULATION AND TOKENISM RESULT IN A SLIDE RIGHT DOWN THE LADDER LOWER LEVELS OF PARTICIPATION ARE EASIER TO ACHIEVE BUT MAY NOT BE THE MOST SATISFYING THE RUNGS OF THE LADDER ARE NOT EQUI-DISTANT SOME REQUIRE BIGGER LEAPS IN COMMITMENT AND ENGAGEMENT THAN OTHERS YOUNG PEOPLE’S VIEWS ON TYPES OF PARTICIPATION

The nature of participation Participation is: Inter-active Multi-faceted Dynamic Affected by external & internal influences: –context –facilitator –group dynamics –young person

In theory a child should be consulted when decisions are being made about their wellbeing and future. However in reality not every decision made by adults about children allows children to participate. In many cases adults and professionals seem to fear losing their authority to the very people they are providing services. (Male) IN A NUTSHELL