Part of series of ‘How-to’ Guides that highlight successful initiatives by Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and their implementing partners around the world, this Guide provides practical strategies and tips from CRS/Zimbabwe’s experience facilitating child participation in educational initiatives. The Guide is meant to provide ideas and inspiration for other organizations interested in ensuring approriate child participation in educational programmes.
The Guide provides an overview of the concept and importance of child participation and six illustrative examples of how child participation has been successfully facilitated in Zimbabwean educational initiatives. The six examples provided explore the issues of child participation in decision-making processes, the participation of very young children and the participation of children in non-formal education initiatives. Each example is followed by concrete steps that were taken and a specific activity that can be replicated by other organizations.
The Guide also provides practical advice on how to assess the scope and level of child participation, discusses other models for facilitating child participation, addresses social and cultural barriers to child participation and outlines some of the potential negative effects of child participation. Conclusions that cover some of the common themes and approaches emerging from CRS/Zimbabwe’s work on child participation are also included.
©Catholic Relief Services
