Child and youth participation resource guide

Participation in programme areas

Emergencies and natural disasters

Chen, Jennifer and Guy Thompstone, Children and Young People Responding to the Tsunami, Report of the forum and fair ‘Child and Youth Participation in Tsunami Response’, UNICEF EAPRO, Bangkok, 2006.
This report presents the highlights of a workshop where 20 children from tsunami-affected countries and 80 adults shared and discussed experiences with children’s participation in emergency response. The report contains workshop session summaries on children’s roles in relief, reconstruction, rehabilitation and emergency preparedness.
Email: eapro@unicef.org

Delap Emily, Fred Kasozi and Denis Onoise, Protecting Children During Emergencies in Nigeria: A toolkit for trainers, Save the Children, Kaduna, Nigeria, 2005.
This participatory training toolkit includes sections on participatory learning methods, tools and exercises, child protection in emergencies and caring for separated children.

Jabry, Amer, After the Cameras Have Gone: Children in disasters, Plan International, Woking, UK, 2005.
During disasters, the physical survival needs of children are given top priority. Other rights, such as children’s protection from abuse and harm, education, rest, privacy and the right to participate are often overlooked. The report recommends to make greater efforts to address children’s protection, participation and psychological recovery during disaster responses.

McIvor, Chris and Karen Myllenen, Children’s Feedback Committees in Zimbabwe: An experiment in humanitarian accountability, Save the Children UK, Harare, 2005.
This report describes experiences in setting up children’s committees to monitor emergency food distributions in Zimbabwe. Children’s committees identified cases of abuse and of exclusion of marginalized groups and individuals in the communities. The report discusses strategies to protect the young monitors from reprisals by setting up community feedback mechanisms and ensuring full support from community leaders.

O’Kane, Claire, Responding to Children as Social Actors in Emergency Relief Response, Save the Children Alliance, 2001.
This paper analyses the responses that children have received in complex emergencies and proposes recommendations on engaging children as social actors, using their insights and skills for positive response efforts. It proposes that humanitarian agencies emphasize resilience and participatory non-medical approaches to respond to the psychosocial needs of children.
Email: claireokane2002@yahoo.co.uk

O’Kane, Claire, ‘Child Participation in Emergencies’ in Children and Young People as Citizens: Partners for social change, Save the Children, South and Central Asia, 2003.
This section looks at children’s participation in emergencies. It includes discussions of the impact of complex emergencies on children, the various roles children can play in responding to the situation and to help in their own recovery and reintegration. It includes many

Plan International, Children and the Tsunami, Plan International Asia Regional Office, Bangkok, 2005.
This publication presents experiences with children’s participation in the response to the December 2004 tsunami. It reports that governments and aid agencies failed to effectively involve children in tsunami relief efforts. The report advocates for children’s involvement in every relief effort. This requires a fundamental shift in attitudes and approaches by governments, agencies and communities involved in relief efforts.

Save the Children Sweden, Children’s Rights to a Good Physical Environment in Emergency Situations, Save the Children Sweden, Stockholm, 2004.
This publication reviews key international agreements and practical tools from the perspective of children’s rights to a good physical environment in emergencies. It discusses policies, strategies and programme experiences of Save the Children offices and includes a section on methods for involving children.

Tolfree, David, Whose Children? Separated Children’s Protection and Participation in Emergencies, Save the Children Sweden, 2003.
This book analyses fostering, group care and other types of care arrangements for children and adolescents separated in situations of large-scale emergencies.

UNICEF, Voices of Hope: Adolescents and the Tsunami, UNICEF, New York, 2005.
After the December 2004 tsunami, young people all over the affected region took action, helping with relief distributions, assisting with clean-up and rebuilding efforts, looking after younger children and using their creativity to let others know about the devastation. Responses from children living in other parts of the world were equally inspiring. The report compiles messages received at UNICEF’s interactive Voices of Youth website where young people from around the world expressed their shock, solidarity and offers to help.

 

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