“To Take Pride in the Place We Come From…”

Report on Training Workshop for Adults in Emthanjeni on Working in a Participatory Way with Children to Attain Their Environmental Rights and Participatory Workshops for Children in Emthanjeni for Children Concerning Their Environmental Awareness

Jeanne Swart
Light Years Ahead

Jill Kruger

Nondumiso Mabuzo
Save the Children Sweden

Citation: Swart, Jeanne, Jill Kruger, and Nondumiso Mabuzo. To Take Pride in the Place We Come From' Report on Training Workshop for Adults in Emthanjeni on Working in a Participatory Way with Children to Attain Their Environmental Rights and Participatory Workshops for Children in Emthanjeni for Children Concerning Their Environmental Awareness. Save the Children (2003). Republished with permission in Children, Youth and Environments 13(2), 2003. Retrieved [date] from http://cye.colorado.edu

Executive Summary

1. Project Origins

The notion of a Children and Environment project was originated by Mr Jörgen Arinell of Karlstad, Sweden and located within a twinning agreement between Karlstad and De Aar through the Agenda 21 programme. The feasibility of the project was assessed in 2002 by Mr Arinell together with a representative from Save the Children Sweden, the Regional Plan of Action for Children (RPA), the regional Agenda 21 co-ordinator, and other stakeholders. The RPA formed a Steering Committee which drew up a project proposal and Save the Children Sweden approved finance for the project early in 2003.

2. Project Objectives and Aims

2.1 Objectives

• to give selected adults, such as municipal officials, teachers, RPA members, and children, insight into children's rights in the environment;
• to enable children to evaluate their local environment through participatory processes (in accordance with Articles 12 and 13 of the CRC);
• through meeting the above objectives, to initiate child participation in the Emthanjeni Municipality.

2.2 Aims

• to create workshops for adults at which they would be trained

~ in understanding children's rights, and

~ in how to work in a participatory way with children.

• to create participatory workshops for children at which they would

~ begin to grasp the principles of children's rights in the environment

~ explore their environmental rights

~ identify their foremost environmental needs and difficulties

~ formulate their ideas and dreams

~ identify environmental improvement projects for their area

3. Workshops

Workshops were custom-designed for adults and children. The project closed with a presentation by the children to parents, local officials and members of the community

3.1 Adult training workshops

The workshops for adults were all in the form of training workshops.

3.1.1 Training in children's environmental rights

A two-day training workshop in children's environmental rights was held.

The first day enabled adults to gain an experiential awareness of the environment akin to that of children. This facilitated their understanding of children's rights in the environment.

The second day enabled adults to reflect on the environmental experiences of children in De Aar, bearing in mind the insights which they had acquired on the previous day.

3.1.2 Training in children's participation

Each children's workshop was preceded by an adult facilitators' workshop, to train adults drawn from the environmental workshops (described above in 3.1.1), in participatory research with children.

This training would capacitate local adults who had not previously worked in a participatory way with children, to gain the skills to do so, and to use their new skills in the future. Following training with direct facilitation, would be the best means of consolidating the training.

3.2 Children's workshops

Three workshops were held for children. They followed immediately on the adult training workshops (described above in 3.1.2).

3.2.1 Attendance and outline

Children's Workshop 1: 24 girls, 26 boys

Children's Workshop 2: 26 girls, 26 boys

Elected Children's Presentation Workshop: 13 girls, 13 boys

Equal numbers of boys and girls attended the second and third workshop, but not the first. They were from De Aar, Britstown and Hanover. Selection was undertaken locally by the Agenda 21 Co-ordinator in collaboration with local schools.

The first two workshops were each one day long but were replicated so as to accommodate all the children who needed to attend. Thus, workshop one was held on 19 March and replicated on 20 March, and workshop two was held on 10 April and replicated on 11 April.

During workshop two, the children elected peers who would make a public presentation no their behalf. On day one of workshop three, the elected children worked on their presentations and the next day the presentations were made.

3.2.2 Process

Children worked in small groups, with two facilitators per group, and used drawings, discussions, plenary presentations and two reasoning games ( shades - adapted from De Bono, and dilemma-dilemma ).

Children in the third workshop also used disposable cameras to photograph locations in their environment and one group developed a dramatic role-play.

At the end of the project, children prepared their own version of a project report which is reproduced in the body of the project report.

4. Data Analysis

Initial readings of children's output revealed greater concerns with the Brown Environment (such as littering) than with the green and social environments. When the issues presented for each of the three environments were more finely analysed, however, and the key issues in each environment were identified, it became clear that concerns about the Green Environment (such as desires for trees to climb) were far stronger than revealed by the broad analysis of data.

Analysis of the key issues also opened up awareness of the children's concern with their social environment and this environment became one of major concern for the children in workshop three.

5. Children's Proposed Projects

Because girls and boys often have different priorities, they worked on proposed projects for implementation in separate gender groups. They identified a number of areas they would like to have improved in their daily living areas, and then prioritized and refined them. All of their projects would require the support and assistance of adults for realisation.

5.1 Girls' environmental project

The key issue for girls was their abuse in school settings. They felt that the school as a daily environment should be made safe and conducive to their learning. They saw their need for action in this sphere as more urgent than any of their other environmental needs. They were anxious about the implementation of a project to address this need and did not want any adult in the school setting to be victimised in turn not did they feel that confrontation would be productive.

Restoration of Children's Rights in School Situations

This project was felt to be important because:

• It would change teachers' behaviour towards children
• Even girls could become eager to go to school.
• Teachers would be informed about children's rights and will act accordingly.

Requirements: In order to work well:

• Children should get parents to become involved with teachers.
• Peer education and mobilization would create a stronger voice.
• Workshops for teachers, could train them in understanding children's rights, so that they could help children to understand their rights in turn, rather than attacking them.
• Adults could help children to write letters to appropriate authorities about abusive situations in schools, e.g. to the police and children's representatives in government.
• There could be a door-to-door petition campaign
• Ways should be found to get teachers to support children
• Cameras in classrooms would let teachers know that they were under surveillance; even teachers who did not agree with this would have to behave better.

Problems identified:

• Teachers might resign and leave children without educators.
• Teachers could feel threatened and blame the children for bringing police into schools, making things worse for children in the short-term, as fights could break out.

5.2 Boys' environmental projects

Boys identified two key projects. Both were related to improving the quality of life of children in the area, one with regard to nutrition and the other with regard to recreation and learning through play.

‘Green Fingers' Gardening Club

This project was felt to be important because:

• Healthy food is necessary for a healthy body, and to be able to grow your own food means that you can sustain yourself.
• It was considered important to plant trees as well as fruits and vegetables.
• The children growing the food could take it home to their families and eat it to stay healthy.
• Young trees grown from seed could be given to people who need them, planted out by the municipality, or used to start a small business.

Requirements: In order to work well:

• It must be children who own and work in the gardens, and adults must not be allowed to take over.

Problems identified:

• Water is scarce and could be expensive
• Gardening is hard work, so there would have to be enough children involved that no-one had to do more than they could manage.

‘Toy Club'

This project was felt to be important because:

• Many children in Emthanjeni have very little access to toys.
• Children need the stimulation provided by a variety of toys.
• Toys help to make children happy.
• It will help children learn to share rather than be possessive.
• It would improve children's behaviour because it was felt that when children don't have toys they are naughty and do things they should not do. Toys keep them busy and help to prevent them getting frustrated and bored.
• The toy club could have a party at Christmas time and invite a comedian.

Requirements: In order to work well:

• All ways of getting toys must be used: donation of outgrown toys, broken toys must be repaired and recycled, new toys should be donated.
• A ‘president' or other trained person should decide which children would use which toys and would keep track of usage so that biased adults could not give toys to children in a way that was unfair.
• There would need to be a lot of children involved, and parents would need to participate.
• There would have to be security guards.
• A committee would be needed to run it properly.

Problems identified:

• Children should not spend so much time on the toy club that they stop studying.
• Toys could distract children.

5.3 Girls' “improve participation” projects

Girls proposed five projects to improve participation. Details concerning practicalities of implementation are spelt out in the Report.

• Make information on children's rights available to all adults in the form of a booklet
• Establish a children's forum
• A local newspaper should carry articles on children's issues and articles written by children for children
• Children to have their own newspaper
• Establish a junior/youth council where councilors are children, elected by their peers

5.4 Boys' “improve participation” projects

Boys had fewer suggestions for improved participation but they clustered heavily in the groups for discussion of how to take participation forward, choosing this option all others that they might have chosen for the day.

• It must be made easier for children to talk to police
• It must be made easier for children to talk to social workers
• There need to discussion groups that are for children only, and where children can elect their own representatives

6. Evaluation

The project was evaluated in a number of ways.

6.1 Process

An independent observer was contracted for part of the process but could not be present at every workshop. She was not present at the first adults' training workshop but undertook interviews with participants retrospectively. She was present for the first and third children's workshops but unable to attend the second workshop. Due to a dearth of Xhosa-speaking facilitators for the children's workshops she was drawn into translation and facilitation, especially in the third children's workshop. Critical outsider observation was, therefore, inconsistent.

A progress meeting was held between key stakeholders when the first children's workshop ended and the children evaluated the project, using an evaluation form provided.

6.2 Findings

There were logistical problems in De Aar with regard to ensuring that sufficient facilitators were available and that they would be freed from their usual jobs for the full period required for each workshop. As a result some were not trained fully and there were a number who came in late to the children's workshops. The children found this disruptive. Nevertheless, the goodwill and commitment on the part of all those who facilitated, is to be commended and they all maintain that they learned a great deal about children's rights and about working in a participatory way with children.

The lack of sufficient facilitators meant that Save the Children Sweden personnel helped out with facilitation and so did the contracted observer. This was generous, but the intention had been to facilitate skills in the local community. The time required for adults to take part in the workshops was not excessive. By not releasing individuals for the training and children's workshops, certain local organizations failed to recognize and take full advantage of this unusual opportunity to enrich their community.

A major problem was the insufficient provision of Xhosa-speaking facilitators for the children. It led to the children who spoke isiXhosa, sometimes having to cluster in a group instead of being free to intermingle according to interest and inclination.

There were sometimes difficulties with regard to other logistics but these difficulties were not, however, insurmountable, and the organizations that provided the services were generous in attempting to ensure that all ran smoothly.

In so far as the workshop programmes were concerned, the adults were entranced by the training workshop in children's environmental rights. They struggled somewhat with the training for the participatory workshops, since entering a field entirely new to them and having to drop their habits of interacting in an authoritative way with children. In time, everyone relaxed and after the first day of working with the children, the adults became much more comfortable. At first, men were more reticent in the workshops about becoming fully involved. Once they were with the children, their reserve disappeared. Some of the adults had difficulties with certain of the activities for working with the children and did not manage to master them in the very short space of time allocated for training.

The children worked in small groups of six to eight, with two facilitators and sometimes three (when a Xhosa-speaker was called in) to a group. They brainstormed ideas before discussion to prioritise them, learned new icebreakers and games, and introduced their own. They took the workshops seriously. They struggled when the facilitators struggled, as for instance, when one facilitator forgot to start the day by asking them how they would like to set guidelines for the day's activities; when another forgot to explain an important part of the game dilemma-dilemma , and so on. And they struggled most with regard to translation. Children who did not need the translation felt that the translator might be telling the other children something new and that they were being left out and when translation was in process, activities took very long since everything had to be explained twice. This is a major problem in work with children in African countries – so many language groups must be accommodated. If the children are divided according to language, then they cannot choose interest or ability groupings.

The children's evaluations were summarized in graph form and are overwhelmingly positive. They found workshops primarily a good learning experience, fun, stimulating, happy and challenging. Games and meals scored high on their enjoyment list. Their main negative response related to the meals – exactly half of the children scored them positively and the other half negatively. Their other main negative view related to what they perceived as the periodic non-cooperation of other children. They itemized this in various ways: co-operation/participation, behaviour, and teamwork.

7. Implementation

The process of working with the children and the community in improving their environment now awaits attention. This is a critical phase in any participatory initiative with children. When children are drawn together and their views are sought, with the serious intention of improving their living environments, they quickly trust to the process implicitly. Children appear to retain this core of trust in adults despite the fact that so many of then have ample previous experience of the duplicity of adults.

Any participation programme to improve living environments in Emthanjeni will require time and energy. Initiatives have already been undertaken, however, and the spirit to drive the participatory process is present. There are many areas for improvement mentioned by the children in this report – but which they did not prioritise – and which only adults have the capacity to address (such as the provision of street lights). The children's main recommendations require partnerships between themselves and the wider community, together with input from other professionals. This hard, but exciting work, awaits the children and community of Emthanjeni and their partners in Karlstad.