"I felt chosen," "I felt happy and full of knowledge," "I felt excited as I found ways to deal with more drastic potential problems that I will face in the future": These are just a few of the comments from children and young people about how they felt when we included their own voices in our program to prevent abuse and neglect in sports and entertainment environments.
20 November is a day of celebration and of a reminder of the rights of the child. At Terre des hommes Hellas we choose this year to celebrate it by bringing to the forefront a right that is often ignored even by people and institutions with the best intentions: the right of the child to participate in decisions that concern him, the right to make his voice and opinion heard.
In our program for the prevention of abuse and neglect in sports and entertainment environments (Keeping Children Safe in Sports / KCSS) - as in our other programs - children themselves play a central role at all stages. Recently we held a meeting of children and young people - members of the Advisory Committee of our program. This Committee consists of 14 young people with long experience in children's camps. They are groups or communes coming from 4 different camps (Thassos, Chalkidiki, Pelion, Corinth).
During these two days, the members of the committee offered feedback in relation to the Children's Activities Guide developed by Terre des hommes in the framework of this program, together with the international team of scientific advisors, suggesting ways in which the content and methodology of the Guide can be better adapted to the realities of the children at the camps, as well as the needs of the executives who frame the children.
They also had the opportunity to familiarize themselves with basic concepts for Child Protection and Child Safeguarding,thus enriching their own toolkit with concepts and activities that they will be able to refer to when they are back in their camps. "I came expecting something different," a young girl told us, "I thought the content of the Guide would be completely theoretical and we would be tired. But everything became interactive, through games and activities." Another child told us:"We learned new information about Child Protection and Child Safeguarding. I understand their commonalities and differences better now, education gives tools and knowledge to be able to better manage groups of children."
The right of children and young people to have their voices heard is particularly important for girls, since they are most affected by gender inequalities and gender-based violence. This is what Leda Avgousti, head of Terre des hommes Hellas, states, adding:"We feel it is our duty to support them in order to participate in decisions and in the creation of tools, protocols and policies that concern them. This is what we have chosen to do at Terre des hommes, through the Youth Advisory Committees and other channels and platforms."
The Youth Advisory Committee plays a central role in the work of KCSS and contributes in an important way to decision-making. The children's meetings take place every 3 months, depending on the stages and needs of the program. But what do these young people - aged 17 to 19 - offer to the programme?
As an advisory body, the Commission feeds feedback on the educational material to be produced for the various training seminars(e.g. materials for children): Is it relevant? Is it understandable? Does it concern and cover all children who will be in a camp or sports club? On the other hand, children give their opinion on safeguarding their rights in camps and sports clubs.
But are there any benefits for the members of the committee themselves? The coordinator of the program in Greece, Maria Athanatsiki,points out that the benefits are many and concern the following areas:
Networking:Meet other young people with similar activities and interests
Methodological skills:They practice how to make a presentation, how to give feedback through arguments, how to defend their opinion, how to collaborate in groups for the benefit of a common purpose...
Practical participation in safeguarding children's rights:Their experience and perspectives are used to make the various aspects of the program more relevant to the realities of children in the camp
New knowledge: Acquire new knowledge and tools for the management of groups of children, as well as for child protection and safeguarding issues
*The project "Keeping Children Safe in Sports" is coordinated by Tdh's Budapest office and implemented by our office in Greece and Romania, with the support of the EU's "Rights, Equality and Citizenship" Programme.