... by Ravi, S.K. ActionAid India ravi.sk@actionaid.org
A meeting on the Child Rights and Empowerment for social Transformation (CREST) was held in London between 6th and 10th September 2010. If there is anything like a collage of serious discussion, hard-work, high quality professional facilitation of the process; and sharing of knowledge, experience, ideas, insights and laughter – all at one place I think it was in the CREST meeting .
What is CREST?
Child Rights and Empowerment for social Transformation (CREST) is an initiative of Africa Regional programs of ActionAid. It was piloted with a view to facilitate children’s participation in programs and also address rights of children in all policy and program operation of ActionAid. Reason being that children and youth are integral part of poor people we work with. Their participation and issues cannot be missed out in ActionAid’s work – towards getting the constituency of children in the mainstay of fight against poverty and injustice. Issues of rights and entitlement of children cannot just be limited to being seen as cross cutting but it also has to be central to our work. CREST was thus a field test to evolve a framework for working with children. A framework that will talk about Action Aid’s commitment to children, its politics and position for engaging with their rights and engaging them in a meaningfully way to provide complete scope for their empowerment.
Why was this meeting? Over the last ten months CREST has gained experience, initial understanding to develop further a framework for working with children and engaging them in AAI work.
Who all took part? Azuka Menkiti (Lead Education, Nigeria), Dorothy Konadu (Lead Education, Ghana), Elizabeth Nakiboneka (Lead Education, Uganda), Jane Sander (Trustee, AA UK), Julie Juma (Lead Education Malawi), Mike Thiedke (Head of Sponsorship, London), Patricia Cassidy (Junior project assistant, sponsorship program, London), Ravi, S.K. (Program Officer Education and Child Rights and National Coordinator DRRS, India), Saer Sy (Sponsorship Program Manager, Senegal), Tsitsi Choruma (Country Director, Zimbabwe and Lead Education for Africa), Victorine Kemenou Djitrinou (International Education Campaigns Coordinator).
The group largely consisted of education practitioners from across the country programs of AAI.
The meeting was facilitated very effectively by Carrie Pat a consultant on participatory workshop from South Africa.
What happened? The meeting began by understanding milestones of CREST since inception. The germination of idea of CREST, Concept, Strategies, Goals and Purpose for working with children and their rights; and stages in piloting in different African Country programs were discussed. Lessons were drawn from the experience and a framework for working with children was evolved.
The findings of the Child and Youth mapping was shared and this helped to identify best strategies, practices, perspectives, case studies and gaps in national work with children and youth.
CREST Framework: This consists of perspectives, vision, principles for work with children, principles for CREST, Goals and Objectives for CREST, Operational Guidance; and Tools and Technique.
Sharing of Resources: Best Practices, Information on Expertise in Child Rights, Methodologies for working with children etc: Case studies, information on research, models, methodologies for working with children, community and children mobilization for addressing child rights, expertise on child participation, advocacy and policy work etc. So that these resources.
Presentation of the CREST Framework to the International Directors, Governing Boards of ActionAid – (Global and National). The Framework of CREST was presented to the International Directors and Heads of Units consisting of: – Adriano Campolino, Ann Jellema, Chris Kinyanu, David Archer, Tennyson Williams and George. This was done with a view to also feed into the International Strategy Review, so that the importance of working with children is recognized in a deeper way.
Final Framework: The child and youth group of ActionAid as well as select representatives of the CREST will finalize the framework by 20th October 2010.
Future Action: A team consisting of Victorine, Debdutt Panda, Viet Anh and Ravi S.K. and others will contribute to evolving next steps for the CREST in Asia. In Africa colleagues have planned a workshop in the first quarter of 2011.
A power point presentation on CREST Framework and a draft report of the meetings are available now for dissemination.
The meeting in true sense meant business – fun – building bonds and camaraderie.
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