Children Voices for Peaceful Future and Protective Environment

About

This manual, entitled “Children Voices for Peaceful Future and Protective Environment” was developed initially as a part of the Human Security interagency project by six UN agencies (UNDP, UNICEF, WFP, FAO, UNIDO and UNU) in 2009. The project aimed to enhance human security by developing local capacity for holistic community-based conflict prevention in Northern Ghana. Although the project ended in 2013, the National Commission for Civic Education in the three Northern regions continued to use the manual due to its relevance.

“Children Voices for Peaceful Future and Protective Environment” was developed to promote and provide a safe environment and peaceful co-existence for children in conflict-prone areas, as well as to enable children an opportunity to undertake peace-building/non-violence initiatives within and between their communities. It is designed with a particular focus on child participation and ensures that children’s voices are listened to and gives them an opportunity to express their reality of living in conflict zones. 

The manual emphasizes that children should be involved in discussions that relate to their lives. It further aims to build a protective environment for children through conversation on peace and conflict. It builds on existing peace-building manuals and other initiatives from Ghana and other countries and is fit for the Ghana context. The modules developed are also planned to be integrated and complement the recent child protection community facilitation manual and tool-kits.

Who is it for? Anyone who has an influence on children’s lives, and children. Most sessions can be used in both community and school settings. The modules are relevant for training community and children’s club facilitators, equipping them with knowledge, skills, attitudes and values needed to bring about behavioural change that will enable children, youth and adults to prevent conflict and violence. It also enables stakeholders to create the conditions conducive for their protection and provides the facilitation skills to implement the sessions with children in schools and the community. The emphasis of this training manual is on the practical actions which children can take to build peaceful and protective environments with the support of adults.

It is recommended for community-based child-focused organisations including government, NGOs, CBOs, FBOs and particularly facilitators of children and youth groups, to enrich and complement their repertoire of skills to create opportunities for children to be active participants in creating a peaceful and protective world for themselves and generations to come.