Child-to-child: A practical guide empowering children as active citizens

This guide, written by Sara Gibbs, Gillian Mann and Nicola Mathers, outlines the Child-to-Child (CtC) approach to health and community development that is led by children.

It describes the step-by-step process for implementing CtC and includes a range of tools and techniques for evaluation.

Excerpt

"Some of the intended results of the CtC approach:

• Children feel more able to tackle community problems
• Children feel better about themselves
• Children work better in groups
• Children know more about their chosen issue
• Children and adults communicate more openly with one another
• Children being more likely to speak out about issues of concern to them
• Children know more about resources and services that exist in their community
• The community being more open to listening and involving children
• Family and community respecting children’s ideas and capabilities" (Gibbs, Mann & Mathers 2002)

Contents

• Child-to-Child (CtC): What is it? 1
• Who is this Manual For? 3
• History of CtC 6
• Pillars of CtC 7
• Facilitation of CtC 10
• Overview of the 6 Steps of CtC 13
• Step 1: Group Work 17
• Step 2: Our ideas 22
• Step 3: Choose an Issue 26
• Step 4: Find Out More 32
• Step 5: Plan and Take Action 39
• Step 6: Think it Over 44
• What If’s… 49
• Tough Questions to ask Yourself 53
• Setting up a CtC Project 55
• Tools and Techniques for Evaluation 58
• Evaluation Tools 60
• Reflection Tools 68
• Games 71
• Reading List and Additional Resources 83
• Sample Lesson Plans 85