Resources

This article discusses CARE's experiences with involving youth through participatory research on sexual and reproductive health in Zambia. The research findings indicate that adolescents have incomplete, inaccurate and distorted information on sex and reproduction. CARE acted on the findings and implements adolescent and sexual health programmes in shanty towns. The authors opine that adolescent sexual behaviour has serious implications and there is a need for extensive interventions.

The paper discusses the use and usefulness of participatory approaches in the work of Save the Children Fund (SCF). It asks how PRA can be used effectively by SCF when the nature of its work means it is unlikely to be involved purely as a facilitator in a community development process. Areas where PRA has proved useful are research, training and awareness, and participatory monitoring and evaluation. It is suggested that the awareness and skills of a growing number of staff members will gradually increase SCFs capacity to use PRA. Participatory methods are also seen as having a useful role to play in turning SCF into a more child-focused agency, and in helping to develop partnerships between SCF, local communities and partner organisations.

This article describes the evaluation of a reproductive health project in which the external evaluator's main role was to identify the project's information gaps and to propose an evaluation methodology. The Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project has been working with secondary school students in Zimbabwe since 1997, and in 1998 produced a reproductive health pack called "Auntie Stella". This evaluation took place a year later. The article describes the methodologies used (which included a logical framework and questionnaires), the positive qualities of the evaluation, to what extent the evaluation was participatory, how the concept of defection worked, and issues around affordability and shortcuts. It finishes with comments from the staff "with hindsight", and conclusions.

With a few exceptional cases, children are excluded from municipal planning, and adults represent their needs. Yet involving children makes sense: children have the greatest stake in the future, and involvement helps to develop a sense of place and home, which they are more likely to care for. They also tend to have a more objective assessment of what matters, based on the value of the place itself, in contrast to the more commodity or resource-led values held by adults. This paper reports a participatory planning case involving children in municipal master planning in a fast growing tourism region of S.W. Turkey, the Bodrum Peninsula. Working with the Yali Municipality, students from the University of Colarado looked at how the growth of an area in the name of job creation and a better standard of living affects the essence of the place itself, and how many values are lost. The students used participatory photography to involve the children in this study and the paper explains how they did this. First it looks at the principles and methods of participatory photography, then goes on to examine the childrenÆs places and values, including those of aesthetic value, villages and homes, water features, the public realm, play places, work places, endangered species etc. Lastly it describes how the childrenÆs photographs and stories were displayed along with the studentsÆ own analyses and recommendations at a gathering of residents, city council members, and local professionals. Most of all, it was the childrenÆs photos that enabled the audience to make connections and understand the proposals.

This book is aimed at anyone who wishes to consult or involve children and young people in any setting. The first part sets the scene of what this book is about and the definitions and background to participation. The second part outlines the values underpinning the work, of co-operation, participation, inclusion and involvement. It raises issues to consider, such as, why involve children and young people, what the children and young people will get out of it, questions around resource limitations, and who should be involved. It also gives some hints about planning and running a session, and provides a trouble shooting guide to potential problems. The third section gives a toolkit of starting activities, information gathering and promoting discussion exercises, and other examples. The fourth section gives ideas for your own programmes and methods.