1. Let’s ask the kids!
Consultation with children and young people for the MFS2 Proposal: “Conn@ct.Now!”
Objectives of the Consultation Meeting
Promote children’s and youth’s participation in forming projects that will affect them and their
communities; in this case, taking into account children’s and youths’ ideas, suggestions and
opinions, on “how media and information and communication technologies tools can have an
impact on their lives; especially on their education, protection, and psychosocial wellbeing.”
Results expected from the meeting with the children and youth are;
Gathering information on:
1. The ideas, suggestions, and opinions of children and youth (boys and girls) about how
ICTs and Media can improve access to informal and formal education.
2. The ideas, suggestions, and opinions of children and youth (boys and girls) about how
ICTs and media can contribute to improve the prevention of and response to
violence and abuse.
3. The ideas, suggestions, and opinions of children and youth (boys and girls) about how
ICTs and media can improve their psychosocial well being.
General information about the consultation meeting:
Number of participants: between 10 and 15 participants per group (boys, girls and youth in and
out of school).
Total number of groups: min. 4 and max 8 groups
Length of the meeting: 2 hours max
Each group of boys, girls and youth will be accompanied by:
o One (1) meeting facilitator with experience in working with children and young people
o One (1) reporter (to take notes and observe the development of the meeting)
o One (1) or 2 meeting observers (optional)
Take into account:
- Ensure children and youth of various ages, genders, background, educational levels and conflict
experiences are invited to join the meeting and given the option to accept or turn down the
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2. invitation. Children and young people should have time to think about being involved and
invitations should be given a week prior to the consultation. Minors will need to obtain consent
from their parents or caregivers in order to participate (for WPA to judge whether this is required).
- The necessity of informing children and youth about the purpose and main goal of the meeting
and obtaining their consent to participate. Make sure no false expectations are created in the
group of children and young people by explaining carefully the purpose of the meeting and steps
that will follow after the consultation.
What to tell the children / youth?
We invite you to participate in a meeting about how things like the radio, telephones, computers
and the internet are important in your lives. We would like to especially talk about how these
things can help children learn, feel safe and be happy. We will ask you to share your ideas, opinions
and experiences. You will not get anything for participating but your ideas will help us create new
programs to help many children.
- All people involved in the consultation must sign the WCH child safety policy before participating
in this consultation meeting with boys, girls and youths. Child friendly versions of the child safety
policy will be visibly posted in the consultation rooms.
- Upon finishing the meeting the reporter will present the participants with a summary of the data
that was collected, so that the boys, girls and youth can add or remove information.
- Identity of children and youth must remain confidential in publications and limited to those
directly involved in the consultation.
- In case picture material is desired for publication informed consent must be obtained from the
child(ren) and their parents or caregivers if the child is 18 or below.
List of facilitator competencies
o Ability to deal with emotional response of children,
o Can mediate disagreement between children,
o Can explain protection, psychosocial support and education concepts in an
understandable and accessible way to children
o Has experience in the use of ICT and Media tools for and with children and youth
o Is committed and familiar with children living in post conflict areas
o Respects the rights of the children and adolescents
o Shows reliability and discretion
o Is able to listen to children, understands them
o Provides participation opportunities in decision making for the good of all
o Provides safety
o Is dynamic kind and happy
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3. Sample Consultation Plan and methodology used
Time Activity Remarks
9:00am Welcome and getting to know each other. Each participant and the
facilitators writes his/her name
on masking tape and puts it
somewhere visible
9:10am Brief getting-to-know round. Steps activity 2.
1) Each participant presents himself or herself, Step 1. Get the children to stand in a
saying their name and briefly responding to for circle and say ‘Let’s start with a game to
warm up’.
example : Giving his/her name and saying what it
is they like to do the most Step 2. Step forward with a particular
sound and movement (for example say
!! Don’t forget to begin with an example “Helloooo” with a happy voice and
gesture).
2) In order to break the ice and bring energy to the Step 3. Ask the whole group to imitate
meeting, the following activity is proposed: exactly what you just did.
A round of names with emotion
Step 4. Continue making different sounds
and movements using different emotions
that the group can imitate. For example
you can say hello in a 100 different ways,
such as angry, sad, proud, afraid, hopeful,
loud voice, small voice, etc. The more
sounds and movements you make, the
more you stimulate expression and
imagination within the group.
Step 5. When the group gets the idea ask
(different) children help in doing a round.
9:20am Brief explanation given to the participant’s Emphasize the importance of
information about the objectives (reason) of the children’s opinions in the
meeting. formulation of projects that will
affect them and ask children why
Sample text: they think their contribution is
important.
We invite you to participate in a meeting about
how things like the radio, telephones, computers Explain that it may be possible
and the internet are important in your lives. We that they will not benefit directly
from the project, but their voices
would like to especially talk about how these
represent the voices of the
things can help children learn, feel safe and be children in the country. Adults
happy. We will ask you to share your ideas, and children should collaborate
opinions and experiences. You will not get to build up a project that reach
anything for participating but your ideas will help needs and interest of the children
us create new programs to help many children. in Northern Uganda
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4. The 3 THEMES will be discussed in separate groups!!
Protection
9:25 Protection of Children and young people rights Step 1: The facilitator explains to the
participants how the activity will be
Questions that could help to animate the carried out: Together we are going to
discussion: make a map representing our
community (neighbourhood).
a) Where does this child (point to the cut- Step 2: Ask the participants to think
out) feel safe in the community? Why or of the important places in their
why not? communities: i.e. their house,
b) Where does the child feel nervous, church, garden/field, school, forest,
worried or scared? Why or why not? football field, market place, shops
c) What can this child do if s/he is in a place etc. (list those on a flipchart)
feeling unsafe? Where can s/he go to feel
safe? To whom can s/he ask for help or Step 3: assign children to draw the
talk to? different places that were listed.
d) What should s/he do so that s/he doesn’t
Step 4. stick large sheets of flipcharts
feel this way again? together. (enough to all be around it)
e) What can other people in the community
do to help her or keep the situation from Step 5: in the space available use the
happening again? drawings to map it out the
f) What will help you to do this? community with the participants.
Step 6: Using a cut-out representing
a child, ask the questions to the
group. Ensure that a variety of
children responds to each question
or ask all of the children to draw
their answers..?
Duration: a maximum of 35
minutes
Education
a) Do all of the children you know have Step 1: The facilitator explains to the
access to the school? participants how the activity will be
b) What do you think are the obstacles carried out.
children have to overcome to go to
Step 2: Stick large sheets of flipchart
school?
together. (enough for everyone to be
c) How can we draw the problems we have in around it)
Uganda regarding education? What are
the strengths and main challenges in Step 3: On the flip chart volunteers
relation to access to education? can draw a school.
d) And those children who have access to the
school, what kind of difficulties do they Step 4: Ask the questions to the
face? group… and encourage participants
e) What do you think you can do to change to draw, represent their answers on
this situation? What actions should be the drawing.
taken by you, and what actions should be
For example; draw out of the school a
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5. taken by adults? group children not going to school.
f) What can help you to make your school
better, nicer
g) What can you do to help other children Duration: a maximum of 35
learn? minutes
h) What do you not like about school and
how can this be changed?
Psychosocial Support
a) What makes you happy / sad? First questions could be related to
b) What do you do when you are angry or earlier played game (emotion game).
sad? Start with asking for example: what
emotions did you see in the game…
c) How do you get along with friends, what Step 0. Divide the children over 3 groups
would you like to improve? (or 4). Explain that each group makes a
d) How do you get along with your parents/ drawing of the friends and family of one
caretakers/family what would you like to of the participants. Ask who wants to
improve? volunteer in his/her group, and appoint
e) What can you do to help other children to someone in each group.
be happier?
Step 1. Give each group a piece of paper
f) What are your hopes and plans for the and pencils or crayons.
future?
g) What do you need to make those plans Step 2. Ask each group to draw a circle in
the middle of the paper. This circle is to
come through?
represent the volunteer, so they can
h) What should be changed in your school or
write his/her name or draw him/herself
community to make the place nicer for
inside this circle.
children? What can you do about this?
Step 3. Now let the children ask the
volunteer to think of the most important
children and adults in his/her life (for
example friends, classmates, brothers,
sisters, neighbours, mother, father,
uncle, teacher, grandmother etc).
Ask them to draw a circle for each child
and adult and to fill in the circles with the
names or titles of the children and
adults).Tell them to draw the circles for
the ones most important to them, closest
to themselves in the center and draw the
circles for those people they are less
close to further away from the center.
Step 4. Ask the volunteer to draw lines
between their own circle and the others
on the ‘map’, and to give signs to the
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6. people he/she has put on his/her map.
The lines and signs should show how
they feel about that particular
relationship: strong/not strong,
supportive/un-supportive,
loving/problematic, etc.
 They can use a thick line for a
close relationship and a thin
line for a (less good) bad
relationship.
 They can use a dotted line if the
relationship is unpredictable or
continually changing.
 They can use a heart sign for a
loving relationship.
 They can use a lightning sign for
a relationship that scares them
or that they feel uncomfortable
with.
Can the Group also discuss: if they have
problems with a friend, what types of
problems? If they have a problem with a
caregiver, what type of problems? What
makes them happy about their friends?
What makes them happy about their
relation with their parents/those who
take care of them?
Step 5. Now let group present their
picture – explaining their map to each
other, looking at similarities and
differences.
Duration: a maximum of 35
minutes
From here all the groups follow same steps again!
10:00 Quickly ask the participants what they know about Step 1: Show to the group of
and when they use the following tools children the image of the tools one
by one.
1) Photography/camera
Step 2:
2) Internet
1. Ask the children / youth if they
3) Radio know the different tools?
4) SMS
5) Help lines (phones) 2. What is it used for?
6) Computers
7) Videos (film) 3. Do they use it or not?
4. What do they use it for and where
Use the pictures ICONS (Annex 1: attached) do they use it?
5. If they don’t use it what do they
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7. think it can be used for.
6. Would they like to use if for
something, for what and where do
they want to use it?
Step 3:
Ask participants that if they have
the power to use each one of the
It is important that the reporter clearly notes tools to improve the situation in
proposals put forth by the boys and girls for their lives in terms of education,
making use of the tools. social well being, protection
(depending on what issue the group
discussed) what would they do?
(if its needed you may give an
example but avoid putting
words/ideas in the mouths of chidren
as its THEIR consultation!)
Step 4
Voting for the most promising/liked
tool by raising hands.
It is important that the reporter
clearly notes proposals put forth
by the boys and girls for making
use of the tools.
10:40 The reporter(s) present their notes on what the Don’t forget to ask the
children / youth mentioned in regards to: participants if they would like to
1) The problematic situation with respect to add something and if they agree
the topic that is discussed. with the conclusions made by the
2) Knowledge and use of ICT and Media tools reporter.
by the participants.
3) How the ICTs can serve as a useful tool so
that they can help to change the
problematic situation.
10:50 GOODBYE GAME Cheer it up Game: Cheer it up
Step 1. Stand in a circle and tell the
group you would like them to
express how they are feeling at this
moment, right now.
Step 2. Ask them to show what they
are feeling through an action and a
sound.
Step 3. Each person in the circle will
step into the circle one-by-one and
make a movement and a sound
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8. expressing their feeling.
Step 4.Last you go all inside the circle
and do a cheer.
11:00 END Thank the participants and tell
them that their input is of great
value and importance to
developing new projects for
children and young people in
Uganda.
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