Creating a Safer World Resource

"There is a difference between acknowledging the importance of child rights and protection issues, and being able to transfer this knowledge and awareness into practice."

The organisation Right To Play designs and develops programme resources, including this Creating a Safer World Resource - consisting of 3 separate but interconnected parts - that draw on the use of sport and play as a tool for learning in the area of child rights and protection. Right to Play partners with Ministries of Education to promote policy change, curriculum development, and teacher training with a focus on 4 development impact areas: basic education and child development, health promotion and disease prevention, conflict resolution and peace education, and community development.

Amongst its other activities, Right to Play conducts participatory training workshops that: (i) promote experiential learning and holistic development using sport and play, games, and activities; (ii) emphasise the Reflect-Connect-Apply learning methodology, which allows learners to examine their experiences, relate those experiences to what they already know, and apply the learning in their daily lives; and (iii) promote inclusion of children who may be marginalised for reasons of gender, religion, ability, ethnicity, disability, or social background.

Three manuals have been designed to support the implementation of the Creating a Safer World Workshop, which introduces ideas of child active participation in decision-making in the home, school and community. Together these manuals are called the Creating a Safer World Resource and include:

1. Creating a Safer World: Child Rights, Participation, and Protection Trainer Manual [432 pages]. This manual includes: an introductory chapter, a second chapter which details the steps involved in planning the workshop, and a third chapter which provides 10 sessions offering detailed instructions on how to lead the Creating a Safer World Workshop.
2. Creating a Safer World: Child Rights, Participation and Protection Participant Workbook [193 pages]. This manual includes sessions which parallel the ones in the Trainer Manual. Each session provides information for participants to read and reflect on during and after the workshop sessions, as well as an opportunity for participants to write down their thoughts, reflections, and action plans.
3. Creating a Safer World: Child Rights, Participation and Protection Play-based Learning Manual [276 pages]. This manual includes play-based learning activities for leaders/coaches/teachers to use with children to facilitate their learning about child rights and protection. The activities are separated into age categories of 8+ and 11+. Some strategies described in this resource for communicating with children include:
   • Develop activities with everyone in mind, including children and youth who are living with HIV, girls and boys, and children and youth living with disabilities.
   • Emphasise hope and action: "Too much fear can lead people to lose hope. Too much fear can also lead people to stop listening and 'switch off.' Focus on hope and what people can do to make positive healthy choices in their lives and communities."
   • Avoid activities that reinforce misconceptions or might lead to stigma - for example, an activity where a player is asked to step back because they have been discriminated against for being a girl. Such an activity "may reinforce the misconception that girls are of lesser importance than boys. If you do ask a girl to take a step back, make sure that all children understand that this is a rights violation and is not okay."
   • Focus on learning skills and attitudes that can lead to behaviour change. Do not focus solely on learning the facts related to children's rights, children's participation, child abuse and violence, and child protection.
   • Develop activities that are both physically and emotionally safe for all children participating.