Our vision of a world that protects the rights of children can only become reality when people have the commitment and capacity to uphold children’s rights. One of the ways we are working to make this real is to build competence, capabilities and aptitudes of peoples and institutions on children’s rights and childhood studies. |
Through our capacity building programs we have reached parents, social workers, teachers, NGO practitioners, policemen, researchers, and other similar key stakeholders. But more importantly, we have also reached out to children to make them more aware of their rights and to build their capacities to demand for their human rights.
Our capacity building work encompasses five domains: children’s rights training, disaster management and preparation, biopsychosocial help, peace education, and child-centered research methods.
Childhood and Children’s Rights Training
In the area of children’s rights, we conduct training to raise people’s awareness, including children, on children’s issues and children’s rights. The trainings are geared to improve policies and practices that affect children. Plans are also underway to offer short courses on childhood and children’s rights with focus on the synergy of both theory and practice. This is to enhance people’s understanding of childhood and children’s issues and to help them become competent advocates of children’s rights.
Disaster Management and Preparation
In our work with communities affected by natural disasters and armed conflict, we are guided by a psychosocial approach that recognizes and strengthens local resilience and capacities. We help build people’s (and children’s) capacities to facilitate psychosocial recovery from disasters or armed conflict and strengthen communities’ capacity to face challenges in the future. In the recent past, we have conducted psychosocial assessment missions in Dingalan (Quezon), Guinsaugon (Southern Leyte) and Albay Province and delivered trainings and lent assistance to different areas in the country that have been devastated by disasters.
Biospsychosocial Help
Our team of social workers and psychologists trains social workers, teachers, parents, and other caregivers in the biospsychosocial care of children in need of special protection. These trainings are also geared to boost skills and competence of caregivers in training other people involved in work for children.
Peace Education
Our project with the British Embassy and the Notre Dame University of Cotabato where we wrote a Manual on teaching peace has brought us to Cotabato to train teachers in integrating peace education into the grade school and high school curriculums. The training consisted of exposing teachers to theoretical and substantive handles in teaching peace as well as demonstrating activities they can use in the classroom.
Child-Centered Research Methods
As a children’s rights-based organization, our research methods are naturally child-centered which means that there is recognition and appreciation of children’s capacities in forming their own views and participating in matters that affect them. Our methods also make use of child-friendly activities involving games, art activities, and other creative and participatory processes that take care to consider the developmental age, gender, and cultural contexts of children. Part of our commitment is to share these methods to researchers and other practitioners doing work with children through research trainings and seminars. |
