DIGNITY, BELONGING AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDRENDIGNITY, BELONGING AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT 2012- ... This

D I G N I T Y, B E L O N G I N G A N D J U S T I C E F O R C H I L D R E NANNUAL REPORT 2 0 1 2 - 2 0 1 3

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT

2012-2013

BOARD OF DIRECTORS CORE ADMINISTRATION DR. GORDON SMITH / DEPARTING CHAIR

MICHAEL KOHL / INTERIM CHAIR & TREASURER

SUCHA MORE / SECRETARY

DAWN CAMERON

JANE DEWING

SIMON JACKSON

DR. PHILIP COOK / EX-OFFICIO

DR. PHILIP COOK / ExECUTIVE DIRECTOR

SUzANNE WILLIAMS / DEPUTY LEGAL DIRECTOR

DR. STUART HART / DEPUTY DIRECTOR

CHRISTOPHER YEOMANS / PROGRAMS DIRECTOR

MICHELE COOK / CAPACITY DIRECTOR

RENéE LORMé-GULbRANDSEN / ADMINISTRATIVE DIRECTOR

SHARON GUENTHER / FINANCIAL OFFICER


PO bOX 8646 VICTORIA MAIN

VICTORIA, bRITISH COLUMbIA, CANADA I V8W 3S2

PHONE: (250) 361-3661 EXT 208 FAX: (250) 361-3665

EMAIL: [email protected] WEbSITE: www.iicrd.org

The International Institute for Child Rights and Development is a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the quality of life and development of vulnerable children around the globe. We are registered as a Canadian charity, BN # 860807866 RR0001. Our organization is partially funded by the generosity of individuals, companies, organizations, and foundations. Please contact the office if you would like to make a donation or work in partnership with the International Institute for Child Rights and Development.

2 I ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013

2012 - 2013ANNUAL REPORT

TABLE OF CONTENTS 4 Who We Are

5 What We Do

6 Message from the Executive Director

8 2012-2013 Highlights

9 Strengthening our Practice

11 Nenan Dane zaa Deh Zona Child and Family Services

13 Youth Gang Intervention and Mentorship Initiative

15 Child-Centered CommunityPlanning, Monitoring and Evaluation

17 Protecting Early Childhood from Violence in Colombia

19 Child Rights Education for Professionals

21 Off-Reserve Aboriginal Action Plan

23 Youth Gang Violence and Prevention Training Symposium

25 Youth, Governance, Peacebuilding, and the Role of Social Media

26 Wet’suwet’en Monitoring Framework

2 8 Committee on the Rights of the Child Accountability Technical Meeting

29 Child Protection in Development

30 Child-Centred Accountability and Protection Evaluation

32 Hear the Child

34 Creating bridges of Understanding with Children and Young People

41 Faces of IICRD

43 Acknowledgements

44 Partners in the Protection of Children

45 Supporters of IICRD and its Programs

46 Connect with Us

47 Publications

48 Make a Donation

OUR CORE MESSAGE:DIGNITY, BELONGING AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

WHO WE AREAs a non-profit organization based in Victoria, British Columbia,

Canada, we have created a community of shared purpose and

vision by building a unique hybrid organization focused on social

innovation with and for children.

OUR MISSIONTo build respect for children’s inherent human dignity, nurture

their sense of belonging, and reinforce justice at all levels

through implementation of strength-based approaches to

children’s rights.



WHAT WE DOLEAD wITH CHILDREN by engaging them as partners, along with their families and communities.

START FROM STRENGTHS by emphasizing individual strengths over weaknesses and community assets

over deficits. This empowers people and communities rather than encouraging dependency.

BUILD PARTNERSHIPS to expand our circle of support by putting children, their families and communities

at the centre of our work, while simultaneously establishing partnerships between the various sectors that

support children.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 5

WHERE WE WORKThe International Institute for Child Rights and Development

currently works in 26 countries around the world:

Canada (Global Headquarters - Victoria, British Columbia)ArgentinaBrazilCambodiaColombiaChileEthiopia

IndonesiaJamaicaKenyaLaos PDRParaguayPhilippinesRussia

South AfricaTanzaniaThailandTimor LesteTurkeyUganda

United States of AmericaUruguayVietnamzambia

MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTORThis year marks a significant turning point for IICRD as we depart from the

University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies to our downtown office and

strengthen our affiliation with Royal Roads University (RRU). The departure

from UVic, and the stepping down of Gordon Smith as Director of CFGS and as

our Chair, marks the end of an era for IICRD. We are grateful to the University for

serving as our institutional home for the past 19 years and to Gordon and CFGS

for offering us an intellectual home in which to explore and operationalize our

mission. Speaking as the Executive Director, I would especially like to honour

Gordon’s role in creating a vibrant “Centre of Centres” at CFGS in which IICRD

found fertile ground with kindred spirits working to bring thoughtfully applied

solutions to diverse global issues of development, sustainability, and human

security.

Our new collaboration with RRU offers us the exciting opportunity to partner

in developing and piloting a specialization entitled Child Protection and

Development (CPID) at the bachelors, masters, and doctoral levels. We believe

RRU’s strong global reputation in professional post secondary education will

support our vision to combine innovation in community based child protection

and well being, with the best of scholar/practitioner academic learning for

positive, child centred social justice.

Despite this year’s significant decrease in funding, we continue to make a

difference by “leading with children” both in regard to better understanding

children’s complex lived realities across the lifespan and diverse situations, and

promoting young people’s meaningful participation as leaders in strengthening

child protection systems and more generally as catalysts for broad social

transformation.

OUR MESSAGE TO YOU


D I G N I T Y, B E L O N G I N G A N D J U S T I C E F O R C H I L D R E N


HIGHLIGHTS FOR THE 2012 - 13 YEAR

3,168 The number of families and child professionals involved

in training and research during the 2012-13 year as a

result of our programming and partnerships

3,518 The number of children directly engaged as leaders in

promoting their basic rights during the 2012-13 year

117The numbers of organizations actively involved in

IICRD’s programming to support dignity, belonging and

justice for children

14 The number of initiatives to support and implement

capacity development programming to realize children’s

rights

333,997 The potential reach to children, parents, community

leaders and professionals as a result of IICRD’s largest

programs and partnerships


MAYA COOK bEFRIENDS KOGI CHILD, COLOMbIA 2013

S T R E N G T H E N I N G O U R P R A C T I C E

OVERVIEW

Strengthening Our Practice for Aboriginal Children and Families (SOP) is a

reflective practice framework development project in which the Vancouver

Aboriginal Child and Family Service Society (VACFSS) seeks to better

understand:

• what makes the Society’s practice and approaches unique

• how the VACFSS values and concepts, such as “child as sacred

bundle”, shape and orient practice at VACFSS

• approaches to child and family protection, well being and resilience

(which models make the most sense for VACFSS?)

• what works best and some of the most central challenges at VACFSS

• potential recommendations for training, quality assurance and

evaluation1

1 These four points are a condensed version of the 6 objectives provided in the initial

working plan


In 2012-2013, this project:

• Engaged in a collaborative process of deep, reflective discussion

with 32 managers, key knowledge keepers1, front line and

administrative staff

• Conducted 4 staff engagement sessions and 4 focus groups

with families, foster parents, service agencies and youth. The staff

sessions included 18-24 people each, comprising a total of

more than 80 staff participants from various levels at all VACFSS

programs. 8-15 people participated in each of the client focus

groups

• Harvested this practice based wisdom in a final report that was

shared with the board of directors and participants

PROJECT IMPACT As a result of the feedback and information gathered through cultural practices,

organizational structures, and front line practices, VACFSS has implemented several

changes to better communicate and practice with vulnerable children and families.

VACFSS will be focusing on the development of in-house training for staff to ensure

consistent best practice across the agency.

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION Phase 2 of this initiative will focus on the development of in-house

training, reviewing legislation and policies, and the integration of

Monitoring and Evaluation practice tools into daily practice.

NENAN, bC

PARTNERSVancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Service Society (VACFSS)

PROJECT TEAMDr. Philip Cook (Lead) I Michele Cook | Jeff Schiffer

VACFSS FOCUS GROUP


OVERVIEWNenan Dane zaa Deh Zona Children and Family Services is an organization

mandated by Treaty 8 First Nations leadership, Métis and Aboriginal peoples

and organizations of northeast British Columbia to assume jurisdiction for

child welfare services presently administered by the provincial Ministry of

Children and Family Development (MCFD). Nenan reached an agreement

with MCFD in 2008 to create a new service delivery system and model

of jurisdiction building from a holistic community engagement process

to establish services that address the needs of member communities.

Community members stressed the critical importance of culture, traditional

activities and ceremonies as foundational pillars in the Nenan service

delivery model. On many occasions, they expressed that cultural learning

opportunities and corresponding resources must be established with urgency

and purpose.

IICRD’s Circle of Rights: Reflective Planning for Social Change methodology,

has been adapted to form the River of Unity (ROU) Community Engagement

Process that forms the foundation of Nenan’s innovative vision to create

a new model of Aboriginal child and family services, rooted in the unique

reality and well-being of Indigenous families and communities of northeastern

British Columbia and created literally from the “ground up”.

NENAN DANE zAA DEH zONA CHILDREN AND FAMILY SERVICES

PARTNERSNenan Dane zaa Deh Zona Children and Family Services

PROJECT TEAMVanessa Currie (Lead) I Dr. Philip Cook | Michele Cook

NENAN ELDER YOUTH GATHERING, bRITISH COLUMbIAINTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 11 ELDER MAX DESJARLAIS, TEACHES THE YOUNG ONES A TRADITIONAL SONG

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION • There are currently 165 people participating in 9 Community

Committees – the committees act as decision-making and

implementing partners, following a Workbook on community

governance developed by IICRD

• Nenan is currently working with IICRD to develop a full monitoring

and evaluation framework for the organization, with strong

community engagement to ensure that the values and cultural

practices of the communities are reflected in the evaluations

IMPACTED CHILDREN• ROU’s annual Youth and Elders Gathering has grown each year,

beginning at 120 people in the first year, 150 in the second year,

350 in the third and 700 people in the fourth year

• Social Work service system was designed, based on consultations

with community members: 56 Families receiving a variety of support

services

• To date, Nenan has engaged over 1,800 community members in

various community engagements and the majority of these people are

engaged on a regular basis

• Over the last three years, Nenan has facilitated the growth and

development of a regional Youth Council with two youth representatives

from each community meeting regionally on a regular basis, with a

total of 24 young people. IICRD has been a large supporter of the

development of the Youth Council as well as the Elders Council

IMPACTED FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• 9 Community Committees were established, based on community feedback, to advise

Nenan on community needs (in the process of supporting development of the remaining

communities) with 165 committed community members actively involved

• Traditional Decision-Making Model to replace the Family Group Conferencing model was

developed in partnership with Dane zaa Elders and Community Committee members

as well as the University of Victoria and Simon Fraser University, providing children and

families with a culturally relevant mediation and support services

SYSTEMS IMPACTEDThe River of Unity program is closely linked with the day-to-day workings of communities, with

staff positioned to draw from the guidance and wisdom of Elders, and the perspectives of young

people, leadership and families. Two significant outcomes of the ROU training with IICRD are

that:

• Community Development Coordinators are developing high-capacity community facilitation

skills, which are a tremendous benefit for the communities of northeast British Columbia

• Nenan is developing a more comprehensive spectrum of Aboriginal child and family well-

being that innovatively strengthens local kinship, youth and broad community capacity to

prevent and manage risk while providing specialized services for families in crisis

“I’m fIghtIng for 100 Years from now, for mY great grandson.” - max desjarlaIs,

west moberlY fIrst natIon, elder.

INTERIM YOUTH COUNCIL DEVELOPMENT GATHERING


OVERVIEWThe goals of this external evaluation program are to monitor and evaluate the

development and implementation of the Youth Gang Intervention and Mentorship

Initiative of the Pacific Centre Family Services Association (PCFSA). This

project aims to use a strength-based and modified wraparound approach to the

prevention of youth gang involvement. This includes providing intensive support

and regular assessment of youth needs and contexts, promoting knowledge

and skill development and pro-social activities and increasing youth access to

community resources.

This project uses a strength-based and modified wraparound approach with the

goal of reducing and preventing youth involvement in gangs in the greater Victoria

area. Key program approaches include:

• Identifying youth at risk of gang involvement

• Providing one-on-one and intensive support to at-risk youth and their families

• Conducting regular assessments of youth needs and contexts

• Promoting youth knowledge and skill development

• Facilitating at-risk youth’s engagement in pro-social activities

• Increasing at-risk youth and their families to access community resources

The program also aims to build inter-institutional collaboration within the

community in support of the program.

YOUTH GANG INTERVENTION AND MENTORSHIP INITIATIVE

PARTNERSBC Ministry of Justice | Pacific Centre Family Services Association

PROJECT TEAMRebeccah Nelems (Lead) I Mia Golden | Mitzi Dean | Liz Nelson

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 13 FAMILIA AYARA’S GRAFITI FOR PEACE, FLORENSIA, COLOMbIA

In 2012-2013, this program has:

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Development of a program Logic Model and Monitoring and

Evaluation (M&E) Framework

• Meeting with staff and stakeholders to assess results

• Supporting staff to use two different survey tools to assess

youth participants’ well being

• Submitting quarterly reports to the Ministry, documenting

progress made towards short-, medium- and long-term outcomes

• Development of a program Logic Model and Monitoring and

Evaluation (M&E) Framework

• Meeting with staff and stakeholders to assess results

• Supporting staff to use two different survey tools to assess

youth participants’ well being

• Submitting quarterly reports to the Ministry, documenting

progress made towards short-, medium- and long-term outcomes

IMPACTED CHILDREN• A range of services, community resources and pro-social activities are

identified

• Youth at high risk for gang involvement are assessed and engaged

• Individualized Plans created for high-risk youth

• Youth Assessment Tools identified

IMPACTED FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• A range of community actors engaged in modified wrap-around approach,

including police, school board, NGOs and community supports

• Community actors above are collaborating in a new way to support youth

and their families

• Enhanced knowledge of community actors to identify and refer youth at-

risk of gang involvement

Youth and their families are accessing services previously unavailable to them

SYSTEMS IMPACTED Anticipated impact of this project on systems/systems change includes:

• Reduced youth involvement in gangs in the Greater Victoria area

• Improved social and emotional well being of youth in the Greater Victoria

area

• Frontline service providers, educators and youth programmers in the

Greater Victoria Area will be able to support and address the needs of

youth at high risk of gang involvement more effectively

• The Youth Gang Intervention and Mentorship Initiative is recognized

as a strong, effective and replicable model for addressing youth gang

involvement


OVERVIEWIn 1999, the Government of Thailand passed the Decentralization Act of Thailand providing greater opportunity for people to participate in local administration and give more responsibility and budget allocation to local governments. With this new framework, local governments are responsible for ensuring that children’s rights are respected and are therefore requiring further capacity-building initiatives to effectively implement, monitor, and evaluate action plans for all children and youth in their community.

In response, UNICEF Thailand, the Department of Local

Administration (DLA), and the Ministry of Interior (MOI), have been

working together to strengthen the capacity of local governments to

plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate results for children through

the local planning process. In support, IICRD has provided technical

expertise to:• Further strengthen the capacity, quality, and effectiveness of

local governments

• Help assure greater accountability of local governments towards

children and youth

• Improve the local implementation of children’s rights and

protection


“we aren’t usIng a power poInt and we dIdn’t do anY research - thIs came from us. It Is our perspectIve. we want You, the local government, to understand the rIskY areas for chIldren and Youth (e.g., Internet cafes, dark areas etc.). You can have a plan to protect chIldren. we want to plaY a role, ask us!” - Young person speakIng to local government representatIves

C H I L D - C E N T R E D C O M M U N I T Y P L A N N I N G , M O N I T O R I N G A N D E VA L U AT I O N

MONITORING ACTIVITY SOUTHERN THAILAND


PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Built capacity of DLA staff, local government officials and uni-

versity partners to strengthen child and youth participation, pro-

tection, and accountability through local government planning,

implementation, monitoring, and evaluation

• Shared lessons learned from this initiative at the National Sym-

posium on Local Administration Organizations and Child and

Youth Development

IMPACTED FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• Approximately, 1000 local government authorities attended the

National Symposium and the project’s results were shared with local

governments from all 76 provinces in Thailand

SYSTEMS IMPACTED• 3 universities, 2 government ministries, 2 international NGOs and 3

youth-focused organizations collaborating to strengthen local planning,

monitoring, and evaluation for children and youth

• Child rights and protection planning, implementation, monitoring, and

evaluation integrated into the national government training scheme

“THEIR SOLIDARITY,STRENGTH, AND

COMMITMENT IS PROFOUND.”


CHERYL HEYKOOP, IICRD

PARTNERSUNICEF Thailand, Department of Local Administration, Ministry of Interior,

Chulalongkorn University, Faculty of Education, Plan Thailand Internation-

al, Women for Peace (We Peace), Mekong Youth Net, Development and

Education Programme for Daughters and Communities, Rajabhat Chiang

Rai University, Prince of Songkhla University

PROJECT TEAMDr. Philip Cook (Lead) I Cheryl Heykoop I Piyanut Kotsan

SOME MEMbERS OF THE IICRD-CHULALONGKORN UNIVERSITY COLLAbORA-TIVE TEAM AT THE NATIONAL SYMPOSIUM

IICRD’S POSTER PRESENTATION AT THE NATIONAL LEARNING SYMPOSIUM

P R O T E C T I N G E A R LY C H I L D H O O D F R O M V I O L E N C E

OVERVIEWParents are key people in preventing violence against young children.

However, parents need strong support systems and are not the only

protectors of children. Practitioners, professionals and institutions also

hold important roles and responsibilities to nurture and support young

citizens to positively contribute to their communities.

Working through the eyes of young children (0-8 years), the Colombia

Protecting Early Childhood from Violence (CPECV) project involves

government institutions, universities, non-governmental organizations,

Indigenous organizations, daycares, schools, and parents to improve

the programs and policies designed to protect young children.

In 2012, a network of 24 partners, including three implementing

agencies, piloted the project in 7 diverse community sites across 4

Departments in Colombia. The project has directly engaged 2,000

participants and influenced more than 200,000 people to help

strengthen Colombia’s child protection safety nets.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 17CAPTION NEEDED

RECONCILIATION DAY FLORENSIA, COLOMbIA

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION• Partners engaged a cross-section of 243 stakeholders (mothers,

community leaders, children, etc.) through a mapping project

• A cohort of 225 adolescents was involved in a survey to understand their

perspectives on risk and protective factors of violence in their communities

• Community leaders participated in a pre-and post questionnaire with mothers in

order to assess the impact of the pilot curriculum

IMPACTED CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• Approximately 250 preschoolers and 40 secondary students explored issues

of rights and bonding activities in Medellín - a community affected with high levels

of violence

• Close to 800 parents participating in training and workshops help protect

young children. Their involvement has led to improved family and community

relationships, increased recognition of their role in the protection system, and

improved awareness of the signs of abuse in children

• 75 community leaders (promotoras) organized workshops, facilitated training

and supported follow-up activities. The promotoras strengthened their skills and

knowledge related to rights protection and supervision

• Approximately 20 Directors of Child Care Centres were involved in the project

training – reaching as many as 1,200 families

18 I ANNUAL REPORT 2011 /2012 CREATING WEbS OF SUPPORT, COLOMbIA

IMPACTED SYSTEMS• Through targeted training, workshops and conferences, the project has

involved more than 175 professionals, including early childhood

educators and municipal officials. project approaches have been integrated

into teacher training as well as reviewed to improve the oversight processes

of children’s centres

• Partners have established a relationship with the Municipality of Medellín’s

Buen Comienzo – an early childhood program reaching 100,000

mothers and children and 28,000 education agents

• 16 key representatives from a range of organizations responsible for early

childhood across the Department of Antioquia participated in the training.

The curriculum will support the Department to provide practical tools and

offer new approaches to tackling the issue of protecting young children from

violence

PARTNERSImplementing Partners: Centro Internacional de Educacion y Desarrollo Humano (CINDE), International Child Development Programme (ICDP-UK and Colombia)

Technical and Community Partners: Childhood Observatory of University of Colombia, University of San Buenaventura, Subsecretaría de Espacio Público- Government Office- Municipality of Medellín, Fundación Golondrinas, World Vision- Antioquia, United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), Pastoral IndígenaInstituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar, Secretaría de Educación Municipal Quindío

Funding Partners: Canadian International Development Agency, UBS Optimus

Foundation, Municipality of Medellin (Buen Comienzo Program), CANACOL

PROJECT TEAMDr. Philip Cook (Lead) I Michele Cook I Dr. Natasha Blanchet-Cohen I

Christopher Yeomans I Elaina Mack

CAPTION NEEDED

PROJECT IMPACT THROUGH ART, COMUNA 13 MEDELLIN COLOMbIA


C H I L D R I G H T S E D U C AT I O N F O R P R O F E S S I O N A L S

OVERVIEWCRED-PRO, a program of the IICRD, is dedicated to infusing a child

rights approach into the education, policies, and practices of profes-

sionals working with and for children. It is intended to create a critical

mass of respect for the dignity and rights of children in their commu-

nities and societies. CRED-PRO began its work with professions in

2004. It has benefited from financial support by the Oak Foundation

and Bernard van Leer Foundation and from significant in-kind contri-

butions of multiple agencies and organizations throughout the world.

CRED-PRO is active on 4 continents in 15 countries: Canada, USA,

Guatemala, Jamaica, Colombia, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Turkey,

Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Uganda and South Africa.

PARTNERSOak Foundation, Latin American Association of Pediatrics (ALAPE), Inter-American Institute for

Children (IIN), Open University, Children’s Institute (Cape Town University, South Africa), Instituto In-

ter-americano de Niños (Montevideo, Uruguay), Latin American School of Social Sciences (FLACSO,

Argentina), International Children’s Center (Ankara,Turkey), University of Ottawa,(Canada), Carleton

University (Ottawa, Canada), University of British Columbia, (Vancouver, Canada), Tulane University

(New Orleans, USA), University of Florida (Jacksonville, USA), Partnership for Child Health – Jack-

sonville, USA, Indiana University-Perdue University Indianapolis, USA, International School Psychol-

ogy Association, International Social Services (Canada), World Vision International, Search-Institute,

Arigatou Foundation

PROJECT TEAM Stuart Hart (Co-Lead) I Gerison Lansdown (Co-Lead)

Gary Robinson I Nancy Taylor



IMPACTED SYSTEMS• CHILD MEDICAL PROFESSIONS

CRED-PRO partners are presently expanding existing programs in Latin America

across countries, and in South Africa, and Turkey. Open University (UK) has included

basic CRED-PRO child health profession modules on its open access Internet site. For

program development in North America (particularly Canada and the USA), existing

partners await the completion of first stage curriculum and systems development at

the University of Florida Medical School under the leadership of Jeff Goldhagen and

Gerison Lansdown, with which CRED-PRO is cooperating.

• EARLY CHILD DEVELOPMENT PROFESSIONS

A CRED-PRO facilitated program in Tanzania continues to function and grow through

cooperation among country NGOs and government ministries.

• MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN SCHOOLS (PARTICULARLY SCHOOL

PSYCHOLOGISTS)

An international generic curriculum has been produced through a relationship between

the School Psychology Program of Tulane University (New Orleans) and CRED-

PRO, with encouragement and support from the Division of School Psychology of

the American Psychological Association, which has been made available for pilot

application by university programs and professional societies around the world and

which is also available in an individual study online version. This program has now

been endorsed by the International School Psychology Association (ISPA) and by the

National Association of School Psychologists (NASP, USA) for continuing education

credit. NASP has adopted (2012) a position statement strongly in support of child rights

and education of school psychology professionals.


• TEACHER/EDUCATOR PROFESSIONS

CRED-PRO has teamed with the Center for Urban and Multicultural Education (CUME)

of the School of Education of Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis (IUPUI)

to design and implement child rights education for preparing and continuing teachers/

educators of children throughout the world. This work is in the early planning stages

and will be undertaken through cooperating partnerships with leaders in educator/

teacher preparation in 10 countries and with Education International (the world’s

teachers union/organization) and the International Bureau of Education (UNESCO’s

central unit for relationships with the national ministries of education). A small grant

has been approved from IUPUI for associated pilot work in Westfield, Indiana. Generic

curriculum development is expected to begin in 2014.

• RELIGIONS - TRADITIONS - COMMUNITIES

Initial financial support for this project is being provided by the Arigatou Foundation

(Japan). World Vision International, the Search-Institute, and UNICEF are among the

cooperating partners. During 2014, programs will be undertaken for:

• Mapping and gathering information to determine national religious community

histories of orientations to and treatment of children, support for and opposition

to children’s rights, preparation and continuing education of leadership, and

opportunities and points of contact for cooperation with the child rights education

initiative

• Securing funding for the first and subsequent stages of the initiative.

• SOCIAL SERVICES AND SOCIAL wORk

Social work leadership at Indiana University Purdue Indianapolis and Carleton

University (Ottawa, Canada) have formed a team to work with leaders throughout the

world to develop generic curricula and programs of education. Collborations exit with

international social services and social work organizations.

• MULTIPLE PROFESSIONAL PROGRAMS IN EASTERN AFRICA

Cooperative planning is underway with governmental and non-governmental

organizations in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Ethiopia for child rights education

programs to serve child protection, medical, and education professionals.

O F F - R E S E R V E A B O R I G I N A L A C T I O N P L A N

OVERVIEWNear the end of the first year of this innovative government and

Aboriginal community initiative entitled the Off-Reserve Aboriginal

Action Plan (ORAAP), IICRD was asked to provide a Development

Evaluation approach to ORAAP’s year-end reporting cycle for it’s

own learning, reflection, and accountability framework.

The final report was intended for the many funders and stakeholders

of this program and to inform decision makers of the value and

need to continue this work. This pilot project pulls together

representatives from government and community-based Aboriginal

and Métis organizations to facilitate a community dialogue at the

provincial level and in 5 british Columbian communities and

to inform and create a shared vision of local development and

reconciliation for Aboriginal and Métis peoples with the support of

various government and non-governmental partners.

IICRD’s role in this process was to share some different ways

of thinking about evaluation from a developmental perspective

with ORAAP’s Provincial Coordination Team and its partners and

support them in asking questions about the various types of results

this government and community consultation process contributed

to. IICRD provided its expertise and educational materials on

Developmental Evaluation and employed tools such as Outcome

Mapping while assisting MARR in drafting portions of ORAAPs year-

end report through a developmental lens.

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 21 ORAAP PARtneRs PlAnning Meeting, RichMOnd

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Although this was not a traditional external evaluation project for

IICRD, it did provide monitoring and evaluation advice to ORAAP’s

community of partners

• Numerous check-in and feedback meetings between IICRD’s

project Team and MARR occurred at periodic intervals as well as

detailed feedback on various drafts of IICRD deliverables

IMPACTED CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• It is estimated that 2,500 children and youth were engaged in

ORAAP project activities culminating in a nationwide “Gathering

our Voices” conference in Penticton BC, organized by the BCAAFC

and it’s provincial and National Partners

• The project itself helped to inform communities of sincere govern-

ment and non-governmental efforts to include the vision, aspira-

tions and needs of Aboriginal residents in the various communities

where ORAAP is working

• The initiative has helped to voice and, in some instances, heal

community or shared wounds suffered by Aboriginal peoples in

past institutional abuses. This has contributed to a feeling and

openness to reconciliation between various individuals and com-

munities groups and government agencies

• In addition, this project has helped to create networks of support

between Aboriginal organizations and non-Aboriginal organizations

IMPACTED SYSTEMS • ORAAP has contributed to shifting the debate from one of contestation

between Aboriginal peoples and government to one of collaboration

and mutual responsibility in the development process of Aboriginal

communities throughout the province

• This was truly a Government to community joint initiative that

highlights shared management and funding of project implementation

and ORAAP’s Provincial Coordination Team has created a model for

effective cross sectoral collaboration on Aboriginal issues in bC and

Canada

• ORAAP’s year-end report was well received by community and financial

partners across various government agencies and the project was being

designed for a second phase of funding approval

• IICRD contributed to demonstrating how a developmental evaluation

approach cannot only serve as a model for seeing the variety of results

produced in this type of network building and consultative initiative, but

also show how to think about evaluation as a continual learning and

reflective process for system actors


PARTNERSMinistry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation (MARR) | Department of

Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada (AANDC) | BC Associ-

ation of Aboriginal Friendship Centres (BCAAFC) | Métis Nation BC | Metro

Vancouver Aboriginal Executive Council (MVAEC) | Fraser Region Aborigi-

nal Friendship Centre | Prince George Native Friendship Centre | Hiiye’yu

Lelum House of Friendship (Cowichan Valley) | Kamloops Aboriginal

Friendship Centre

PROJECT TEAM Christopher Yeomans (Co-Lead) I Taryn Danford | Philip Cook I Renee Lormé-Gulbrandsen

Y O U T H G A N G V I O L E N C E A N D P R E V E N T I O N T R A I N I N G E V E N T

OVERVIEWYouth violence has been identified as an issue in the Capital

Regional District (CRD) of Victoria, british Columbia, Canada.

Incidents of youth violence have raised concerns to service

providers in Greater Victoria, in part because youth violence is part

of the spectrum of youth gang involvement.

The BC Ministry of Justice gave a one-time payment of $7,500 to

IICRD to coordinate and deliver a training event to address youth

gang violence and gang prevention in the CRD. The symposium

was developed in coordination with the work that is ongoing at

the Youth Gang Intervention and Mentorship Initiative (YGIMI),

coordinated by the Pacific Centre Family Services Association. The

symposium was aimed at front-line workers with the goal of building

capacities.


THE OBJECTIVES OF THE SYMPOSIUM WERE:

• To enhance the capacity of local networks to address concerns about

youth gang violence and youth gang involvement in the CRD, in terms

of both prevention and intervention

• To provide front-line workers with information about best practices,

assessment tools and research frameworks that will allow them

to support young people in conflict with the law or at risk of gang

involvement

• To facilitate conversations about CRD-specific concerns related to

youth gang violence and involvement, as well as strategies around

youth gang prevention

The symposium was held in Victoria BC on Thursday October 18, 2012

and drew over 60 participants from a diverse cross-sector of stakeholders

and representatives in the field, including police; school administrators,

educators and counselors; youth justice workers; community organizations;

and family, child and youth counseling and

support practitioners. Rob Rai, a respected youth gang expert from the

Surrey School District, was the keynote speaker

at the symposium and spoke to the many issues related to our topic of

youth gang violence and prevention, including evidence-based approaches,

risk assessment tools, and the differences

between traditional and non-traditional pathways to gang involvement.


Participants overwhelmingly reported that their knowledge and

understanding of youth gang issues in the CRD increased due to the

symposium. Through pre and post-symposium testing tools, it was clear

that Rob’s expertise in the field provided participants with many new ways

to approach youth gang violence and youth gang prevention.

PARTNERSPacific Centre Family Services Association

PROJECT TEAMKate Butler (Lead) | Katie Shaw-Raudoy


Y O U T H , G O V E R N A N C E , P E A C E B U I L D I N G A N D T H E R O L E O F S O C A L M E D I A

OVERVIEWIICRD, together with the University of Victoria’s Centre for Global Studies,

co-hosted the Youth, Governance, Peacebuilding and the Role of Social

Media conference from June 26 to 27 in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada.

A group of over 50 activists, academics, students, youth, government, non-

governmental organization, and private sector representatives gathered for

two days to discuss how technology, social media and ICT (Information,

Communication Technologies) are used by youth to build democracy,

promote peacebuilding and have an effect on governance in recent and

ongoing global youth movements.

The three general aims of the conference were to:

1. Share youth led innovation in the areas of governance, peacebuilding

and the role of social media.

2. Connect networks of youth led organizations with adult allies working in

government, United Nations (UN) agencies, international non-governmental

organizations (INGOs) and universities.

3. Explore the value added that universities can bring to this emerging

arena of range social change.

In summary, the conference made a number of key findings. First,

participants agreed that youth must be patient with their governments as

they attempt to keep up. However, capacity building is needed at the youth

as well as government level because there is a concern that politicians are

not even inclined to respond to youth in the first place. A major part of the

conference focused developing tangible tools and ideas for young people

to grasp as they embark on youth-led social movements.YOUTH, GOVERNANCE, PEACEbUILDING, AN DTHE ROLE OF SOCIAL MEDIA CONFERENCE, UNIVERSITY OF VICTORIA

OVERVIEWThis project was established to develop a community-led and community-

defined process to monitor, evaluate, and guide the ANABIP program and

Wet’suwet’en Wellness Agency development.

In 2012-2013, IICRD:

• Developed a community-led and community-defined process to

monitor, evaluate and guide the ANABIP program and Wellness Agency

development at the family, activity, and community level

• Consulted with families, youth, and elders in the community and on the

land on ANAbIP practice and how traditional activities support child and

family well being

• Developed ongoing envisioning and consultation with community

members and social knowledge keepers to create a bridge between

the M&E process of ANAbIP with the broader Wet’suet’en clan-based

monitoring systems

• Drafted a “report card” of ANAbIP’s current strengths and challenges

W E T ’ S U W E T ’ E N M O N I T O R I N G F R A M E W O R K

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 31 YOUTH EXPLORING ICT ISSUES, THAILAND

PARTNERSOffice of the Wet’suwet’en

PROJECT TEAMPhilip Cook (Lead) | Michele Cook

26 I ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 YOUTH CULTURE WALK - YOUTH ELDERS GATHERING, SMITHERS, bC

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION • Developed indicators and 3 culturally relevant monitoring tools for ANABIP

practice, activities, and collective wellbeing

IMPACTED CHILDREN, FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• 29 young people participated in an Elders and Youth Gathering

that they planned, budgeted, and executed with support from the

ANABIP team. They provided feedback and insights into the vision

of ANABIP, the key Wet’suwet’en values and activities that are

important to them, and advised on future areas of engagement and

programming

• Leaders were able to come together with young people to support

their engagement in cultural activities/feasts etc and navigate

around cultural protocols to support wellness and honour their

participation and engagement

• Chiefs, leaders, and members of the houses of all 5 clans

engaged in various consultations on ANAbIP and the Wellness

Agencies work on how to link traditional food harvesting and

feasting systems

IMPACTED SYSTEMS • building on the wider Wet’suwet’en values and visioning process, IICRD

was able to build monitoring tools to capture the rich cultural strengths

and sense of wellness and connection to the land that ANAbIP and the

Wellness group are working towards

• These tools and an overview of key strengths and challenges will be

presented to the Chiefs for consideration of the next steps“OUR SYSTEM OF CARE IS bASED ON THE COLLEC-TIVE. IT IS DIFFERENT FROM WHAT THE GOVERNMENT DOES, “NO ONE PERSON LOOKS AFTER THEMSELVES IN ISOLATION IN OUR CULTURE – NO ONE FORCES THIS – IT JUST HAPPENS, I HAVE MULTIPLE MOMS – SEVERAL WOMEN STEPPED IN TO PROVIDE MOTHER-ING WHEN MY MOTHER DIED – THIS IS HOW IT WORKS – THINK AbOUT HOW AUNTIES STEP IN, GRANDMAS, SIbLINGS RAISING SIbLINGS, ALL THIS IS COMMON IN OUR CULTURE – WE ARE ALL RELATED.” - NA’MOKS, TSAYU CLAN

YOUTH MARKING A CULTURALLY MODIFIED TREE, YOUTH AND ELDERS GATHERING, SMITHERS


C O M M I T T E E O N T H E R I G H T S O F T H E C H I L D A C C O U N TA B I L I T Y T E C H N I C A L M E E T I N G

COMMITTEE ON THE RIGHTS OF THE CHILD, GLOBAL CONFERENCE GROUP ON ACCOUNTABILITY TO CHILD RIGHTS AND WELL-BEING (GRG) TECHNICAL MEETING IN SION, SWITzERLAND, FEBRUARY 11-12, 2012

The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, IICRD and HELP

(HELP, University of British Columbia’s Human Early Leaning Part-

nership) hosted the Global Reference Group on Accountability to

Child Rights and Well-Being (GRG) in Sion, Switzerland, February

11-12, 2012.

With support from UNICEF”s Innocenti Research Centre (IRC),

a Committee on the Rights of the Child Accountability Technical

Meeting was held in Sion, Switzerland, 11-12 February 2012 to help

determine the status and prospects for improving accountability

(a full report is available on request). Recognition of the clear

need for a sustained and coherent approach toward advancing

accountability led to the formulation of a Global Reference Group

on Accountability to Child Rights and Well-Being (GRG) to work

closely with the Committee’s Accountability Focal Group to serve

the Committee.


C H I L D P R O T E C T I O N I N D E V E L O P M E N T

OVERVIEWThe Child Protection in Development (CPID) Program is an applied learning

program supporting marginalized youth, practitioners and policymakers

to access post-secondary learning opportunities that better prepare them

to support child, family, and community well-being within various cultural

contexts. This phase of the program focused on community consultations

with Aboriginal service agencies and community partners, and the ongoing

development with Royal Roads University to inform the program and course

development.

In 2012-2013, IICRD:

• Consulted with young peoples, Elders, practitioners, community

leaders, government and the private sector to determine applicability

and provide input into material and course design, and delivery

• Designed key materials and course material

• Piloted a training course - the Art of Hosting: a community-based

facilitation training

• Hosted a partners meeting

PARTNERSNenan Dane zaa Deh Zona Children and Family Services Society | Stikine Wholistic

Working Group | Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society | Office of

the Wet’suwet’en | South Island Wellness Society | Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and

Reconciliation | Royal Roads University | TransCanada

PROJECT TEAMPhilip Cook (Lead) I Cheryl Heykoop I Michele Cook I Chris Yoemans | Taryn Danford |

Micheal Montgomery

CIRCLE OF RIGHTS TRAINING I TAMIL NADU I INDIACREATING A VISION FOR CPID


C H I L D - C E N T R E D E VA L U AT I O N

OVERVIEW

The Child-centred Accountability and Protection Evaluation (CAPE) is

a multi-institutional pilot project focused on assessing how the impact

of protection services, programs, and services can be measured

through a child and youth-centred perspective.

In 2012-2013, IICRD:

• Engaged 450 young people and local stakeholders from

Colombia, Brazil and Thailand by piloting and adapting tools in

8 sites to support organizations and communities to understand

young people’s perspectives on risk, protection, and well-being.

• Worked with more than 20 implementing partners ranging from youth-led groups, community

organizations and international NGOs, to universities, government

ministries, funders, and international UN agencies.

• Conducted participatory community-based research in 3 country

case studies (Brazil, Colombia, and Thailand)

In total, it is estimated that more than 100 organizations have

been connected to CAPE through an expanded network of advisors

and co-located projects in Brazil, Colombia, Thailand and Canada. By

leveraging this capacity, IICRD is committed to supporting promising

opportunities to put young people at the centre of child protection

systems building.

EXPERIENTIAL ACTIVITY, COLOMbIA30 I ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013

PROVIDED MONITORING AND EVALUATION• Published a facilitator ’s Guide for Involving Young People

in Monitoring and Evaluating Child Protection Systems,

consolidating experience gained through piloting 10 participatory

monitoring and evaluation tools

• Created a cross-country snapshot of youth perspectives through

producing 4 videos (English, Spanish, Thai, Portuguese) with La

Familia Ayara, a Colombia based youth-led organization

• 4 Academic papers were prepared to analyze local data collected

on risk and protection factors affecting young people’s well-being

• Hosted roundtable discussions with youth, community and

government officials to discuss the implications of the project’s

findings (Colombia, Brazil, Thailand)

IMPACTED CHILDREN• Young people learned and discussed the diverse realities of each

of the different case study countries through the educational

videos

• Youth leaders in Thailand are adapting the CAPE tools to apply

them in their own communities

“IF A MOTHER HAS A ROUTINE OF TALKING TO HER DAUGHTER, THIS TYPE OF AbUSE WOULD NOT HAVE HAPPENED. SHE WOULD FEEL FREE TO TALK TO HER MOTHER. MY MOM TALKS TO ME, SHE RAISED ME ALONE. SHE PREPARED ME FOR THE WORLD”. – bOY, bRAzIL

CREATED SYSTEMS CHANGEIn the child protection field, there is growing interest to meaningfully involve

young people in monitoring and evaluation.

• In Thailand, local government authorities are considering how to adapt the

CAPE tools to support programs and services for young people. We estimate

that the project could influence 20partners in 120 communities

• IICRD is also working closely with World Vision to identify additional

countries where the CAPE Guide may be piloted including Tanzania, Bolivia,

Sierra Leone, and Indonesia

• The project has also helped us to work with Plan Thailand to explore

the M&E synergies between IICRD’s Circle of Rights process and Plan’s

Community-centred Community Development (CCCD) approach. This

has led to Plan developing new practitioner resources to integrate CAPE

protection tools into their CCCD approach

PARTNERSOak Foundation l UNICEF Headquarters I Plan International I Columbia University’s Child Protection in Crisis Learning Network I Child Protection Working Group I Oxford University’s Young Lives Project I UNICEF Thailand I Local Governance and Capacity Building Section I Department of Local Administration (Ministry of Interior) I Faculty of Education at Chulalonghorn University I Plan International (Thailand) I Mekong Youth Net I Rajabhat University I We Peace I Prince of Songkhla University I Development and Education Programme for Daughters and Communities I Obra do berco I Plan International (Brazil) I Giracao I Graduate Program in Psychology at the Catholic University of Brasília | Centro Internacional de Educacion y Desarrollo Humano I International Child Development

Programme I La Familia Ayara

PROJECT TEAMDr. Philip Cook (Lead) I Elaina Mack I Rebeccah Nelems I Vanessa Currie I Gabriela Goulart Mora I benedito Dos Santos I Dr. Natasha blanchet-Cohen I Kimberly Svevo-Cianci I Cheryl Heykoop I Piyanut Kotsan I Michele Cook


H E A R T H E C H I L D

OVERVIEWThroughout 2012, IICRD supported hearing from children when decisions

about their best interests were made in family justice processes

through the Hear the Child Education Project. The bC Government’s

announcement of the new Family Law Act in November 2011 that bolsters

hearing from children in determining their best interests, underscores

the need for this work. This project established a sustainable mechanism

in bC to obtain children’s input into decisions made about their best

interests in family justice processes through three key actions:

1. Fostering the BC Hear the Child Society as a Focal Point: The

Project built on work undertaken over the past decade by IICRD,

and helped the BC Hear the Child Society progress institutionally by

establishing a strong board of Directors, launching its website www.

hearthechild.ca, recruiting mental health and legal professionals

as members, hosting education events for legal and mental health

professionals, developing policy such as eligibility criteria for a

Roster of child interviewers, and undertaking outreach to the BC

family bar and bench.

2. Establishing a Cohort of qualified non-therapeutic child interviewers:

A Roster of just under 40 qualified, neutral child interviewers

was built and launched in May 2012 at events in Victoria, Kelowna,

Kamloops and Vancouver. The Roster now exceeds 40 interviewers

and is available to the public, bar and bench through www.

hearthechild.ca/roster. brochures are also available from Roster

members and at various justice centres.


3. Fostering a Community of Child Interviewer Practice:

The Project partners collaborated with expert Dr. Joan Kelly

and other family justice experts in Vancouver in November

2011 on a 2-day training session on Meaningful Child

Participation in Family

Justice Processes:

http://www.cle.bc.ca/onlinestore/productdetails.aspx?cid=56.

Roster members have also created practice groups in 4

locations across bC to share expertise, wrestle with practice

issues and improve how we “hear the child”.

• Children in 5 regions of BC can now be interviewed by trained,

neutral child interviewers in family justice processes, and have

their views heard and shared with decision-makers in a timely and

cost-effective manner.

IMPACTED FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES• Roster of qualified, non-evaluative child interviewers creates

improved service quality, accessibility, and affordability for BC

families.

• Educational sessions, resources, and practice groups on listening

to children in family justice matters strengthens’ BC justice

professionals’ awareness and know-how regarding listening to the

views of children in bC.

• Province-wide resource available for families, communities and

IMPACTED CHILDREN

CREATED SYSTEMS CHANGE• An affordable tool now exists to assist the family justice system to

hear from children when their best interests are being decided and

implement the new BC Family Law Act.

• Project reached various media outlets reflecting a growing awareness

and importance of hearing from children – e.g. Family law: New Act

puts children first during divorces (Sandra McCulloch, Victoria Times

Colonist, March 29, 2013); Move from Law to Action and Hear the

Child (Suzanne Williams, Canadian Bar Association National Family

Law Section Newsletter, The Family Way, October, 2011).

PARTNERSVancouver Foundation l BC Hear the Child Society l Continuing Legal Education

Society of BC

PROJECT TEAMSuzanne Williams (Lead) I Renée Lormé-Gulbrandsen | BC Hear the Child Society

board of Directors


http://www.cle.bc.ca/onlinestore/productdetails.aspx?cid=56

C R E AT I N G B R I D G E S O F U N D E R S TA N D I N G W I T H C H I L D R E N A N D Y O U N G P E O P L E

FOCUS ON METHODOLOGYImplicit in all of IICRD’s work is a focus on processes which strengthen

the human rights of children and youth and in which children and youth

are taking the lead in promoting their own rights. This year, at IICRD we

want to recognize the Circle of Rights, our key methodological process

for bringing children and adults together in achieving dignity, belonging

and justice for all.

To help guide us on our journey of exploration, we will first go to Zambia

where the Circle of Rights was used with PLAN to support a deepening

of engagement and participation of young people in PLAN’s (and their

partners’) programs. Our second guiding example comes from Brazil,

where we look at the stories of adult participants from IICRD’s recently

completed Child Protection Partnership initiative, who experienced being

part of the Circle of Rights process and the influence it had on their lives

and work.


YOUNG PEOPLE, CITIzEN’S FORUM

c

WHAT IS THE CIRCLE OF RIGHTS?The Circle of Rights (COR) is IICRD’s child-centred, intentional planning

and action research process that suppor ts social innovation and greater

accountability for children and their families. This ref lective process

is organic in nature and can be used in many dif ferent ways – from

re-energizing practit ioners to rethinking how we approach childhood,

par ticipation and child protection, to suppor ting systems change.

Framed in four notional phases - Map, Engage, Plan, Create - the

COR process uses a series of tools to promote the creation of action

plans by children, star ting from the awareness of our connection and

interdependence as human beings (Unity Circle) and passing through

self-awareness (a look inside and outside our own reality: What Makes

Me, Me) and community awareness (Social Mapping). In the path towards

the engagement of children and community in the promotion of change

in their lives, tools such as the Web of Protection and the identif ication

of Strengths, Challenges and Dif ferences, using the Venn diagram to

analyze and pull for next steps, are also used.

The COR helps guide workers, par tners, communities and children to

suppor t better outcomes for children and youth in their day-to-day lives.

COR RESEARCH TEAMMicheal Montgomery and Cheryl Heykoop (COR trainers, Brazil/Zambia) I

Emilia Bretan (CPP Project Manager, Brazil)

THE CIRCLE OF RIGHTS IN PRACTICE - zAMBIAIn 2011, IICRD worked with Plan Zambia to bring to life to Plan’s Child-

Centered Community Development (CCCD) approach. Specifically, two

workshops were held with Plan Zambia staff and partners on the COR

process to support social change for children and communities. Post

training, Plan zambia staff and partners were expected to integrate the

Circle of Rights principles and tools into their work. An outcome of the

introduction of the COR for Plan has helped them to create space for

dialogue and change on harmful traditional practices (see IICRD Annual

Report 2011-2012).

Our first example comes from the work of one of the Plan partners in

Zambia, the Citizen’s Forum, a small innovative NGO working with

communities to promote active participation of citizens in governance, at

local, municipal and national levels.

During the IICRD COR training, the participants from Citizen’s Forum

were particularly vocal about how useful they saw the methodology at the

community level and being committed to using it in their work.

They moved swiftly and introduced many of the tools from the COR

process into their programs, including the Unity Circle and Strengths and

Challenges. These tools were used with mixed groups of adults (including

traditional Chiefs) and children, and sometimes with quite amazing results.


The leaders were so impressed by the respectful ar ticulation of a housing

problem by the young people that they mobilized resources to fund the

building of dormitory accommodations for students coming into the town

from outlying areas.

For many of the adults who took par t in this project, it was a f irst

realization that children and young people, although not fully formed

physically, have the ability to clearly identify and ar ticulate the issues

facing them as well as the potential solutions to those issues.

For the young people involved as ambassadors for the Citizen’s Forum

project, they experienced being listened to and taken seriously by

community leaders, felt empowered and took pride in bringing about

change for their fellow students.

THE CIRCLE OF RIGHTS, CHILD PROTECTION PARTNERSHIP - BRAzILFrom 2009-2011, the Circle of Rights was used in IICRD’s Child Protection Partnership (CPP) initiative within 14 communities across Brazil. The program brought together multi-sector partners to join a collaboration network that included law enforcement agencies, NGOs, universities, government and private sector partners who worked together, exchanging knowledge and engaging in actions, projects and capacity building.

The goal of CPP was to reduce, and where possible, eliminate, Information and Communication Technology (ICT) enabled child sexual exploitation.Two years on from the completion of the first phase of the project, we asked three partnering colleagues in Brazil to reflect back on their experiences of being involved in the COR process and to give their impressions of the usefulness and utility of the COR approach.

Our 3 correspondents were: • Professor Silvia Losacco, a child rights consultant and researcher

who participated in training, national mapping and research.• Sylvia Adolfo, who, at the time, worked at Obra do Berço

Community Association, located in a low-income community called Jardim Rebouças in the Municipality of São Paulo. The name Obra do Berço translates to: Work of the Cradle (decades ago, when founded, it aimed to help poor, newborn infants and their families).

• Patricia Guisordi, who, at the time, was a Coordinator for CCP and

l iving in São Paulo.

“THE YOUNG PEOPLE WHO WERE INVOLVED IN THE COR PROCESS WITH CITIzEN’S FORUM WERE PARTICULARLY INSPIRATIONAL, AS THEY DESCRIbED HOW THROUGH THE USE OF COR A DORMITORY IS NOW bEING bUILT TO bETTER PROTECT YOUNG PEOPLE”. - ObSERVER OF A PRESENTATION bY YOUTH WITH CITIzEN’S FORUM

COMMUNITY MAPPING IN zAMbIA


WE ASKED 4 qUESTIONS

1. What did you like most in the methodology or process of the Circle of

Rights?

2. Do you have any success stories about how it has improved your

approach to your work?

3. Which elements of the Circle of Rights have you continued to use or

integrated in your work?

4. Do you have any success stories from young people you have worked

with due to their involvement with the COR methodology?

The COR methodology star ts from children’s perspectives, allowing all

children involved to express themselves and par ticipate in meaningful

ways, both as individuals and as par t of a group:

“Interesting”, “exhilarating” and “enlightening” were some words used by

the interviewees to describe the methodology.

“The COR methodology gives oppor tunity to everyone to par ticipate,

especially recognizing the uniqueness and individuality of each

par ticipant, because it involves and uninhibits, enables and encourages

all to give their opinions and impressions… especially those who are

more timid. It also encourages group par ticipation.”

Star ting from children and youth points of view is also specially valuable

and unique in the methodology, bringing to life Ar ticle 12 of the UN

Convention on the Rights of the Child.

“Children and young people’ points of view were listened to and

respected.”

When involved in the COR process, adults start to learn from children

and youth and to consider their perspective (a fresh look) and listen in a

different way:

Social mapping, one of COR activities, brings children and adults together

to observe their community, promoting a better understanding of children’s

behavior and their relationships with their families and communities, as

well as a fresh look at both the challenges and potential of the community.

“We [educators and managers involved in the process] started to see the

most varied possibilities that the community offers, both to promote leisure

as well as health and also realized that we need to ensure their rights as

citizens.”

“They (community) realized that in the neighborhood there is only

one school, which is not enough for the number of inhabitants of the

community. What was interesting is that [the children] commented that

where there is no education there is no development, no people aware of

their rights of citizenship, because it is through education that they’ll be

able to change the social, political and even economic situations.”

COR opens adult’s eyes and ears to actually learn from youth, that are

“motivated to express their opinions, ideas and contribute to the process”.


COR PROMOTES EMPOWERMENT AND ENGAGEMENT OF ADULTS AND YOUNG PEOPLE

The COR approach allows par ticipants to “become a catalyst and

promoter of fulf i l l ing their own r ights… in other areas of their lives and

with other people… enabling the construction of collective ways of coping

and approaching issues faced by young people”. The results of the

process spread to a collective that “ is greater than the sum of the number

of par ticipants.”

COR promotes a change of perspective and practices of those involved

(par ticularly adults), positively inf luencing the lives of children, directly

and indirectly. The following change stories are inspir ing:

“When we were doing the What Makes Me, Me, activity… I remember

a drawing made by a teenager… he drew a warrior. That made me

uncomfor table at f irst; however... when he explained the drawing, he

argued that he would be a warrior against sexual abuse.

“A classmate in college was commenting about some teenagers of

the institution where she works - that they do not take the educators’

guidelines seriously... [that they] are always making drawings that explore

violence... I told her the story of my experience with the warrior drawing

and how at first I saw what I wanted to see and not the intention of the

teenager.

“She returned the next day, saying they began doing awareness/sensitizing

work with the ‘difficult’ students and realized that the drawings were

also for their self-defence... strengthening what we know from the COR

process, that we need to look with the “adolescents’ eyes.”

COR PROMOTES REAL CHANGE IN CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOR, FROM RISKY TO SAFE AND POSITIVE

“A girl who committed bullying (through the Internet) against a teacher,

after CPP, realized her mistake, redeemed herself, and understood her

error”.

“Many teenagers now post a smaller number of photos on social networks

and care about not adding people whom they did not know. They were

sensitized and were concerned to raise awareness of other people

(friends) around them.”

WHAT MAKES ME, ME. ACTIVITY, ObRA DO bERçO


COR PROMOTES CHANGES IN PARTICIPANTS’ DAILY LIVES BY CHANGING THE WAY THEY INTERACT WITH OTHERS:

“What makes me, me” is a COR tool used to promote self-awareness that

has positively influenced the way one of the respondents interacts with

others: “During my daily routine, I observe people and try to figure out

what makes them what they are... I try to put myself in their shoes and

see the things from their perspective... This helps me in my work, studies,

and relationships because I can understand why they do what they do.”

Focus on COR Authors: Emilia bretan and Micheal Montgomery

CREATING BRIDGES OF UNDERSTANDING Einstein is attributed with saying that “Insanity is doing the same things in

the same way and expecting different results”. This could be applied to the

world of work with children and youth, where we as adults continually fail

to include children as active participants in finding solutions to their own

problems. Instead, and counter to the philosophy of educators like Paulo

Freire, we as adults sometimes assume we know both the problem and

the answers to the problems and therefore see no real need to engage or

l isten to children and young people.

“Children have unique perspectives, which in the past have often been

ignored. This silencing of the voice of children came about because they

are considered to lack competence and experience, and their viewpoints

of the world are thought to be merely a reflection of what their parents or

teachers think. Listening to children does not imply doing everything that

children ask for, or giving children’s views more weight than adults, but

it means more respectful listening and taking into account of children’s

perspectives.”2

IICRD’s Circle of Rights methodology begins to address and bridge this

gap of understanding between adults, children and young people by

starting with children’s own perspectives, helping community stakeholders,

agencies and policymakers to develop integrated child rights policies,

programming and monitoring systems that build from local strengths

in meeting the challenges facing children, their peers, families, and

communities.

2 Gerison Lansdown “Promoting Children’s par t icipation in Democratic Decision Making”

PHOTO FRAME ACTIVITY, JARDIM REbOUçAS



CHILD PROTECTION RESEARCH, EASTERN DEMOCRATIC REPUbLIC OF CONGO 2013

CHERYL HEYKOOPCR and Protection Advisor

SUzANNE WILLIAMSDeputy and Legal Director

MICHELE COOKCapacity Director

STUART HARTDeputy and Academics Director

RENéE LORMé-GULbRANDSENAdministrative Director

VANESSA CURRIEAssociate

SOME OF THE MANY FACES OF IICRD

MICHEAL MONTGOMERY Senior Associate

MANUEL MANRIQUEAssociate

NANCY TAYLORProject Manager, CREDPRO

ELAINA MACKProject Manager, CAPE

NATASHA bLANCHET-COHENAssociate

CHRIS YEOMANSPrograms Director


PHILIP COOKExecutive Director

TARYN DANFORD CP and Gender Specialist

FINANCIAL STATEMENTSFINANCIAL SUMMARY as of March 31, 2013

This financial information is extracted from the 2013 financial statements audited by Schell and Associates. Copies of the complete audit report are available upon request.


ASSETS

Current Assets Capital Assets

LIABILITIESCurrent Liabilities Deferred Revenue

NET ASSETS

REVENUEFunding revenueAdministration revenueDonationsOther Income

EXPENSESProgramsAdministrationForeign Exchange (loss)Capital Outlays

12 months endingMarch 31, 2013

ASSETS39,8686,210

46,078

16,99553,00069,995

6,211

46,078

407,40757,900

151,59682

616,985

580,16857,7762,851

-

640,795(18,108)

12 months endingMarch 31, 2012

ASSETS335,449

8,830

344,279

135,727211,742347,469

8830

344,279

1,282,583142,66876,7633,182

1,505,196

1,385,465144,169

(980) -

1,528,654(12,020)

A C K N O W L E D G E M E N T S


Best known, nationally and internationally, for his work on and advocacy for early childhood development, Clyde Hertzman was a good friend of the IICRD. He was made an Officer of the Order of Canada for outstanding tal-ent and service. He contributed knowledge, skill, and fierce dedication to the development of global indicators on early childhood well being. IICRD has had the great honour to work in collaboration with Clyde and his col-leagues at HELP to link these early childhood indicators on well being with indicators on violence and abuse prevention both locally and internationally.Clyde’s death, just short of his sixtieth birthday, was a major blow. It came at the tale end of a visit to the UN to share some of his results. He is dearly missed, though we at IICRD are committed to contin-ue advancing his exceptional work to create a better world for children.


A good friend and former Chair of the board of Directors of IICRD, Valerie Fronczek also served on the Board of Directors of the International Play As-sociation (IPA), for many years, and was most recently involved in coordi-nating the development of a General Comment on Article 31 of the UN Con-vention on the Rights of the Child, approved by the UN in February of this year. Her contribution to the advancement of policy for children’s rights and her passion for children’s play was a guiding light for many. With Valer-ie’s passing, the world has lost a champion for children. Through her devo-tion to the cause and her relentless efforts, the world is a better place for children and families. Thank you Valerie for “giving it all you had”. We hope to continue in your footsteps. and make you proud of the work that contin-ues in your memory on behalf of the children who meant so much to you.


PARTNERS IN THE PROTECTION OF CHILDRENOur heartfelt thanks go out to our partners - Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), PLAN International,

the OAK Foundation, Vancouver Foundation, TransCanada, Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation (MARR),

Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Service Society (VACFSS), Nenan Dane zaa Deh Zona Children and Family

Services Society (Nenan) and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) for their major contributions and ongoing

support. Each of these organizations has made a unique contribution to child personal safety and well being by supporting

key projects or programs:

CIDA: www.acdi-cida.gc.ca

CINDE: www.cinde.ca

PLAN INTERNATIONAL: www.plan-international.org

THE OAK FOUNDATION: www.oakfdn.org

TRANSCANADA: www.transcanada.com

MARR: www.gov.bc.ca/arr

VACFSS: www.vacfss.com

NENAN: www.nenan.org

UNICEF: www.unicef.org

WORLD VISION : www.wvi.org

We applaud our partners for their commitment to improving the personal safety of children. The International Institute for

Child Rights and Development has been able to take great steps forward in large part due to our partners’ significant and

ongoing contributions, and for that we are extremely grateful.


SUPPORTERS OF THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT AND ITS PROGRAMS:The International Institute for Child Rights and Development is supported by many generous organizations in a number of innovative and resourceful

ways. It is only appropriate that a special area of our Annual Report be set aside for them, in recognition of their commitment to child protection and

their dedication to our work. A special thank you to the following for their financial and/or in-kind contributions during the 2011-12 year:

bernard Van Leer Foundation

Buen Comienzo, Municipality of Medellin

Canadian Child and Youth Health Coalition

Canadian International Development Agency

Carleton University

Centro Internacional de Educacion y Desarrolle Humano

Children’s Institute, University of Cape Town

Children’s Observatory, University of Colombia

Coast Capital Insurance

Colsubsidio

ECOPETROL

Fundacion PLAN

IICRD Volunteers

Instituto Inter-americano de Ninos

International Child Development Programme

International Children’s Center

International Organization of Migration

International School Psychology Association

International Society for the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect

International Standards Council

Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences

Latin American Pediatric Society

Microsoft Inc.

Ministry of Children and Family Development

Ministry of Social Solidarity, Department of National Social Reinsertion, Timor Leste

Nenan Dane_Zaa Deh Zona Children and Family Services

NGO Group for the Convention on the Rights of the Child

Oak Foundation

Open University

Plan International

Public Health Agency of Canada

Canacol Energy Limited

Red Caqueta Pas

Royal Canadian Mounted Police’s National Child Exploitation Coordination Centre

Save the Children

South Island Wellness Society

Subsecretaria de Espacio Publico

The J.W. McConnell Family Foundation

,TransCanada

Tulane University

UbS Optimus Foundation

UN Committee on the Rights of the Child

UNICEF

University of British Columbia

University of Ottawa

Vancouver Aboriginal Child and Family Services Society

World Health Organization

World VisionINTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT I 45

C O N N E C T W I T H U S THE INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT

PO bOX 8646 VICTORIA MAIN

VICTORIA, bRITISH COLUMbIA, CANADA I V8W 3S2

PHONE: (250) 361-3661 EXT 208 FAX: (250) 361-3665

EMAIL: [email protected] WEbSITE: www.iicrd.org

iicrd.org

Child Protection in Development Community of Practice

Join our community today to share your thoughts, find answers to

your questions, and learn with others from around the globe: cpic.iicrd.org


PUbLICATIONS• Blanchet-Cohen, N. & Cook, P. (2012). The transformative power of youth grants: Sparks and ripples of change affecting marginalized youth and

their communities, Children and Society, DOI:10.1111/j.1099-0860.2012.00473.x

• Cook, P., Heykoop, C., Anuntavoraskul, A. & Vibulphol, J. (2012). Action research exploring information and communication technologies and

child protection in Thailand. Development In Practice, 22-4, 574-588.

• Currie, V. and Heykoop, C. (2012). Child and Youth-Centred Accountability: A Guide for Involving Young People in Monitoring & Evaluating Child

Protection.

• “Using Child Rights to Protect Young Children from Violence: Designing a Community Protection Plan” (English adaptation).

PROJECT REPORTS• Heykoop, C. (2012). Young People in Transitional Justice Update.

INTERNATIONAL RECOGNITION OF IICRD• Blanchet-Cohen, N. and Nelems, R. (2012). “A Child-Centered Evaluation of a Psychosocial Program: Promoting Children’s Healing, Safety and

Well-being in Post-Disaster Contexts.” Children, Youth and Environments, Vol. 23, No. 1: 23-42.

• Cook, M. and Yeomans, C. (2012). “La ninez como polo de desarrollo” in Revista RS no. 44, Centro Internacional de Responsabilidad Social &

Sostenibilidad; pg. 78-79. Interview.

• Child Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group. (2013). “CAPE Guide for Involving Young People in Monitoring & Evaluating Child

Protection Systems.” Child Protection Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group. Newsletter. Issue 6, February, pg. 3.

• Heykoop, C. 2012. “Higher Education Information Supplement.” Macleans Magazine, Special Issue, pg. 9.

• J.W. McConnell Family Foundation. (2012). “building on Failure: Learning When Things Go Wrong,” Webinar. www.mcconnellfoundation.ca/en/

resources/multimedia/video/building-on-failure-learning-when-things-go-wrong.

• Preskill, H. and Beer, T. (2012). “Evaluating Social Innovation.” FSG Research Report.


SUPPORT US IN SHAPING CHANGE WITH CHILDREN

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Please mail to: International Institute for Child Rights and DevelopmentPO bOX 8646 VICTORIA MAIN VICTORIA, bRITISH COLUMbIA, CANADA I V8W 3S2

PHONE: (250) 361-3661 EXT 208 FAX: (250) 361-3665


Dignity, belonging and justice for children.

The International Institute for Child Rights and Development

is one of the world’s leading children’s charities dedicated

to building respect for children’s inherent human dignity, to

nurture their sense of belonging, and to reinforce justice at all

levels through strengths-based approaches to child rights.

We would like to invite you to join us! Support us in engaging

children’s perspectives and experiences, equip professionals,

policymakers and young people, and shift systems in the

areas of child proection and well-being, youth engagment and

community resilience, child justice and child rights education

for professionals. Your donations are tax deductible.


DIGNIT Y, BELONGING, AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN

www.IICRD.ORG

Documents

DIGNITY, BELONGING AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDRENDIGNITY, BELONGING AND JUSTICE FOR CHILDREN ANNUAL REPORT 2012-2013 INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR CHILD RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT 2012- ... This