Starting Up Child Centered Spaces in Emergencies: A Field Manual

in a variety of activities, such as helping organize activities for younger children,taking on responsibilities in the community for projects such as clean-up campaigns,and developing and performing dramas for the community on issues thatare relevant to them. Because youth may have limited education, literacy coursesand life skills workshops about communication, cooperation and nonviolent conflictresolution are good ideas to consider. Discussion of issues with other youth is avaluable activity that can help them process their experiences during and after theemergency, and help them cope with current challenges in their lives.Youth should be:• Approached and treated in a respectful manner• Safe from exploitation• Free to speak their minds• Encouraged to have fun• Able to feel useful, enter age-appropriate social roles and help others• Able to learn and distribute important health and safety messages• Able to use their developing abilities to find and implement creativesolutions to the real problems that they and others faceActivitiesYouth should be involved in developing their own activities. The following arepossible ideas that may be of interest to them:• Use drama, song and dance to spread health and safety messages• Hold meetings to find ways to solve community problems• Create sports teams, dance and drama clubs• Arrange music, dance, drama, etc., performances for the community• Find age-appropriate ways to earn moneyAdultsCCSs may also be used as a central meeting point for families and communityleaders to organize around the needs of children and begin the planning processto address other critical community needs. Thus, the CCS can serve as a focalpoint for wider community action and assessment of next steps. CCF, in conjunctionwith the local community, will begin a rapid assessment of community needsas CCSs are being established. In this way, immediate activities for child protectionare begun while an examination of critical areas is in progress. Some of theimportant areas for rapid assessment are: insecurity/landmines, critical health andnutrition needs, basic needs for shelter and water and sanitation, primary healthcare needs, and other community priorities The CCS can also serve as a centralplace for dissemination of information about relief services, providing education tofamilies and communities about health and other concerns, and as a delivery sitefor aid (food distribution, immunization programs or delivery of non-consumableitems). (Refer to IASC Guidelines 8:1 – Dissemination of Information.) Using theCCS in this way helps keep child protection and well-being central to multi-sectoralemergency responses.48