Harnessing Young People Voices to Catalyze Change In Education
Summary:
In recent years, the Government of Myanmar has made significant progress to enhance the education system. Myanmar's national education strategic plan aims to improve access to education for all children, however, as it gets implemented, there is a growing realization that the voices of those directly affected by the policy decisions are not being heard. Children themselves have not been consulted and their views, perspective, concerns and aspirations are not taken into account when developing education policies. To address this and give children an opportunity to shape decisions that affect them, a series of video-making workshops were conducted with children in 3 conflict affected areas in Myanmar. Girls and boys of lower-secondary school age, in and out of school, with and without disabilities, and from different ethnic groups, came together to learn about and produce a 1-minute film (click here for an example) presenting their own experiences of the barriers that prevent them from accessing and staying in schools. The films depict a range of issues, from gender norms, to bullying, to corporal punishment, to religion, to poverty and lack of male teachers that affect their experience of education. The most thought-provoking of these short films will be showcased in this session. The videos have been used effectively as tools to catalyze discussion in the community (parents, leaders, authorities, teachers) around everyone's role in support children education.
Background/Objectives:
As the national education strategic plan for Myanmar gets underway, there is a growing realization that it does not reflect the needs and aspirations of children and young people. Participatory video-making has been used to give children a voice and ensure that their experiences, perspectives and ideas shape the decisions that affect them. The project aims to empower young people, give them a voice, influence decision making and catalyze discussion in the community around everyone's role and responsibility in supporting the children's access to and completion of education.
Results/Lessons Learned:
The video making workshop gave children a voice to share their experiences, frustrations and ideas. The children gained confidence and felt empowered, while the resulting videos are being used as tools to inform decision making in Education and provoke dialogue and discussion in the community about everybody's role in supporting children in completing their education.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
This approach is a creative, practical way that equips children and young people with the confidence and skills so speak up and share their concerns and ideas. All children came away from the workshops feeling empowered, and they were able to go back to their schools or home settings and discuss what was preventing them from completing their education. The videos are also powerful tools to use in the community as a way of catalyzing discussion around the role that all community members (parents, leaders, teachers, authorities) play in support their children's education.
Abstract submitted by:
Alessia Radice
In recent years, the Government of Myanmar has made significant progress to enhance the education system. Myanmar's national education strategic plan aims to improve access to education for all children, however, as it gets implemented, there is a growing realization that the voices of those directly affected by the policy decisions are not being heard. Children themselves have not been consulted and their views, perspective, concerns and aspirations are not taken into account when developing education policies. To address this and give children an opportunity to shape decisions that affect them, a series of video-making workshops were conducted with children in 3 conflict affected areas in Myanmar. Girls and boys of lower-secondary school age, in and out of school, with and without disabilities, and from different ethnic groups, came together to learn about and produce a 1-minute film (click here for an example) presenting their own experiences of the barriers that prevent them from accessing and staying in schools. The films depict a range of issues, from gender norms, to bullying, to corporal punishment, to religion, to poverty and lack of male teachers that affect their experience of education. The most thought-provoking of these short films will be showcased in this session. The videos have been used effectively as tools to catalyze discussion in the community (parents, leaders, authorities, teachers) around everyone's role in support children education.
Background/Objectives:
As the national education strategic plan for Myanmar gets underway, there is a growing realization that it does not reflect the needs and aspirations of children and young people. Participatory video-making has been used to give children a voice and ensure that their experiences, perspectives and ideas shape the decisions that affect them. The project aims to empower young people, give them a voice, influence decision making and catalyze discussion in the community around everyone's role and responsibility in supporting the children's access to and completion of education.
Results/Lessons Learned:
The video making workshop gave children a voice to share their experiences, frustrations and ideas. The children gained confidence and felt empowered, while the resulting videos are being used as tools to inform decision making in Education and provoke dialogue and discussion in the community about everybody's role in supporting children in completing their education.
Discussion/Implications for the Field:
This approach is a creative, practical way that equips children and young people with the confidence and skills so speak up and share their concerns and ideas. All children came away from the workshops feeling empowered, and they were able to go back to their schools or home settings and discuss what was preventing them from completing their education. The videos are also powerful tools to use in the community as a way of catalyzing discussion around the role that all community members (parents, leaders, teachers, authorities) play in support their children's education.
Abstract submitted by:
Alessia Radice
Source
Approved abstract for the postponed 2020 SBCC Summit in Marrakech, Morocco. Provided by the International Steering Committee for the Summit. Image credit: Hnin Nwe Kyaw via YouTube