Don’t Just Listen- Do Something! Lessons Learned about Governance from the Growing Up in Cities Project

Abstract

"Eight practitioners in the Growing Up in Cities project of UNESCO reflect on what they have learned in terms of how to move government officials and leaders of civil society to view children and youth as partners in creating livable cities. They describe their experience in participatory action research with children and youth, how they achieved successful outcomes, what they learned from mistakes, and strategies that they would apply if they were beginning a new initiative to ensure that city officials, community leaders and donors integrate young people into decision-making. The conclusion summarises the group’s shared wisdom regarding how to make certain that adults in power not only listen to young people but also take action on at least some of their recommendations. These reflections should have relevance for any action research project with young people."

Five key points are offered as advice from the Growing Up in Cities experiences to anyone who seeks to introduce participatory action research with children and youth in communities.

• It is important to have a broad-based alliance that includes some stable institutions that are committed to children and families and that have roots in communities, as well as organisations with multiple levels of influence. This means not just working through formal channels of government but also a broad array of actors in civil society, rooting participatory processes in organisations that “walk the talk” when it comes to children’s well being.
• Another key factor is political sophistication. It is necessary to know the local and city-wide political scene in order to know which organisations are likely to work together most effectively. It is also importnat to know how potential partners are viewed by other key groups that one seeks to influence, and to anchor projects in neutral, stable institutions that are generally accepted and respected by all parties. Another side of political strategy is seeing how to connect the project to a government agenda.
• A third important consideration is budgeting for outcomes. A challenge for participatory processes is that no one knows what young people will recommend until the end of the research process. Getting funders to accept this uncertainty and still to guarantee some outcomes is vital. Budgeting for long-term evaluation is also vital in order to ensure that all the parties involved know that they will be held accountable.
• It is necessary to know the right tools to engage young people and enable them to present present their experiences and ideas in compelling ways, as well as to know the ethical principles that guide the use of those tools.
• Project facilitators need to be adept at communication through a variety of media to reach a variety of audiences. This will include establishing a research base in academic journals and books, as well as reaching out to government officials and the public through popular media - radio and television programmes, newspapers and popular magazines, video, children’s books, and the internet.