Child to Child’s step approach

Using a series of linked activities, or ‘steps’, children think about the issues impacting their lives and the lives of their communities, make decisions, develop their life-skills and take action to promote health, education and development in their communities, with the support of adults.

The steps are as follows:

Choose and understand Children identify and assess their problems and priorities.

Find out more Children research and find out how these issues affect them and their communities.

Discuss what we found and plan action Based on their findings children plan action that they can take individually or together.

Take action Children take action based on what they planned.

Evaluate Children evaluate the action they took: What went well? What was difficult? Has any change been achieved?

Do it better Based on their evaluation children find ways of keeping the action going or improving it.

Different projects have developed different models with different numbers of steps. There is no “right” number of steps. What matters is that there is a sequence of activities that enables children to understand the issues around them and promote health, education and development.

Whilst the activities are frequently initiated by or with children, adults are available for support. Increasing meaningful participation is a slow and phased process ranging along a continuum from children’s active involvement to children directing initiatives.

To learn more about:

Our Participation Approaches          Early Childhood Education

Our idea          Why Participation Matters         Barriers to Participation