Involving Children in Climate Change Adaptation

Child-‐Centered Climate Change Adapta1on Lessons from Asia

Kimberly Junmookda

GNO ROA Workshop Presenta<on

1 November 2016

Photo Courtesy of Plan Interna1onal Nepal

Part I

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Conclusion and further resources

Key Findings: Lessons Learned

A very short quiz!!

Introduc=on and context

Presenta-on Outline

25 minutes

•  9 Countries in the region have been involved in 4CA projects thus far (Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam). Projects have been funded by external donors including the Asia Development Bank, DFAT, DfID and Nordic Climate Facility.

•  2 More regional projects are in the pipeline as of November 2016. •  Growing internal capacity, experience and network! •  Building the credibility, regionally and interna<onally, of Plan in CCA.

This Presenta-on Will…

Share learnings from: •  The DFAT-‐funded Child-‐Centered Climate

Change Adapta1on project was implemented in three countries in Southeast Asia between 2014 and 2016. It involved Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and regional-‐level ac<vi<es, targe<ng 3347 beneficiaries in 23 communi<es.

•  In November 2015, our new regional Child-‐Centered Climate Change Adapta<on project was launched, funded by the German Federal Ministry of Environment (BMUB) and GNO. The project includes Indonesia, the Philippines and Thailand, as well as involving regional-‐level ac<vi<es.

Short Quiz! What do you think is the right response?

Quiz

•  Designing and implemen<ng adapta<on projects automa<cally involves children (T/F)

•  Boys and girls face similar vulnerabili<es; they should be reached in the same way (T/F).

•  Children already know and understand climate risks well (T/F).

•  It is always more effec<ve to involve boys and girls together when conduc<ng ac<vi<es (T/F).

•  It is always more effec<ve to involve children together with adults when conduc<ng ac<vi<es (T/F)

•  In many local communi<es, Plan is the only organiza<on championing climate change adapta<on (T/F).

Quiz

•  Local governments already have the ability to facilitate local adapta<on (T/F).

•  Involving children in climate change adapta<on is easy (T/F).

•  Most communi<es welcome the involvement of children (T/F).

•  What would be one example of a climate change adapta<on solu<on? ________________?

•  What would be one example of a climate change adapta<on solu<on involving children? ___________________.

•  What do you think the greatest challenge will be in terms of implemen<ng 4CA? ________________.

•  What about 4CA most mo<vates you? What are you most excited about? _______________.

Recap: The 4CA Model

It’s About Pu<ng Children at the Center of Climate Change Adapta-on!

Products Clients

Educa1on and Awareness

Community-‐Based Ac1on

Advocacy

Three Main Components

1. Educa<on and Awareness: Building the awareness of children, youth and communi<es to climate change’s impacts, by working with teachers, schools and local partners.

2. Community-‐Based Ac<on: Involving children in community-‐based adapta<on planning and implementa<on of solu<ons.

3. Advocacy: Empowering children and communi<es to understand their right to and take part building a climate-‐resilient future. Empowering them to have a role in local, na<onal and regional processes and to have a voice in decisions that affect them.

Here’s What We’ve Learned So Far….

Key Lessons In working with stakeholders: Engaging Government Stakeholders • Engaging government counterparts from the beginning. • Give agencies a sense of ownership -‐ give more prominence to the government if needed. • Capacity: In some contexts, much capacity already exists; in others, it may need to be built (don’t assume MOE officials or science teachers know about CC).

Working with Partners • Build the capacity of partners to engage in good child-‐centered CCA; iden<fy and address any gaps in their capacity. • Don’t just build capacity within Plan! Think about what capaci<es will be embedded ager the project ends. Local partners in the DFAT project con<nued to be 4CA champions ager the project ended.

Engaging Beyond “the Usual Suspects” • The mul7-‐disciplinary nature of CC means needing to work “ver<cally” (across sectors – environment, agriculture, water management, educa<on agencies) and “horizontally” (across levels – local, regional, na<onal). • In addi<on to formal partners of the project, parents and other community members can also be key project partners.

Iden<fying and Engaging Key 4CA “Champions”: Seek champions who will serve as ac<ve promoters of the 4CA approach. This could be a local government official, a local partner staff, village leader, parent, or highly ac<ve youth – seek them out!

Key Lessons In programming ac7vi7es: Ensure educa<on and awareness reach the most vulnerable children

•  Work with educa<on stakeholders at various levels – school teachers, school administrators, principals, district educa<on agencies, regional educa<on departments, ministries of educa<on.

•  Engage with out-‐of-‐school children and youth (MoEs ogen have Non-‐Formal Educa<on departments).

•  Mainstream curricula through various entry points: core curriculum, subject-‐specific (science, social studies, local knowledge) or extracurricular ac<vi<es.

•  Great success stories the Philippines (working through the ALS system).

Key Lessons

CCA Knowledge Requires Facilita<on and Transla<on

•  Ensure the appropriate content is taught by

facilitators (teachers, local and Plan staff), •  Translate climate informa<on so that the local

community can understand it (e.g., in terms of stresses on agriculture or climate variability).

•  Curriculum and learning materials need to be made child-‐sensi<ve and age-‐appropriate.

•  Consider various methods, including lessons conveyed through games and pictures.

•  Materials should also be tailored to the local language and context. They also need to complement well the local curriculum.

Reaching the Hardest to Reach In the DFAT project, we could have improved our ability to truly reach the most marginalized groups of children, including: •  Reaching girls •  Reaching out-‐of-‐school children and youth •  Reaching children with disabili<es •  Special approaches and partnerships are

needed (e.g., partnering with local CBOs specializing in reaching people with disabili<es).

Key Lessons

In Community-‐Based Ac<vi<es •  Ensure communi<es balance between u<lizing

science-‐based climate forecas<ng and local, indigenous knowledge.

•  Ensure not only the most vocal are heard in community mee<ngs; ensure community planning processes are inclusive.

•  Find ways to meaningfully involve children and youth -‐ some countries have been successful (PHL).

Acknowledge the Differen<al Gender and Age Roles within Communi<es: Encourage leadership from girls and women. Mainstream gender equality; create safe spaces to shig the power dynamic of women and girls. Consider differen<al gender and age roles when programming ac<vi<es.

•  Are women about to voice opinions in community planning mee<ngs?

•  Will children be able to receive informa<on in the same way as adults?

Maintain Conceptual Clarity: Ensure Everything Links to Increasing Children’s Adap<ve Capaci<es • Ensure con<nued reinforcement of the CCA concept, and the reason why we are engaging in the ac<vity in the first place. • Beware of ac<vi<es that drig from being centered around CCA and ensure there is a clear ra<onale why it is child-‐centered climate change adapta<on. • Ensure priori<zed community adapta<on ac<ons DO reflect community and children’s priori<es, not what the most powerful village leaders want. At the same <me, make an effort to integrate as much as possible the CCA understandings and ac<ons with DRR. Use opportuni<es where there is already engagement to teach children, community members and other project stakeholders about child protec<on, gender equality, health and sanita<on, among other key issues Plan supports. • At the same <me, be clear what the project IS and IS NOT. This helps ensure expecta<ons are met.

Key Lessons

. Knowledge and Communica<ons • Don’t forget to learn, document and share throughout the project. • Use M&E to inform itera<ve management and as informa<on useful for communica<ons/dissemina<on purposes. • Documenta<on, research and communica<ons support advocacy; They also help build credibility for Plan’s work in this space.

Key Lessons

Sepng Clear Advocacy Targets • Iden<fy key targets for advocacy – e.g., mainstreaming CCA curricula into all schools at the district-‐level by X date, then work towards this goal. New scale-‐up opportuni<es may also arise during the course of the project. • Be proac<ve in ensuring targets are influenced; understand the <ming of government decisions, who needs to be influenced and what is needed to ‘make the case.” Star<ng with the End in Mind • Pay asen<on to the cri<cal final year of ac<vi<es; don’t leave key outputs to the final 3 months of the project. Implementa<on becomes extremely risky, especially if the funding situa<on is uncertain. • Have a formal project “handover” to the local government, and as a way of thanking all stakeholders and signaling the end of the project officially. Use the event as an opportunity to engage higher-‐level decision-‐makers and reiterate the importance of sustaining 4CA approaches.

Key Lessons

Beyond the technical quality of the project, please consider:

The Importance of Good Project Management • Maintaining flexibility to iterate and improve approaches given unforeseen circumstances while maintaining rigidity about the quality and delivery of impacts promised in the results framework. • Delays at the beginning of the project need to be addressed; don’t risk further delays down the line.

•  Consider whether an extension is realis<cally needed.

Key Lessons

The Importance of Timing

•  Balance the need for planning with the need to demonstrate visible results; addressing longer-‐term impacts versus present-‐day community needs.

•  Consider sustainability, advocacy and scaling-‐up from the beginning! Don’t leave key project ac<vi<es un<l Year 3; don’t implement the bulk of key project ac<vi<es in the final months.

Individual adap1ve capacity

Community adap1ve capacity

System-‐wide adapta1on

Household adapta1on capacity

Working at Mul-ple Levels to Build Children’s Adap-ve Capacity

Building resilience

Further Resources

Conclusion

Next Steps Keep building our exper<se in implemen<ng impacuul 4CA programs! External sharing: Document, share and advocate with others

Internal sharing: Harness knowledge from our exis<ng network! Share between ROA and ARO!

Resources Further CCA resources •  Plan regional 4CA network •  Child-‐centered CCA research: UNICEF, Save the Children, Children in a Changing

Climate Coali<on (CCCC), ODI •  Adapta<on resources and networks: IISD, IIED, CDKN, UNEP EETU, UNEP

Global Adapta<on Networks (GAN), AdaptAbility, BRACED, •  External interna<onal plauorms, including WeAdapt (managed by SEI), ReliefWeb,

Preven<onWeb, Eldis •  CCA Tools: CARE, Oxfam, Mercy Corps

Relevant Plan approaches and tools •  CP approaches, including child par<cipa<on best prac<ces, and

disability inclusion approaches. •  CCCD approach •  Gender mainstreaming tools

Ques1ons?

Kimberly Junmookda Regional Climate Change Specialist Asia Regional Office Kimberly.junmookda@plan-‐interna<onal.org