Grooming the child for effective advocacy!
They may be young, but their voices are bold, clear, and powerful. In a focused training session hosted by Viva Network Zimbabwe in partnership Zimbabwe youth Council and Ministry of youth , children came together to learn how to speak up against child marriage and promote child participation in their communities. Through practical activities, open discussions, role-plays, and group reflections, these young leaders were empowered to lead advocacy efforts that can bring real change, not just in the future, but now.
The event, held at Redemption Ministries, brought together passionate young leaders who are committed to being the voice of children across the country. Through engaging sessions, role-plays, discussions, and practical advocacy planning, the young parliamentarians gained a deeper understanding of how to advocate for children’s rights in ways that bring real change.
What Makes Advocacy Effective
One of the main sessions focused on the basics of effective advocacy. Participants learned that:
- Advocacy means connecting, collaborating, and communicating effectively
- For advocacy to work, the message must be clear and focused on real change
- Using facts and real-life stories makes advocacy stronger
- The right stakeholders must be involved, such as government departments, churches, and community organizations, civil society organizations, etc.
- Advocacy is a long-term journey that needs consistency and relationship building
- Advocacy is not confrontation, violence or resistance, it is making sure the message of changed is passed on in the most effective way!
To make the session practical, the participants created and performed a skit saying NO to child marriage. The drama included input from fictional representatives of the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), the Ministry of Women Affairs, the Ministry of Education, community-based organisations, and Viva Network Zimbabwe. The skit ended with a creative awareness song by the ZRP showing how drama and music can make advocacy memorable.
Promoting Child Participation; assignment of the day!
To prompt action, the children present were tasked to go and start advocacy towards child participation. In preparation for effective advocacy toward child participation, the young leaders highlighted that:
- Child participation children under 18 being part of decisions and actions that affect their lives
- Child participation is needed in the home, school, church, and community
- The barriers children face include cultural stereotypes that say “children should not speak when elders are talking”
- To advance participation children and adults in positions on influence must create safe spaces for children to speak, champion the culture of listening to children, include children on decision making tables and lead from the front by modeling the message they are spreading.
To demonstrate these ideas, participants acted out short dramas showing common struggles between children and parents when it comes to adults listening or just giving children a voice. The role-plays revealed that communication styles matter and that sometimes, children feel more understood when their peers help mediate conflict with adults.