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| The adolescents of Oeletsala village, Kupang, gained new confidence to speak up and voice their ideas through the 'adolescent circle'' © UNICEF Indonesia/2017/Liz Pick |
“It’s
definitely never happened before. I never thought adults would ever listen to
children’s ideas. But the head of the village did listen to us and now we have an easier life.”
So
says 17-year-old Ina who lives in Oeletsala village near Kupang, a city in the western end of Timor Island in Eastern Indonesia. She and about 40 others from three nearby villages are part of a
pilot programme to help adolescents learn to recognise risks in their
environment and identify potential solutions using UNICEF’s Adolescent Kit for
Expression and Innovation.
The
adolescent kit is a set of tools and supplies for a series of facilitated learning
sessions, known locally as adolescent circles,
which lead groups of young people through activities that stimulate team-work, leadership
skills, creative-thinking and problem-solving. It has been used all over the
world to provide constructive learning and age appropriate activities for young
people in the aftermath of natural disasters and conflict.
Here
in Indonesia, the kit is being piloted in 35 villages to empower adolescents
to prepare for and respond to emergencies and disasters. With the support of
implementing partner ChildFund and its network of local community organisations,
adolescent circles in Kupang, Ende, Lampung and Boyolali have explored climate
change and disaster-related issues affecting their local communities ranging
from drought and flood to fires and volcanic eruptions.
In
Kupang, the long annual dry season led all groups to focus on how to improve
the year-round water supply. However, while each circle identified the same
overarching issue, they came up with slightly different solutions tailored to
their specific local concerns.
“Once
we had chosen to focus on the water supply issue, we decided to survey adolescents
at the water point to find out what they thought. It turned out that we all had
the same problem,” says 15-year-old Willie, a member of the Oeletsala village
adolescent circle.
Collecting
water is generally done by older children each morning and evening. The
distance of the water supply point from the village meant children were waking
up as early as 4am to collect water for their family before school. They were often
late to school and had little free time to play with friends.
After
considering the feasibility of several different ideas, such as rainwater tanks
and a water truck, the Oeletsala group settled on their preferred solution – installing
a water pump at the centre of the village.
They
started plotting out the requirements, drawing diagrams and maps of the project
area and creating a simple prototype from cardboard to help visualise it. They later
approached their parents to present the idea at the annual village planning
meeting.
“Some
people told us: ‘You’re only children, what do you know about this? Don’t try
to give advice about things you know nothing about’,” says 18-year-old Devi. “But
we didn’t let that discourage us. Eventually some adults stopped and listened
to what we had to say and that gave us the confidence to continue.”
Ayub
Meto, the village chief said he could not recall a time when children had ever
taken an active role in village affairs before this. “I was so surprised to
receive the proposal from the children through their parents. I thought to
myself, ‘these young people are not children anymore.’ They can now express
their ideas and are thinking about the village’s wellbeing through the
activities in this adolescent circle.”
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| Oeletsala village chief Ayub Meto transformed the adolescent circle's vision for a water pump into reality © UNICEF Indonesia/2017/Liz Pick |
He
was so impressed by the children’s initiative that he agreed to allocate
Village Funds to complete the project. A pump house was built in a central
location and now supplies the village with water for drinking, washing and
farming without the need for a long walk.
The
overwhelmingly positive results convinced the village leadership to commit additional
funds for two more water pumps this year.
“I
was really moved to find that the children in our village have so much
potential and ability. We need this young generation in this village but we
tend to underestimate children and their ideas.”
Pak
Meto says he plans to make sure their voices are heard in future by formalising
the involvement of children at various stages of the village planning process
to contribute through information gathering and the youth forum.
Aside
from increased water availability and access, there have been other less
tangible but no less obvious benefits for the adolescent circle participants. Most
group members say they were very shy before taking part but have acquired new confidence
in themselves and expressing their ideas.
“In
the sessions, we have discussions and learn how to respect each other and other
people’s ideas,” says Chris. “This circle has really given me advantages for my
future because it has helped me find out what I am good at and develop new
skills like leadership and public speaking.”
Dewi
agrees, saying she thinks the skills she learned in the adolescent circle will
help her when she starts university later this year.
“I
used to be so shy, I didn’t think people would listen to my ideas but now I know
that with some effort I can put my ideas into action,” she says Dewi, adding
that it has inspired her peers to continue playing an active role in creating
opportunities for themselves.
They
have set their sights on a new project – a daily school bus for students
attending the senior secondary school. They hope regular transport will enable
more of them to complete high school by making the distance less prohibitive.
“Now
that we’ve seen our idea become a reality we’ve realised that adolescents have
a role to play to make our situation and living conditions better. We can have
a say in our future.”
