KEY LESSONS around involving children and youth in climate change adaptation, based on Plan International's work in Asia. You can also listen to the podcast (audio recording) here below! PART 1 https://soundcloud.com/user-594674169/involving-children-in-climate-change-adaptation-part-1 PART 2 https://soundcloud.com/user-594674169/involving-children-in-climate-change-adaptation-part-2

1. Child-­‐Centered Climate
Change Adapta1on
Lessons from Asia
Kimberly Junmookda
GNO ROA Workshop Presenta<on
1 November 2016

2. 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

3. • 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.

4. 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.

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

6. 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).

7. 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?
_______________.

8. Recap:
The 4CA Model

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

10. ProductsClients
Educa1on
and Awareness
Community-­‐Based Ac1on
Advocacy
Three Main Components

11. 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.

12. 2.
Community-­‐Based Ac<on:
Involving children in
community-­‐based
adapta<on planning and
implementa<on of solu<ons.

13. 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.

14. Here’s What We’ve
Learned So Far….

15. 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.

16.
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.

17. 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!

18. 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).

19. 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.

20.
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).

21. 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?

22. 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

23.
. 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.

24. 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.

25. 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.

26. 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.

27. 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

28. Further Resources

29. 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!

30. 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

31. Ques1ons?

32.
Kimberly Junmookda
Regional Climate Change Specialist
Asia Regional Office
Kimberly.junmookda@plan-­‐interna<onal.org