Child-to-Child: A Practical Guide, Empowering Children as Active Citizens

This manual is one of the outcomes of the Child-to-Child (CtC) initiative in South London. Child-to-Child (CtC) is defined as an approach to health promotion and community development that is led by children. It is based on the belief that children can be actively involved in their communities and in solving community problems. CtC projects involve children in activities that interest, challenge and empower them. In so doing, the approach "encourages and enables children to play an active and responsible role in the health and development of themselves, other children, their families and communities".

CtC projects aim to achieve positive change on three levels:

1. Communal impact on families, children, local professionals and others, including increased knowledge and positive changes in health attitudes and behaviours, well as improved relations between adults and children or institutions and children.
2. Personal impact on children involved in the project, including increased knowledge and skills, improved self-confidence, and the development and strengthening of friendships and other relationships.
3. Professional impact on facilitators, including increased respect for children's ideas and abilities and increased use of child-centred learning and teaching methods.

In the United Kingdom, teachers, school nurses, youth workers, parents, community development officers and child care providers have used the CtC approach to support children, aged 9-13 years old, in developing and initiating community projects and awareness campaigns about issues of concern to them.

This manual outlines a structured process for working with children on projects that are child initiated and led. It is structured in a broad manner in order that children's ideas and concerns form the framework within which CtC projects take place.

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