Supporting Vulnerable Children to become Youth Leaders in South Africa: Shaping the Future of the Isibindi Safe Park Model Nationally

本项目将在新的背景下应用AH/P007511/1（困扰国家品牌和表达隐藏的历史：参与式电影制作作为国际发展和社区赋权的工具）的研究成果，一方面在社区层面产生重大的新影响，另一方面在国家政策层面产生重大影响。在最初的研究中，我们探讨了社区主导的艺术干预——特别是参与式电影制作项目——如何被用来挑战3个oda受援国在国际上使用国家层面的“软实力”叙事来“塑造”国家的方式。具体来说，我们的目标是支持这些国家中那些感觉自己被排除在这些叙述之外的特定社区：印度的“去噪部落”，巴西的“歌伦波族”或前奴隶社区，以及南非非法移民的“无证儿童”。在这里，我们特别关注参与式电影制作的潜力，作为一种支持基层宣传的工具，以提高对这些群体在社会中不稳定地位的认识。这个后续项目将以南非为重点。我们将把我们的原始研究成果应用于：1)利用在上一个项目过程中出现的基层（以南非为例，特别是以青年为主导的）倡导模式，开发一个以艺术为基础的“青年领导”计划，以支持许多Isibindi安全公园（ISP）的工作，这些社区组织帮助南非Ekurhuleni市的弱势儿童和年轻人。在这个过程中，我们将显著扩大原有项目在社区层面的影响，吸引新的年轻人群体。2)通过与全国儿童保育工作者协会（NACCW）合作，在南非产生重大的国家级政策影响，NACCW与我们联系，目的是利用我们的研究为ISP项目的国家标准提供信息，并提供培训以支持这些标准的实施。在此过程中，我们还将开展一项由儿童主导的宣传活动，以支持全国儿童权利委员会努力提高对互联网服务提供商方案及其在全国的价值的认识。因此，我们的项目将为在南非实现联合国可持续发展目标做出重大贡献，特别是可持续发展目标4（优质教育）、5（性别平等）、16（强大的和平与正义机构）、17（实现目标的伙伴关系）。这些当然是相互关联的。然而，这个项目也认识到两者之间的紧张关系。例如，在实践中，注重建立“强有力的机构”（可持续发展目标17）在多大程度上能与注重“各级参与性决策”（可持续发展目标16）或“性别平等”（可持续发展目标5）相对立？“和平”社会的建设可能会受到对“包容”社会的需求的挑战，在这个社会中，每个人的声音都能得到倾听和尊重（可持续发展目标16）？了解可持续发展目标之间的交叉点和紧张关系，以及它们在实地实现的过程，是我们最初研究的核心，我们从这方面的早期项目中吸取的教训将对后续项目的成功至关重要。此外，我们的项目还将支持《联合国儿童权利公约》（UN Convention on the Rights of the Child）的实施，特别是第12条：“每个儿童都有权在所有影响他们的事情上表达自己的观点、感受和愿望，并让他们的观点得到考虑和认真对待。”

This project will apply the research findings from AH/P007511/1 (Troubling the National Brand and Voicing Hidden Histories: Participatory Filmmaking as a tool for International Development and Community Empowerment) in a new context, in order to generate significant new impact at community level, on the one hand, and at national policy level on the other. In the original research, we explored how community-led arts interventions - in particular participatory filmmaking projects - could be used to challenge the way national level 'soft power' narratives are used to 'brand' the nation internationally in 3 ODA-recipient countries. Specifically, we aimed to support particular communities in these countries who feel themselves to be excluded from these narratives: the 'Denotified Tribes' in India, the 'Quilombos', or ex-slave communities in Brazil and the 'undocumented children' of illegal migrants in South Africa. Here we were particularly focussed on the potential of participatory filmmaking as a tool to support grass-roots advocacy to raise awareness of these groups' precarious place in society. This follow-on project will focus on South Africa. We will apply our original research findings to:1) use the model of grass-roots (in the case of South Africa, specifically youth-led) advocacy that emerged over the course of the previous project to develop an arts-based 'youth-leadership' programme to support the work of a number of Isibindi Safe Parks (ISP), community-based organisations that help vulnerable children and young people across Ekurhuleni Municipality in South Africa. In the process we will significantly extend the community-level impact of the original project, engaging new groups of young people.2) generate significant national-level policy impact in South Africa by working with the National Association of Child Care Workers (NACCW), who have approached us with the aim of using our research to inform the national standards of the ISP programme, and to deliver training to support the implementation of these standards. In the process, we will also deliver a child-led advocacy campaign to support NACCW's efforts to raise awareness of the ISP programme and its value nationally.Thus, our project will make a significant contribution the delivery of the UN Sustainable Development Goals in South Africa, in particular SDGs 4 (Quality Education), 5 (Gender Equality), 16 (Peace and Justice Strong Institutions), 17 (Partnerships to achieve the Goals). These are of course interrelated. However, this project also takes cognisance of the tension between them. To what extent, for example, can a focus on the creation of 'strong institutions' (SDG 17) in practice work against a focus on 'participatory decision-making at all levels' (SDG 16), or 'gender equality' (SDG 5)? How might the construction of a 'peaceful' society be challenged by the need for an 'inclusive' society, where everyone's voice can be heard and respected (SDG 16)? Understanding the intersections and tensions between the SDGs, as they are realised on the ground, was central to our original research, and our learning from this earlier project in this regard will be important to the success of this follow-on project. Moreover, our project will also support delivery of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, specifically Article 12: 'Every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously.'