Adolescents can be powerful agents of change when given the opportunity. In India, through Action Education's Child Vulnerability Mapping and Planning (CVMP) initiative, supported by UNICEF, young leaders in five districts of Odisha are identifying unsafe spaces and advocating for child-friendly environments. Their efforts have resulted in 135 proposals submitted to their local governments, the Gram Panchayats, marking an important step towards creating safer and more inclusive communities for children, writes Jyoti Prakash Brahma, Senior Programme Manager of Action Education's Migration Information Resource Centre (MiRC).
Teenagers: agents of change
Teenagers can be powerful agents of change within their communities. Engaging them in meaningful activities not only builds their skills and resilience, but also fosters their leadership and encourages them to actively participate in local decision-making processes.
Action Education, with support from UNICEF, has launched effective grassroots programmes that aim to understand and respond to the specific needs of adolescents, while empowering them to take action. One of the main initiatives is child vulnerability mapping and planning, which enables adolescents to identify unsafe spaces and assess the needs of children in their villages, in order to create safer, child-friendly environments.
This initiative, supported by Anganwadi workers and ADVIKA - an Odisha government platform for adolescent empowerment - takes a proactive approach. Adolescents go around villages, mapping dangerous areas and identifying infrastructure gaps, all of which are validated by the village Child Protection and Welfare Committee. Their findings are then presented to the local governors, the Gram Sabhas, to influence local governance and ensure that these issues are addressed in the development plans of the Gram Panchayats.
On August 15, adolescents confidently submitted 135 proposals from five districts, advocating for 862 village-level improvements. These efforts are part of Action Education's ongoing collaboration with district administrations in Odisha, supported by UNICEF, to ensure that migrant and vulnerable children are included in the government's social protection programmes.
The success of this initiative highlights the potential of young people to bring about positive change in their communities, underlining the importance of empowering teenagers to actively participate in local governance.
Powerful voices to embody change
"It was a great experience for me and my friends to take part in the Gram Sabha. Not only did we present our applications, but we also took part in the decision-making process. It gave us immense self-confidence".
"The participation of teenagers in the Gram Sabha helps us to understand children's problems. We are going to develop child-friendly facilities and ensure that our panchayat is child-friendly".
