We aim to train 10 Youth Advocates in France, actors of children's rights, who are committed to the fight against violence. They will specifically be trained on: - Children's rights, - Sexist and sexual violence, - Risks related to the Internet and social networks, - Public speaking, - The animation of awareness-raising actions. They will carry out specific actions in the form of games and theatre-forum with the other students of their high school.
Recent events in France demonstrate that too many children are victims of violence. While one child out of five is a victim of sexual abuse, the culture of silence is strong among them. When children are victims of abuse, it can be difficult for them to disclose it to an adult. They may turn to their friends to confide in them. This is why we want to train 10 Youth Advocates in French high schools who will lead several actions with their peers to fight against violence and carry out solidarity.
The Youth Advocates will address these topics during their workshops: - Simulation of real-life scenarios to identify dangerous situations, - Information on emergency numbers and resource persons to ask for help in case of violence, - Gender equality, - Risks related to the use of the Internet and social networks, - International solidarity. The Youth Advocates will thus be designated as spokespersons for children's rights in their school.
This new program is directly inspired by our experience in the field and our best practices in the Philippines, which have proven their worth: in 2020, the 50 CAMELEON Youth Advocates in the Philippines raised awareness among 2,133 children and 300 parents. We are convinced that young people are actors of change and that they can also become actors of their rights, and we aim to train more and more advocates in France to protect children from potential violence and abuse.
