WNCAC Meetings
The Washington Network on Children and Armed Conflict in conjunction with the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies Conflict Management Program would like to thank everyone who participated in the October meeting of the WNCAC.
Child Rights Framework:
What do we gain or lose from using it?
Date: December 8th, 2011
Time: 10 AM - 12 PM
Search for Common Ground
4th Floor Conference Room
1601 Connecticut Ave. NW
Washington D.C. 20009
Dupont Circle Metro North
Map & Directions
Child protection and development practioners often use a child rights framework in their work, both to motivate and frame intervetions as well as to mobilize communities to address protection and development needs of children in their care. The rights framework can bring both gains and losses to work and the protection of children, but the application and absorption of community members of such norms and how this qualitatively affects the lives of children and their families has not been sufficiently interrogated to understand the ultimate effects of its use. Dr. Nicole Behnam, children in emergencies specialist at World Vision, and Dr. Susan Shepler, Professor at American University, will jointly present on what their combined ethnographic reserach has revealed about the history and the effects of teh use of the child rights education in Sierra Leone. This will be followed by an in depth discussion between participants of their own experiences with this framework in other parts of the world - so please come prepared to participate!
Speakers
 Dr. Nicole Behnam has been working on programs for child-focused protection and education since 1995 and with World Vision since 2008 as a Senior Protection Specilaist and now as a Children in Emergencies Specialist on their rapid response team. Formerly she worked as a Child Protection Technical Specialist at the International Rescute Committee, as well as a Child Development Director with World Relief Sierra Leone. She has worked with, developed and managed child protection and non-formal education programs for conflict-affected children, children on the streets and abandonded children in places as varied as Sierra Leone, Mozambique, Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as inner-city Baltimore and the Caribbean. Nicole has a MA from the Johns Hopkins School for Advanced International and Public Affairs, where she focused on economics and international development. She also has a MA in Germanic Languages and Literatures from Harvard University, and a PhD in Education, Culture and Society from the University of Pennsylvania.
 Dr. Susan Shepler is a professor of international peace and conflict resolution. She recieved a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley from the department of Social and Cultural Studies in Education. Her ethnographic research is on youth and conflict generally, with a focus on the reintegration of former child soldiers in Sierra Leone. Other interests include post-conflict reconstruction, education and development, NGOs and gobalization, and the search for local solutions to conflict. She has conducted reserach for UNICEF on transnational fosterage of war-affected youth in West Africa. She is the recipient of fellowships from the Harry Frank Guggenheim Foundation, the Institute of Global Conflict and Cooperation, and the American Association of University Woemn. In addition to her academic work, she has participated in evalutiosn of Talking Drum Studio in Sierra Leone for Search for Common Ground and the Defense of Children International programming in Sierra Leone. She is the author of several book chapters and journal articles in the fields of youth studies, human rights, and african politics.
About WNCAC
The Washington Network on Children and Armed Conflict (WNCAC) is an informal network initiated in July 2004 by Search for Common Ground and the Displaced Children and Orphans Fund of USAID with the broad aim of improving the protection of children affected by armed conflict. Topics covered relate to such issues and areas of practice as child protection, education, and psychosocial interventions in emergencies; child soldiers; separated children; humanitarian relief, post-conflict development; conflict resolution; and peace building. WNCAC meets bi-monthly.
RAISING QUESTIONS:
If you are unable to attend the WNCAC meeting, but are interested in the topic, we'd like to invite you to submit your questions about the study to wncac@sfcg.org.
Announcements
2010 WNCAC Development Survey
Please check you emails next week and respond to our survey on the future of the WNCAC. We appreciate your feedback on previous events and correspondence as well as your thematic interests for the new year.
What Are We Learning About Protecting
Children in the Community?
An Inter-agency Review of the Evidence on Community-based Child Protection Mechanisms in Humanitarian and Development Settings
At the December 19, 2009, WNCAC meeting, Mike Wessells presented the findings of a study that he lead, What Are We Learning About Protecting Children in the Community? An inter-agency review of the evidence on community-based child protection mechanisms in humanitarian and development settings. The final version of the executive summary of the study report (22 pages) can now be downloaded from:
http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/en/54_10087.htm
Paper copies of the executive summary together with a CD ROM with the full text of the study report (110 pages) can be requested from Sarah Lilley
[S.Lilley@savethechildren.org.uk].
Requests should be sent by January 25th and include your name, title, job description, and full postal address.
A French version of the executive summary should be available from Save the Children UK in early February.
Notes from Previous Meetings
Please click here to view an archive of notes from previous WNCAC meetings.
Search for Common Ground (Washington DC)
1601 Connecticut Ave. NW, #200
Washington, DC 20009-1035
Phone: (202)265-4300
Fax: (202)232-6718
E-mail: sprelis@sfcg.org
|
Download
Download