Listen and Learn: Participatory Assessment with Children and Adolescents

This Tool sets out some specific considerations to be taken into account when working with girls and boys. It suggests a new approach to participatory assessments for children and adolescents. It describes the need for an ethical approach to participatory assessment and sets out the elements of such an approach. After providing some tips on preparation, the Tool then describes a range of participatory workshop methods that could be used by UNHCR, culminating in a sample workshop module. The list of methods is not exhaustive, and activities may need to be adapted to specific cultures, contexts and situations. A Resource Toolkit suggests further reading and links to useful websites, for additional support. The Annex contains a number of practical tools to assist in planning and conducting participatory assessments.

This tool was developed and field tested in 2011 in both camp and urban contexts in Jordan, Nepal, India and Kenya as part of a UNHCR consultation with refugee children and adolescents (aged 6-17) on UNHCR’s global strategic directions regarding the protection of children.