The Peer Support Programme is a key activity of the Youth Partnership Project and provides cohesion and structure for other project components.

YPP Peer Supporters, with the support of the Youth Motivators and YPP teams, are the core group of children and young people driving the project. YPP Peer Supporters are youth trained in Peer Support techniques for assisting youth at risk and survivors of trafficking and CSEC in local schools and shelters located in areas where there are high rates of trafficking. Peer Supporters work with youth in both one-on-one and group sessions, utilizing interactive & fun techniques to encourage discussion and share information.

The primary objective of the Peer Support Programme is to provide support to children and young people who may be vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation and promote awareness about the dangers of CSEC. The Peer Support Programme also empowers young Peer Supporters, who have an opportunity to develop their understanding of these issues and build self-confidence through helping their peers. The program strives to promote positive cultural change regarding traditionally taboo subjects related to CSEC and HIV by incorporating a range of strategies developed through collaboration with members of the local community.

The YPP Micro Project Scheme enables disadvantaged children and young people to develop and implement initiatives that they themselves identify as priorities. The goal is to encourage creative thinking among youth groups, inspiring them to develop activities of their own design. Projects are often linked to YPP trainings and core YPP Peer Support and Advocacy activities.

An important outcome of YPP Micro Projects are the valuable leadership skills and self-confidence gained by youth. YPP Youth Motivators take the lead on monitoring and supporting youth micro projects. In this way the Youth Motivators develop project management skills and the project proposals become increasingly well thought out and effectively implemented.

By giving vulnerable and exploited young people access to small grants while providing other forms of psycho-social support, children are able to pursue opportunities and initiatives that may be lacking in their lives. Activities funded can include drama, sports, arts, awareness-raising activities or creative projects that improve the lives of vulnerable children; and further contributes towards strengthening or initiating peer support programmes against CSEC.

The YPP Participatory Monitoring and Evaluation System, with a detailed set of measurable indicators, is ensuring best practice is identified, continuous learning occurs and quality improvement processes are implemented. Young people involved in the programme, supported by project staff, actively participate in this system. Information is collected through interactive workshops, interviews and discussions with youth involved in the work to assess project impact and effectiveness.

Lessons learned are documented and reviewed at team meetings to improve future action. YPP teams and the Peer Supporters in each of the project countries participate in capacity building sessions focused on monitoring and evaluation, including methodologies for conducting participatory evaluations to monitor progress and quality of the programmes.

The actual process of participatory evaluation includes interviews of various project stakeholders conducted by the children and youth, as well as interactive workshop sessions, focused group discussions and regular activity/progress reports. These processes are built into the annual project reporting cycles. Outcomes are based upon quantifiable baseline indicators developed with youth during the initial project planning phase.

Following up on the recommendations of the children and youth who participated in the World Congress I and II against the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children, ECPAT International established the ECPAT International Child and Youth Advisory Committee (EICYAC) in 2001 to provide a systematic structure and processes for young people to directly input into and influence the policies and programming of ECPAT International. This commitment was further strengthened by having an EICYAC youth represented at the Executive Board, the highest governing body of ECPAT International.

EICYAC Representatives are elected through the ECPAT member groups in their regions and serve for 3 year terms. EICYAC Representatives are between the ages of 16 and 25 with a demonstrated history of activities on CSEC related to the ECPAT movement, usually through their links with ECPAT groups. The main responsibilities of EICYAC members are to initiate, support and facilitate child and youth participation activities against commercial sexual exploitation of children at the local and international levels.

EICYAC representatives work closely with the ECPAT International Secretariat, mainly the Child and Youth Participation Officer, Regional Officers, and the ECPAT Board Representative for their region. EICYAC representatives benefit from their experience by gaining a deeper understanding of issues related to CSEC and young people’s participation, developing valuable networking and campaigning skills and an opportunity to attend ECPAT regional meetings, workshops and trainings.

ECPAT International is an active member of the Inter-Agency Working Group on Children’s Participation, which is a consortium of Bangkok-based organizations dedicated to promoting and implementing the meaningful and ethical participation of children in decisions made to further their rights and welfare. The other member agencies of the IAWGCP are; Knowing Children, Plan International, Save the Children Sweden SEAP, Save the Children UK SEEA, UNICEF EAPRO and World Vision Asia Pacific. A vital part of IAWGCP activities is advocacy for meaningful children’s participation in all areas of public and private life. IAWGCP publications are key tools for explaining why and how children should be included in this way.

One of the major work of this group has been on developing the Minimum Standards for Consulting with Children. These standards for children’s participation in events and meetings away from their home base are the result of inter-agency experiences and evaluations since 2000. The standards are accompanied by a detailed operations manual containing practical guidance on how to achieve them, from the first invitation to a meeting to follow-up activities after children return home.

ECPAT is committed to continuously improving the quality of children’s participation in our programmes and events and thus has actively engaged in promoting the Minimum Standards in all our consultations with children at the national, regional and international levels. Along with the Minimum Standards,

IAWGCP publications on children’s participation and citizenship can be downloaded here