Children's views at Camp Sizanani Life Skills on mitigating environmental risks and poverty for a sustainable future

Abstract

Children’s participation in decision making processes was affirmed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to be a cornerstone of their human rights (United Nations (UN), 1989). The South African National Child Participation Framework (Save the Child South Africa, 2018) supports and encourages the involvement of children in various decision-making processes. Children are the most vulnerable to environmental risks and poverty in their communities. Although children have the right to participate in matters that concern them and to share their opinions on mitigating strategies for social, economic and environmental development (Lombard & Viviers, 2014:83), this right or their contribution is not always recognised. The goal of the study was to explore and describe children’s views at Camp Sizanani Life Skills in mitigating environmental risks and poverty for a sustainable future. The study adopted environmental justice as a theoretical framework. Incorporating green social work as a holistic and intradisciplinary approach to environmental justice framework, can ensure sustainable development. The study used a qualitative research approach, it was an applied study and used an instrumental case study as the research design. A non-probability purposive sampling method was used where 5 children in total were selected as participants from two of the six locations of Sizanani youth clubs, namely Orange Farm and Alexandra. Data was collected through photo-voice and one on one semi-structured interviews, guided by an interview schedule. Data was analysed by means of thematic analysis. The researcher abided to ethical standards for research where informed consent and assent together with voluntary participation were considered as the guardians of participants gave permission of their children to take part in research studies while children gave assent to voluntary participate in the study. Findings of the study indicate that the participants understand environmental risks such as pollution (land, water and air pollution) and inadequate sanitation and how these environmental injustices relate to poverty. Furthermore, children want to participate and have the ability to contribute solutions to mitigate environmental risks and poverty but need the support of stakeholders such as local government and CSLS to work together in providing services, raising community awareness on pollution and up-skilling and creating employment opportunities for people for a better standard of living. The study concluded that children have a great sense of ownership to mitigate environmental risks and poverty for a better future. Furthermore, to ensure that their voices are heard, they need to be linked to formal and available platforms that encourage child participation and ensure that they can influence political and other decisions that affect their lives. The study recommends that CSLC develop an outreach programme as part of their life skills programme that prepare the children in their clubs to influence decisions on reducing environmental risks in their community, either through existing or newly created children participation platforms. Furthermore, the study recommends a collective community action against pollution where green social workers can use their expertise of environmental protection, establishing and strengthening partnerships in the community and children must participate in programmes that promote justice.