Awakening the Giant Within: Children’s Committee Case Study

One of the most important features of Save the Children’s work is to make sure that children’s voices are heard by involving children directly to speak out on issues they face. The children’s committee model goes one step beyond child participation and not only provides a space for children to be heard but for children to act as agents of change for themselves and other children.

Children’s committees are awakening the potential of individual children and bringing them together to become “giants” within communities championing children’s rights. 

Between 2009 and 2011, Save the Children established a total of 140 Children’s Committees within schools and communities in the Free State and approximately 10 in Limpopo. Children’s committees are school or community-based groups that started off as peer groups or child participation forums, places where children could come together to talk to each other about their problems, do homework, and become more involved in after school activities such as sports, drama, art and activities. This publication presents the process and methodology that Save the Children employed in creating Children’s Committees. 

The case studies in this publication demonstrate that important work is taking place with children and by children. This is a valuable model not only for child participation in terms of involving children in productive school, recreational and peer group counselling activities, but also for empowering children to become involved in community activities that benefit other children.