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Children | FAQs
At Raising Voices, our aim is not to tell people what to think but to engage them in a conversation. Thus, we host discussions, present points of view, discuss research and invite critical reflection on violence against children. If at the end of that process people want to take action, then we suggest practical ways in which they can do so.
Raising Voices works with TV and radio stations, as well as print media, to foster a public conversation on violence against children. For example, we produce short dramas for radio and films for TV, as well as write opinion pieces, to help reframe the issue of violence against children. We also provide subject matter expertise to members of the media and influential voices in the community (among others) to promote a factual, prevention-focused discussion on violence against children. In partnership with community-based organizations, we have hosted more than 1,000 community events throughout Uganda. If you would like to collaborate to bring these conversations to your communities please contact us.
In all we do, we work to promote children’s dignity. One way we do this is by providing subject matter expertise to policymakers and others involved in the policy process. For example, we comment on drafts of policy documents to ensure children’s priorities are protected and that their rights and dignity are respected, as well as to ensure there is sufficient national-level investment in protecting children from violence. Please reach out if you are in need of policy expertise.
While we do not have offices in other countries, we do partner with organizations wherever they are to prevent violence against children. We are also involved in many international processes that address violence against children—such as through the Coalition for Good Schools —with a particular focus on promoting the voices of Global South actors in international decision-making on this subject.
The Good School Toolkit isn’t a curriculum; it’s a process for creating violence-free schools. It breaks down what needs to happen into six steps that can be implemented by teachers, students and other stakeholders at schools. The Toolkit describes ideas, provides tools, suggests activities and helps you assess how you are progressing.
You can use it in your own way, at your own pace. If you need help using these ideas in your program or at your school, reach out to us!
The Good School Toolkit is available for free use by any school or organization for nonprofit purposes. We believe this is important to build the field of violence prevention and to support positive social change.
However, if you are part of an international organization or if you are planning to use the Toolkit in a large-scale program, we ask for your commitment to ensuring child safeguarding and ethical use before materials are downloaded and used.
The Good School Toolkit was originally developed for primary schools. We have since adapted it for secondary schools. We are also developing a version for implementation at scale, and others have adapted the Toolkit for implementation in diverse settings, such as for refugee settlements.
Yes! Raising Voices partners with organizations in Uganda and beyond. This includes providing ongoing technical assistance in which organizations interested in using the Toolkit go through the training together and receive remote and on-site technical support over the length of the program.
Raising Voices does not conduct one-off training for individual organizations, as we have found this to be ineffective, costly and unsustainable. If you are interested in participating in a Toolkit training alongside other partners, please contact us. Online training courses will soon be available to the public as well.
We are also happy to have an initial discussion after you have reviewed the Toolkit materials to help determine if the process is right for your organization, as well as provide technical assistance during implementation.
Raising Voices is not a funding agency. We are unable to provide funds for Toolkit implementation.
The Good School Toolkit can be used as a library of ideas on how to work on preventing violence against children at school. Do bear in mind that in our experience, several things are needed for sustainable change to emerge: You have to engage the whole school, and the process has to be long enough for people to learn and grow into the new way of running their school. Your intervention should also address the school’s operational culture.
As with any change process, the impact will vary based on how you implement the intervention, the school’s motivation for and openness to preventing violence against children, the structural and political support from education policymakers and other contextual factors. However, the Good School Toolkit has been rigorously evaluated to assess its impact in schools.
Uganda’s National Curriculum Development Centre has approved the Toolkit’s use in the country’s academic institutions. The approval process involved a rigorous review of the Toolkit’s methodology and materials, and the experience could help guide future national-level approval as the Toolkit’s use expands globally.
Yes! Although the Good School Toolkit primarily addresses violence against children in schools, it does create opportunities for parents and community members to get involved. Furthermore, teachers and students are encouraged to take the ideas discussed in school to their community and homes, and many organizations develop activities to engage the surrounding communities.
The Toolkit has six steps. You could complete two steps per school term and, thus, all six steps within about 18 months. However, your progress entirely depends on your school’s specific needs.
The whole school! However, your Good School Committee will help coordinate the activities and spread the ideas introduced in each step. This group of two students, two “teacher protagonists” and two school-affiliated community members will also participate in special learning and skill-building modules. You’ll learn more about forming the Good School Committee in Step 1 (“Your Team & Network”).
The Toolkit outlines every activity in detail. You’ll find easy-to-follow instructions, monitoring checklists and ready-made materials. You can customize the Toolkit to your needs or follow it step by step from beginning to end.
The school administration must first approve the school’s implementation of the Toolkit. The Toolkit is then implemented by teachers, students and community members who:
You do not need any special resources or a large budget to implement the Toolkit. Most of the activities involve reflection and in-person communication, such as dialogues, school assemblies and clubs to discuss Toolkit materials.
As with any activity, Good School Toolkit implementation does involve some costs—such as school staff’s time and making copies of resources. But we’ve intentionally designed the Toolkit to keep expenses minimal, allowing a diverse range of schools to implement it.
Each step includes a monitoring checklist that will enable you to track your progress by detailing what you did, your challenges and your successes. Completing these checklists sparks self-reflection as you prepare to move to the next step.
We encourage you to join the Peer Learning Network, where schools like yours and the teachers within them share the ideas, skills and tools they have developed. Download Step 1 of the Toolkit for more information (the network registration form is on page 64). Raising Voices also participates in the network and can provide technical assistance or guidance in Toolkit implementation.
The Good School Toolkit’s introductory package provides a good overview of the Toolkit’s six-step process to help you create a good school. You can also contact us!
