Group discussion:
About Roots Meeting 2004
Preparatory Meetings April 2003

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Summarized by Calle Bengtsson, Kalmar, Sweden

Summarize of a group discussion betweeen children, teachers and mayors. Representatives from all four countries (Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Sweden) was present. This is their common thoughts.

Question: What can we do to move on?
About the work that will lead to Roots Meeting 2004

About and for the children:

  • Eduation (”Life skills”)
    Cooperation oriented knowledge: How do you discuss, how do you debate, how do you face you fellow human beings? ("Cooperation")
  • World Orientation
    What do we know about each other, what do we want to know, what do we need to know, what is it like in our surroundings, where and how are the decisions made and how can we have influence?
  • Writing letters
    Between each other, so they get to know each other better.
  • Awareness
    The children need to know that they really can have influence.
  • Involvement
    The children needs to be involved in the decision making. E.g. directly in the society where the decisions are made, but also via youth councils, youth parlaments, etc.
  • Respect
    Respect of the Rights of the Child and work so they are used.


About and for the teachers:

  • Use the schools more in education and preparation for the Roots Meeeting 2004.
  • To respect the children as independent individuals and to take them seriously.
  • Think about how the teachers discussions (during Roots Meeting 2004) can change so that you avoid subjects from being repeted and old, and at the same time make them more deep and rewarding.
  • The teachers must make sure that the children gets opportunities to write down their thoughts, ideas, feelings, etc. This without the teachers trying to intervien or influence the children.

About and for Mayors (Local Leaders):
  • Use their influence to get support to the Globetree, by promoting and through direct financial support.
  • Lower the level of the discussions, so that everyone can follow them and understand.
  • To respect the children as independent individuals and to take them seriously.
  • Be more concrete and tell children (and the others) what needs to be done and what can be done. It is important to be clear.
  • Reporting back: telling what has happened on the local level, etc.
  • More team work and team building between Mayors, but also between Mayors and children, to make it easier to have discussions and to make the participants more open hearted.
  • Invite more colleagues.


Important practical issues:

  • Involve more areas, both locally and regionally. But also internationally (more countries). Also involve NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations).
  • In a greater extent use the local abilities on site, for the Roots Meeting 2004, for practical things, etc.
  • More cultural interaction on all three levels (children, teachers and Mayors). First with each other and then cross the boundaries of the groups and mix them up (children and adults from different areas in different groups). Maybe this should be on the first 2 days of the Roots Meeting 2004, and then start the group discussions. This to make the discussions more rewarding. This cultural exchange can be done by dance, song, theatre, sport, etc.
  • Culture Education: in each others cultures, but also in your own to be able to tell others about it. Both at home and during the Roots Meeting 2004, to think about how we can integrate our cultures.
  • Make sure that everybody understands the subject of the discussion. This is made both by interpret between languages - at all time - and by making sure that everyone understands the purpose of the discussions.
  • More time should be given to discussions, conversations, etc. But also more time at the destination for visits of places worth seeing. Also more time that the groups can use for their own disposal. A less tight schedule is important, so that you can decide to use more time for a special debate or trip that was not planned ahead.
  • Place the Roots Meeting 2004 in different locations, to promote the multitude.
  • Summarizes of what has happened earlier and the things that has happened on the last meetings should be given at the beginning of every Roots Meeting. Documentation of this should also be available. Everything so it is easy to get involved in the work, both by new participants and old, and also so you don't have to "re-invent the wheel" over and over again.
  • More documentation! It is important that nothing disappears. Someone should make notes of everything that is said in every discussion group, so that all thoughts can be refelected on later on.
  • Put together a "scrap book" about the different countries, with information about each other, to make it easier to understand each others life situations.
  • More diversifikation between the children. That means we should make sure that children of different ages can participate. Also children from different schools, handicapped childrena and children from different social classes should participate. It is important to show that there is a big mandate from the children.
  • Partents, grandmothers and grandfathers should be invited, to get their view of the different subjects.
  • Information should be sent out with a big margin, to give more time for preparations.
  • Make sure a lot of important people, people with power, people with leadership, people with spirit, participate at the Roots Meeting and strive to get their active support.


Problem issues of interest:
E.g. ideas for discussions and visits

  • Aids/HIV
  • The tree problem
  • Street kids, kids in the slum
  • Free ”Secondary School” in East Africa
  • The water problem
  • The financial problem
  • The illegal killing of wild animals
  • Child abuse
  • Equal rights
  • Womens influence
  • Influence for children and youth
  • Circumcise

Question at issue:
To ask ourselves during the project:

  • "Have the things discussed been implemented in the things now taking place?"
  • "What is the purpose of this organisation, discussion, group, etc?"
    "Vad är målet med denna organisation, diskussion, grupp, osv?"
  • "How can this be made better? In every situation - a continous evaluation."