Skip to main content

Toolkits and Methodologies

Here our partners share toolkits, learning and methodologies from their previous work with young people and civil society in communities with experience of conflict.

As Changing the Story develops, we'll also be building new resources, created in partnership with academics, civil society organisations, practitioners and young people.

ReSpace (Kosovo and Rwanda) Resource Catalogue

Access free resources including toolkits and 'how to' videos created by the ReSpace (Kosovo and Rwanda) project team on animation, stop-motion, ethnography, archival research, mapping, 360 filming and much, much more!

ImaginingOtherwise Youth Art Toolkit

The Youth Arts Toolkit is a collection of workshops (some online, some in person) that were developed over the year of the Imagining Otherwise project (South Africa) This resource is for anyone who wants to use the arts as a means of exploring social justice issues with young people, and includes drama, writing, and creative mapping workshops that the team (Tshisimani, Bottom Up and University of Leeds and freelance artists) developed. We would love feedback on this resource, and how you might or have used it. Please send to info@tshisimani.org.za

Digital Storytelling in ImaginingOtherwise (film one)

The #ImaginingOtherwise (South Africa) crew introduces some of their tasks and experiments using video storytelling to amplify voices and advocate for their communities

ImaginingOtherwise Mobile Digital Storytelling Toolkit (film two)

Developed with young artists in collaboration with @lodeffilms, this step-by-step film demonstrates how you can use mobile phones for telling your stories.

ImaginingOtherwise Digital Storytelling for Social Advocacy (film three)

In the final activist film on Cape Town stories: #ImaginingOtherwise (South Africa) young people explore Cape Town, introduce their understanding of space & creative use of filmmaking to represent people, communities and lives.

Doing Good, Staying Well: A Wellbeing Toolkit for Social Entrepreneurs

The Wellbeing For Impact toolkit is a collaborative effort between Social Innovation Movement, University of Sheffield, Monash University and Impact Hub Phnom Penh. The toolkit aims to support the development of change makers’ attitudes, skills, and practices towards wellbeing, which can ultimately lead founders to create and sustain social ventures that catalyse positive social change.

Practical Application of UKCDR Safeguarding Guidance During COVID-19

The world’s attention is focused on the threat and impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, and researchers are at the forefront of the response. At the same time, many institutions have suspended non-COVID-related domestic and international research activities, in light of the potential hazards to both researchers and participants and the effects of political/social restrictions such as lockdowns, curfews and physical distancing.

Safeguarding – the responsibility to anticipate, mitigate and address harm – remains an essential function for all those involved in the international development research chain, whatever the focus of their research

Safeguarding in international development research takes on added significance during the COVID-19 crisis. Read the following companion piece to Guidance on Safeguarding in International Development Research.

Guidance on Safeguarding in International Development Research

Everyone involved in the international development research chain, from research funders, planners and practitioners to local community members, has the right to be safe from harm.

To contribute to wider efforts across the international development sector being made to tackle this issue, UK funders of ODA research worked with UKCDR to develop a set of principles and best practice guidance on safeguarding to anticipate, mitigate and address potential and actual harms in the funding, design, delivery and dissemination of research.

This guidance is needed to ensure the highest safeguarding standards in the context of international development research, which presents specific situations in which harms that can occur are different to international development more broadly.

Interpreting Civic National Values: Scheme of Work (Swahili Version)

The following Scheme of Work document, translated to Swahili, was devised as a framework for research and development by the Phase 2 project 'Interpreting Civic National Values' to allow young people in Kenya and Nepal to REFLECT individually on life experiences in their community and to DISCUSS these with each other - to RECORD their thoughts through shared writing and shared artwork - to bring these thoughts to life through PERFORMANCES of their choice such as: theatre, singing, poetry recital - to share their new ways of seeing community through CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGES in their interpretations of civic national values. We saw this Scheme of Work as facilitating a process of empowerment; for young people to advocate their communication of the peacebuilding process to policymakers in their post-conflict national contexts.

Interpreting Civic National Values: Scheme of Work (Nepali Version)

The following Scheme of Work document, translated to Nepali, was devised as a framework for research and development by the Phase 2 project 'Interpreting Civic National Values' to allow young people in Kenya and Nepal to REFLECT individually on life experiences in their community and to DISCUSS these with each other - to RECORD their thoughts through shared writing and shared artwork - to bring these thoughts to life through PERFORMANCES of their choice such as: theatre, singing, poetry recital - to share their new ways of seeing community through CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGES in their interpretations of civic national values. We saw this Scheme of Work as facilitating a process of empowerment; for young people to advocate their communication of the peacebuilding process to policymakers in their post-conflict national contexts.

Interpreting Civic National Values: Scheme of Work (Spanish Version)

The following Scheme of Work document, translated to Spanish, was devised as a framework for research and development by the Phase 2 project 'Interpreting Civic National Values' to allow young people in Kenya and Nepal to REFLECT individually on life experiences in their community and to DISCUSS these with each other - to RECORD their thoughts through shared writing and shared artwork - to bring these thoughts to life through PERFORMANCES of their choice such as: theatre, singing, poetry recital - to share their new ways of seeing community through CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGES in their interpretations of civic national values. We saw this Scheme of Work as facilitating a process of empowerment; for young people to advocate their communication of the peacebuilding process to policymakers in their post-conflict national contexts.

Interpreting Civic National Values: Scheme of Work (English Version)

The following Scheme of Work document was devised as a framework for research and development by the Phase 2 project 'Interpreting Civic National Values' to allow young people in Kenya and Nepal to REFLECT individually on life experiences in their community and to DISCUSS these with each other - to RECORD their thoughts through shared writing and shared artwork - to bring these thoughts to life through PERFORMANCES of their choice such as: theatre, singing, poetry recital - to share their new ways of seeing community through CROSS-CULTURAL EXCHANGES in their interpretations of civic national values. We saw this Scheme of Work as facilitating a process of empowerment; for young people to advocate their communication of the peacebuilding process to policymakers in their post-conflict national contexts.

CARAN Manual

Community Arts against Antimicrobial Resistance in Nepal is a a practice research project that took place 2017-19 in Nepal. The aim of the project was to explore how participatory approaches can help arts based research related policy both better inform and be informed by the people whom it seeks to affect. This manual shares activities that combine participatory video, participatory research methods and arts-based approaches.

Mjet pedagogjik mbi kulturën e kujtimeve

Qëllimi kryesor i mjetit edukativ është të inkurajojë të rinjtë në Europë që të angazhohen në mënyrë aktive në histori dhe për t’i mbështetur ata në reflektimin kritik rreth kulturës publike të përkujtimit. Ky doracak është një prej rezultateve të krijuara nga projekti MemorInmotion: një projekt partneriteti midis Memory walk (Shëtitje ndër kujtime) dhe MOnuMENTImotion – Monumentet dhe momentet në lëvizje bëhen “Kujtime në lëvizje”: Projekti i partneritetit forumZFD (Forum ZivilerFriedensdienst e.V. / Shërbimi i paqes civile), Ane Frank House (Hollandë), Iniciativa e të rinjve për të drejtat e njeriut (YIHR BiH) dhe Shoqata e mësuesve dhe profesorëve të historisë në BeH (EURICLIO HIP BiH).

Dealing with the Past: Pedagogical Tools on Culture of Remembrance

The central aim of the educational toolkit and audio visual materials are to encourage young people in Europe to get actively engaged with history and to support them in reflecting critically on their public Culture of Remembrance. This toolkit is one of several outputs generated by the MemorInmotion project: A partnership project between Forum Ziviler Friedensdienst e. V. (forumZFD) and Anne Frank House (Netherlands), together with Youth Initiative for Human Rights (YIHR BiH) and the Association of History Teachers in Bosnia and Herzegovina (EUROCLIO-HIP BiH).

British Council Active Citizen's Facilitator's Toolkit

Active Citizens is a social leadership programme that promotes intercultural dialogue and social responsibility as key leadership competencies in the 21st century. This toolkit has been created to help facilitators design and deliver the Active Citizens programme worldwide. Active Citizens is run by the British Council working with civil society organisations all over the world. To find out how you can get involved with the Active Citizens programme visit: https://www.britishcouncil.org/active-citizens/get-involved

Troubling the National Brand and Voicing Hidden Histories: Key Learning

Report author: Inés Soria-Donlan
"Troubling the National Brand and Voicing Hidden Histories: Historical Drama as a Tool for International Development and Community Empowerment" was an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) project led by The University of Leeds (UoL), and
funded as part of the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF). The aim of this pilot project was to support specific marginalised communities in Brazil, India and South Africa to challenge the way these nations present themselves to the world via 'nation
branding' and other 'soft power' initiatives, through a range of participatory video projects. This report provides key learning and practical recommendations identified from partners over the course of the project, in the hope that it can help inform future participatory video projects by other academics and practitioners.

Best Practice for Human Rights Education in Western Balkans Universities

This guide was designed to influence reflection upon human rights teaching in higher education. The guide is a result of the EU Tempus project HEART - involving cooperation of five universities in the Western Balkans and four universities in EU countries. The guide includes summaries for best practice including: Content, Inter-disciplinarity, Student engagement, Employability and skills, Assessment, Resources, External Partnerships, Research, Legacy.

It was developed with the participation of Dr. Stephanie Schwanders-Sievers (Bournemouth University) and Dr. Nita Luci (University of Prishtina).

Drama for Conflict Transformation Toolkit

This toolkit is designed to introduce young people to an innovative theater methodology that creatively examines and transforms conflict. After working through the exercises in this manual, youth will be equipped to lead community dialogue as agents of positive change.

The toolkit was developed by Dr. Ananda Breed (our Rwanda strand Co-I) and IREX staff for the Youth Theater for Peace projects in Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan, funded by USAID.

Ponder: Critical Media Literacy for Young People

Ponder is an informal education programme, aiming improvement of critical thinking skills, especially with regard to information and messages that adolescents and youth receive from social and traditional media. As media exposure has never been higher critical media literacy is imperative not only for the wellbeing of individuals themselves but also for the peace building, public safety and participatory democracy.

The module was developed by Dr. Nita Luci (Co-I from from the University of Prishtina) and Dr. Linda Gusia (Sociology/University Programe for Gender Studies and Research, Universty of Prishtina.

City of Refuge Toolkit

The City of Refuge Toolkit aims to explore the needs these actors have: such as the resources they need, and the obstacles they face when they try to build inclusive, safe and equitable local and national communities and spaces. The toolkit brings people together to discuss and share their experiences, to build connections and find common ground. It asks participants to identify what an ideal City of Refuge would need to be a reality (the ‘ideal’ city of refuge could be adopted from neighbourhood-level to national level).

Youth Leadership Programme

This document serves to provide guidance on the implementation of the Bishop Simeon Trust’s (BST) youth leadership programme. It is broken down into a series of workshop documents focused on the day-to-day activities to be carried out with the Safe Park partners.

The youth leadership programme has been developed in partnership with the University of Leeds and our South African partners since 2015. It is our intent to ensure that we continue to learn through implementation to improve the programme model and ensure that it serves the needs of vulnerable children and our partners.

Arts Activism Toolkit

The final #ImaginingOtherwise project is an Arts Activism toolkit. This toolkit intentionally brings together case studies of innovative arts activism practice from the global South, activities to develop one’s own art activism, and different ways to think about why creativity, the arts, and social justice can work together. This toolkit is free to download and published under a creative commons license.