Girl preparing tobacco leaves for drying, Laos Photo: © Deloche P. - ILO

Good for you, taking the first step toward helping your peers! The International Center on Child Labor and Education is a unique organization and we're excited to help you connect with other kids who are making a tremendous difference in the lives of your peers.

Over the last few years, ICCLE has been building a global network of children and working with UN organizations, government leaders, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to study global child labor issues, educate communities, and respond to the needs of child laborers.

In July 2004, three U.S. high schools students launched Youth Network for Children's Rights. Youth Network is a monthly global electronic-newsletter for children and young persons to share information about child labor issues, exchange Youth Action Plans to render the world child labor free, and report on local, state and national governmental action to eliminate child labor through stories, poems, art work, opinion pieces, and articles.

You play the most important role in educating Americans, particularly your peers, about global child labor issues, thereby helping to eradicate child labor! Besides contributing to the dialogue on child labor through the Youth Network, you can start a CHEER Action Group

A CHEER Action Group is a group of Children Helping to Educate (themselves and their communities), Eliminate (child labor), and Respond (CHEER). Your group (whatever you decide to name yourselves) will become part of ICCLE's state-wide CHEER chapters (for instance, CHEER-Iowa), and regional chapters (for instance, CHEER-North East).

As a member of the CHEER coalition and the Youth Network, your group will become part of an international network of children helping children.

This Start-up Kit gives some guidelines and steps for starting, building and running CHEER groups. Please read all the instructions carefully to maximize the success of your group's projects and campaigns.

We are always available to answer questions and provide support to groups. Additionally, we value your suggestions very much.

Guidelines for CHEER groups
1. Please fill out the activity log online every time your group completes an action, or has set a goal for one. You may easily log your exciting activities with us.

2. Using the action descriptions from your activity logs, ICCLE will promote your upcoming creative actions and their results on www.knowchildlabor.org and in the Youth Network for Children's Rights.

Your activity descriptions should be short (1 or 2 paragraphs), explaining your actions. Please e-mail or mail pictures documenting your activities to blindley@iccle.org or to ICCLE, 1925 K Street, NW, Suite 300, Washington, DC, 20007.

3. Please report in the activity log all media coverage. Send magazine articles, news clippings, and TV and radio interviews that your group receives.

4. Each CHEER group should select one leader to communicate with ICCLE on behalf of the group. It would also be VERY helpful if you notified us of your partnering with other schools or organizations.

Remember to fill out the Activity Log online each time your group sets a goal or completes an action. It is very important that ICCLE has your complete contact information so that we can send you the e-newsletter. Please let us know what else your group needs.

If you have questions or comments, please contact Beth Lindley at blindley@iccle.org or 202-778-6370.

We look forward to working with your CHEER Group!

Beth Lindley
Deputy Director, ICCLE

Take the initiative!

Step 1. Choose a child labor issue and discover a need
Step 2. Educate yourself
Step 3. Build a CHEER Team
Step 4. Meet, sit and talk together, recognize a need, take inventory and make a plan of action
Step 5. Respond by sharing your knowledge, skills, etc.
Step 6. Enjoy and fix your eyes on the reward

Download Youth Action Toolkit (PDF download)