Tag: Meaningful Participation

Building a Sustainable Society Through Child Participation: Nordic Research and Practical Application

1.2 Aims of the Book
This book has two main aims. First, it seeks to engage in critical examination of the concept of child participation from multiple perspectives—those of children, professionals, and society—to illuminate how participation can be meaningfully realized. Drawing on legal, social, and economic frameworks, the book discusses both the benefits of children’s participation and the barriers that hinder its full realization. It also delves into the relationship between children’s rights and their practical implementation, exploring the gap between the law in books and the law in action (Pound, 1959).
Second, the book aims to provide an interdisciplinary discussion on child participation, drawing on empirical examples from the Nordic countries. While the Nordic region has strong welfare states and a tradition of progressive child rights policies, challenges remain in translating legal commitments into practice. By shedding light on these challenges, the book contributes to a broader understanding of how societies can better ensure that children’s voices are heard and valued.

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Include Us! Children and Young People’s Standards for their Meaningful Participation in Global Events

Our standards are created by children and young people based on our direct experiences and insights to promote children’s participation rights. Our standards also build upon existing models and standards such as the Lundy Model (Space, Voice, Audience, Influence) and the nine basic requirements from the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child. We call on organisations working with children and young people and people organising global events to apply these standards – before, during, and after the global event – to ensure children and young people are seriously listened to. You can use the standards as a guide to inclusively and meaningfully engage children to shape a better world. The standards provide concrete actions to involve children and young people in ways they feel comfortable and provide opportunities for them to share their views and ideas in global events.

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