England Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people Contents Section 1: Introduction page 1 Section 2: Key findings page 4 Section 3: Understanding page 5 Section 4: Desire to be involved page 7
Section 5: Experiences of participation page 9 Section 6: The best international participation process page 12 Section 7: Evaluation page 15
Section 1: Introduction The Children’s Rights Alliance for England (CRAE) protects the human rights of children by lobbying government and others who hold power, by bringing or supporting test cases and by using regional and international human rights mechanisms. CRAE provides free legal information and advice, raises awareness of children’s human rights and undertakes research about children’s access to their rights. CRAE mobilises others, including children and young people, to take action to promote and protect children’s human rights. CRAE coordinated the European Commission funded project ‘Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making’, exploring children and young people’s views and experiences of their involvement in European and international decision-making. This project was carried out with partners in Austria, Estonia, Ireland and Romania and associate partners in the Republic of Moldova and Russia. The project comprised several elements, including a survey of European nongovernmental organisations (NGOs), a literature review and consultation events with children and young people in partner countries.
‘For the first time it felt good sharing my opinions!’
This is a report on the consultation event run by CRAE in England. Separate reports have been published on the consultation events held in the four other partner countries. The findings and recommendations from the country consultation events have been incorporated into the main project report, Speak to the World: Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making. A total of 93 children and young people participated in the consultation activities in England. This included attending the consultation event in central London on 20 November 2010, submitting views and comments online and discussions at CRAE residential meetings and outreach sessions. This meant that children and young people who were unable to attend the main event could still have their views and experiences taken into account.
With financial support from the EU’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme
Children’s views on engaging in European and international decision-making
England
Summary of consultation methodology
Getting to know you activities
Gender There was a good mix of male and female participants in the consultation: • 44% of participants were male • 56% of participants were female. Age The youngest child to participate in the consultation was 9 years old and the oldest participant was 20 years old. The majority of participants were aged between 14 and 17. A small number of young adults over the age of 18 participated in the consultation. Young adults were accepted as participants in the consultation events on condition that they had some direct experience of engaging in European or international decision-making before attaining the age of 18. Ages
% of participants
0-5 years
0
6-11 years
4%
12-18 years
82%
18+
14%
The event used a range of methods to elicit children and young people’s views and experiences on engaging in European and international decision-making. Children and young people were involved in advance by helping to develop the programme for the day – making comments on the draft activities and recommending alternatives. All participants in the consultation received an information pack ahead of the event. This included a ‘Children’s guide to European and international decisionmaking’. The guide was developed by CRAE with input from the other project partners and formed the basis of the consultation activities. Further information about the purpose of the consultation, a consent form and a timetable of the day was also included in the information pack. The first part of the day was devoted to activities relating to children’s rights. This session aimed to give all participants an introduction to children’s rights and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and provided an opportunity to discuss children and young people’s right to participate in decision-making on matters that affect them. Starting the day in this way set the context for the rest of the activities and ensured that all participants were at least familiar with Article 12 of the UNCRC.
Ethnicity Whilst the majority of children and young people participating in the consultation were White British, children and young people from a range of Black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds engaged in the activities. Ethnicity
% of participants
White British
46%
Asian (Indian, Pakistani and Bangladeshi)
21%
Black African
6%
White mixed
10%
Black mixed
2%
Asian mixed
2%
Small group discussions
White other
13%
The remainder of the day was devoted to exploring and capturing children and young people’s views and experiences of engaging in European and/or international decision-making. In order to ensure that as many children and young people were able to participate in the consultation, the day included a mix of activities, including:
Children and young people from a range of backgrounds and circumstances participated in the consultation, including: • Disabled children and young people • Looked after children and care leavers • Children and young people from deprived areas • Children and young people who have been in contact with police, prisons or the courts. Written by Carla Garnelas of CRAE.
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• Whole group discussions and activities on children’s rights, participation and decision-making • Small group discussions and activities on children’s rights, participation and decision-making
Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
• Asking participants to respond to questions on flip chart paper around the room • ‘The Big Speak to the World quiz’ - a team quiz on key European and international decision-making processes • Asking participants to reflect on the pros and cons of different consultation methods • ‘The Big Challenge’ – a small group activity asking participants to design the perfect European or international decision-making process • Hearing from three young people about their personal experiences of engaging in European or international decision-making. The consultation was facilitated by CRAE staff and volunteers with extensive experience of working with children and young people and supporting them to express their views. Two of the facilitators were young adults (18 and 19 years-old) who had participated in international decision-making opportunities when they were under 18.
‘Actively involving young people in decisions that involve them.’ ‘Not just being listened to but being heard.’ ‘…about my life. I should have a say about my life.’ ‘[The right to be heard is] one of the most important because if you have other rights violated your voice is vital…’
Participants were encouraged to feel comfortable sharing their views and it was made clear at the start of the event that they did not have to participate in activities if they did not want to. The flip charts with questions around the room proved to be a particularly effective means of engaging children and young people who were feeling shy and nervous about speaking in front of a group. In order to ensure that participants felt comfortable participating in the consultation, it was communicated at the start of the event that all comments in the final report would remain unattributed (age and gender would be included where possible). Detailed notes were taken throughout the consultation by facilitators and these notes along with data gathered from the flip chart sheets have formed the basis of this report. Any quotes in italics included in this report are taken directly from facilitators’ notes or the flip chart sheets. In addition to the consultation day, CRAE staff developed an online survey for children and young people who were unable to attend the event based on the activities from the consultation day. CRAE also held group discussions with children and young people about their experiences of engaging in European and international decision-making at residential meetings and children’s rights outreach sessions. The content of the survey and discussions reflected as closely as possible the content of the consultation day to ensure consistency. The views and experiences of the children and young people that participated in the survey and discussions are included in this consultation report.
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Section 2: Key findings Understanding of European and international decision-making: • Consultation participants had variable knowledge of European and international decision-making processes. The majority was familiar with the European Union and United Nations as institutions but had more limited knowledge of other decision-making processes that might take place within these institutions • Participants tended to find out about these decisionmaking bodies and opportunities through a range of sources including websites, organisations that work with children and young people, youth workers, schools and colleges • Participants thought that more needs to be done to spread the word about these opportunities. Receiving information through face-to-face contact was seen as the best way to find out about how to get involved in decision-making. Desire to be involved in European and international processes: • Children and young people expressed a strong desire to be involved in international decision-making processes. They thought that this is important because it is their right to influence matters that affect them, and because decisions made now will affect them in the future • Participants were keen to participate in processes in order to influence them and make a positive difference to the lives of children • They were less able to name specific processes that they would want to get involved in, and were more confident in identifying issues that they would want to discuss and influence • Participants thought that children and young people can bring a unique perspective to decision-making and that both the decision-making process and final outcome are legitimised by their involvement. Experiences of participation: • The majority of children and young people had not directly participated in European or international decision-making processes • For those that had been involved in these opportunities, they were largely positive, although several recommendations were made for improving participation • Children and young people wanted to see evidence that they have had an impact on decision-making • Participants felt strongly that certain groups of young people are more likely to participate in international decision-making than others and offered suggestions for overcoming barriers and obstacles to participation
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in European and international-decision making. The best international participation processes: • The consultation illustrated that there is no single way of supporting children and young people’s effective engagement in European and international decisionmaking. A range of methods can be used and each has its pros and cons • Opportunities should be accessible to a range of children and young people, well advertised and transparent in how young people are selected. Additional support must be made available to ensure that children and young people with specific needs and circumstances can participate • The outcomes of the process should always be fed back to children and young people so they can see how they have been listened to and where they have helped to create change.
‘Because some adults will have short term attitudes as they want to make money first and will not have to cope with the poor condition of our world in 50 years time. Children will try to build a world they want to live in.’
Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
Table 1: Levels of knowledge of European and international decision-making processes and institutions
Section 3: Understanding of European and international decision-making Key findings: • Consultation participants had variable knowledge of international and European decision-making processes. The majority were familiar with the European Union and United Nations as institutions but had more limited knowledge of other decision-making processes that might take place within these institutions • Participants usually find out about these decision-making bodies and opportunities through a range of sources including websites, organisations that work with children and young people, youth workers, schools and colleges • Participants thought that more needs to be done to spread the word about these opportunities. Receiving information through face-to-face contact was seen as the best way to find out about how to get involved in decision-making. All participants in the consultation were asked to complete a short form indicating their knowledge of a number of European or international decision-making processes. Information about all of the processes included in the form was included in the Children’s guide to European and international decision-making sent to all participants in advance of the consultation. Knowledge of European and international decisionmaking processes was mixed (see Table 1). The highest levels of recognition were of bodies relating to the large international institutions and bodies – European Union, European Parliament, the United Nations (in particular the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child), G8 and G20. Much less was known about processes such as UN Committee Days of General Discussions, UN Special Sessions, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Council of Europe. Around one third of participants indicated that they had no knowledge of these decision-making processes and institutions before coming to the event.
‘Adults are making decisions… which will affect these children’s future.’
European Parliament
%Yes
%No
%Not sure
91%
6%
3%
European Union
90%
7%
3%
European Court of Justice
81%
13%
6%
European Court of Human Rights
77%
14%
9%
European Commission
75%
19%
6%
UN Committee on the Rights of the Child
73%
24%
3%
G20
73%
26%
1%
G8
71%
26%
3%
Children’s Commissioner
66%
25%
9%
European Forum on the Rights of the Child
52%
42%
6%
Council of Europe
46%
44%
10%
Council of Europe Human Rights Commissioner
46%
50%
4%
European Economic and Social Committee
38%
50%
12%
European Committee for the Prevention of Torture
34%
60%
6%
European Committee of Social Rights
36%
60%
4%
J8
22%
71%
7%
UN Special Sessions
19%
69%
12%
Committee of the Regions
19%
74%
7%
UN Committee Days of General Discussion
18%
70%
12%
Although many participants in the consultation had good awareness of specific European or international decisionmaking opportunities, their participation in these was generally low. Only a relatively small proportion of the participants had directly participated in European and international decision-making (see section 5 for more information on children and young people’s personal experiences of engaging in decision-making). Following the introductory activities on children’s rights and participation rights, participants joined in ‘The Big Speak to the World quiz’. This activity was designed to gauge participants’ knowledge of key European and international processes and ensure that they all left the event with some basic knowledge and interesting facts about these processes. At the end of the quiz, participants remained in their groups and shared information on how they find out about European and international decision-making and gave suggestions for the best ways for children and young people to find out about these opportunities.1 1
The views of children and young people who were unable to attend the event are also included here.
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the organisation – individuals who are already engaged in activities. This means that many other children and young people may never find out about opportunities – even if they are open to them in principle. The same group also raised the issue of language, and how passing on information in English might exclude certain groups of children and young people from opportunities ‘if you are not English – how would you find out?’ Another issue raised by this group was that most children and young people don’t know about decision-making opportunities, but ‘those who do, do everything’. Children and young people gave a number of recommendations for the best ways to find out about decision-making opportunities and how to participate in them. The most common suggestions were: When asked how they find out about decision-making, participants gave a range of answers. The most commonly cited means of finding out about opportunities were: • School and college (especially citizenship lessons and assemblies) • “Word of mouth” • Youth workers/youth centres • Internet/websites • Organisations that children and young people are already involved in, such as CRAE, UK Youth Parliament, the British Youth Council, the English Secondary Students’ Association, UNICEF and Young NCB
• Social networking sites (such as Facebook, Twitter and YouTube) • Texting • Outreach in schools and colleges, as long as this was ‘interactive and not dull!’ • International bodies such as the United Nations and European Union having ‘child friendly websites’ and advertising opportunities on them • “Word of mouth” • Interviews and publicity in the media, including television adverts • Through youth clubs and youth workers. Other ideas included:
• Libraries
• Advertising on public transport
• Local councils
• T-shirts and other clothing
• Local youth forums
• Highlighting examples of what has changed and using these to encourage other children and young people to get involved.
• Magazines and newsletters • Consultation events: ‘days like today’ • Information in the post (such as letters and leaflets). Less common methods of finding out about events were: • International campaigns (such as International Year of Youth) • Media advertising events/coverage • The news and documentaries • Human rights commissioners. Some participants stated that they never find out about opportunities through school or their parents. Concerns were also raised about how children and young people can find out about opportunities if they do not have Internet access. Participants in one group said that there are a number of ‘flaws in the system’ in the ways that information is disseminated. It was noted that many youth organisations have monthly newsletters that include various opportunities, but these often only go out to members of
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A common theme from the discussions was that personal interactions and recommendations are important in passing on information about opportunities and encouraging participation in them. One young person made this point very strongly ‘If a youth worker suggests or recommends that you do it, so you have a connection with a real person, who you can ask questions to. Not social networking or TV.’ Another young person in the same group echoed this view: ‘[it is] best if you are told face-to-face at a meeting’. Another key point raised in this group was that many young people might be put off by attending events alone and would feel better if they could participate with friends or other young people that they already know. Several participants said that hearing from children and young people ‘talking about their experiences’ was a really good way of passing on information about opportunities and might also encourage other children
Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
and young people to get involved. One young person suggested that children and young people could pass on information about opportunities - ‘pay young people to tell everyone else’ - whilst another suggested ‘more word of mouth’. Several comments related to the need to improve the marketing and publicity of opportunities. Suggestions relating to this included having more information in the news (both local and national) and running national events to publicise activities. One young person said ‘[there] needs more marketing – needs to be cooler!’. Some comments were also made about the need to tailor both the information about the opportunities and the opportunities themselves to specific groups of children and young people: ‘what about disabled children and young people – [do they find out] in the same way as everyone else? Don’t know how they would get involved’.
‘I feel that I have a lot to bring to the process of decisionmaking, I have had experiences of my rights being abused and I feel that I would be a useful advocate.’
Section 4: Desire to be involved in European and international processes Key findings: • Children and young people expressed a strong desire to be involved in international decisionmaking processes. They thought that this is important because it is their right to influence matters that affect them, and because decisions made now will affect them in the future • Participants were keen to participate in processes in order to influence them and make a positive difference to the lives of children • They were less able to name specific processes that they would want to get involved in, and were more confident in identifying issues that they would want to discuss and influence • Participants thought that children and young people can bring a unique perspective to decision-making and that both the decisionmaking process and final outcome are legitimised by their involvement. Most views on children and young people’s desire to be involved were gathered through participants responding to questions on flip chart paper. The questions were left up on the walls for the whole day, giving participants an opportunity to respond in their own time and add additional information if required. The majority of participants in the consultation felt strongly that children and young people should be involved in European and/or international decision-making. The comments as to why this should be the case fell into two broad categories, set out below. A right to be involved in decision making on matters that affect us Several participants were clear that children and young people have the right to be involved in decision-making in matters that affect their lives now and therefore thought that it was essential that children and young people have the chance to participate in processes where decisions would be made that directly affect them - ‘any decision affecting young people we should be consulted on’. A number of children and young people cited Article 12 of the UNCRC as the basis of their argument. Many participants also expressed the view that children and young people know the most about issues that concern them, and therefore must be consulted when a decision is being made that will affect them.
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Having a say in decisions that will affect our future A number of participants said that it was important to engage children and young people in decision-making because they are the adults and leaders of the future, rather than focusing on the right to participate in making decisions that would affect their present situation: ‘adults are making decisions… which will affect these children’s future. Because some adults will have short term attitudes as they want to make money first and will not have to cope with the poor condition of our world in 50 years time. Children will try to build a world they want to live in’; ‘of course they should because it is the young people of the world that will in the future be running it’. A very small number of participants in the consultation did not think that children and young people should be involved directly in international decision-making. One young person said that there should be mechanisms at a local level to feed into decision-making, and these should be taken forward if ‘valid and practical’. Another said that children and young people should not participate in decision-making because ‘they are not mature enough’. Most participants were very enthusiastic about taking part in European or international decision-making processes, seeing this as a means of getting their voice heard, influencing decision-making and making a positive change to the lives of other children and young people. Other reasons for wanting to participate included: wanting to experience different views and cultures; meeting new people and having fun; having an educational experience; and travelling abroad. Some participants said that their particular experiences and perspectives could contribute to international decision-making: ‘I feel that I have a lot to bring to the process of decision-making, I have had experiences of my rights being abused and I feel that I
would be a useful advocate’. Only one young person did not want to get involved personally in international decision-making: ‘I feel there are better qualified people to do so, I can speak to them and they can take it further’. Some young people said that they would love to be involved in these opportunities, but that this wasn’t always possible because of restrictions on the age of young people who could participate (often 16+), lack of funding and lack of support (section 5 of the report has more information on the barriers to children and young people’s engagement). Participants in one group discussion said: ‘We didn’t realise that we could have a say’. Children and young people were asked to identify specific international or European processes that they would like to participate in. Some selected specific bodies that they would like to influence, whilst others focused more on the issues that they would like to discuss. Several participants said that they would like to be involved in reporting to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as they felt that this could have a big impact.2 Other processes identified by name included the European Youth Parliament, J8 Summit and European Presidency events. However, participants were more likely to identify the kinds of issues that they would like to discuss: ‘The processes that I would like to take part in are those relating to equality and criminal justice – and issues that affect children…’; ‘Decision-making on human rights – especially children’s rights. Discussing how EU can pressure national government to take a more responsible 2
It is worth noting that a number of participants in the consultation had been part of CRAE’s Get ready project (www.getreadyforchange.org. uk), which supported children and young people to report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2008. This might explain the relatively high levels of knowledge about the UN Committee and the enthusiasm for engaging in the UNCRC reporting process.
Young people talking about their personal experiences of European and international decision-making
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Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
line on the fundamental rights of children’. Other specific issues included whether wars get started; how budgets are spent; foreign aid; narrowing the gap between rich and poor; and the environment. One young person wanted to be able to participate in voting and elections because ‘that’s how everyone should be able to take part and have their say in how things are run’. Participants were asked to identify the benefits of involving children and young people in international decision-making. The majority of responses focused on children and young people bringing a different and unique perspective to a subject, based on their personal experiences. Many participants reflected that this would lead to fewer assumptions being made about what children and young people want, would challenge entrenched views and would ultimately lead to better, more effective decision-making. Several said that involving children and young people in decisionmaking gives the final decision more legitimacy. Some young people said that supporting children and young people to engage in decision-making was a means of acknowledging that they have human rights and must have their voices heard. Others said that involving children and young people in international decisionmaking would increase feelings of global citizenship and raise awareness of the lives of children and young people in other parts of the world.
‘Some may be discriminated against. Not everyone will know how to get involved, poorer areas may not be included...’
Section 5: Experiences of participation Key findings: • The majority of children and young people had not directly participated in international or European decision-making processes • For those that had been involved in these opportunities, they were largely positive, although several recommendations were made for improving participation • Children and young people want to see evidence that they have had an impact on decision-making • Participants felt strongly that certain groups of young people are more likely to participate in international decision-making than others and offered suggestions for overcoming barriers and obstacles to participation in European and international-decision making. At different points in the day, three young people spoke about their personal experiences of engaging in European and international decision-making: meeting with the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the UK Government’s examination in 2008; participating in European Presidency events; and working on a Europe-wide project with the Organising Bureau of European School Students. All participants in the consultation activities had the chance to share their personal experiences of engaging in European and international decision-making processes (through small group discussions on the day and through the online survey for those unable to attend). As well as reflecting on their own experiences, they discussed whether they enjoyed the experience and the impact that they thought they had made on the outcome of decisions and the process itself. The majority of children and young people involved in the consultation activities did not have any previous experience of engaging in European or international decision-making. However, all of the participants in the consultation had the opportunity to make suggestions about how to improve and strengthen children and young people’s participation in these processes. A small number had engaged directly in international opportunities - attending and speaking at international meetings or conferences. The international decision-making opportunities that children and young people had participated in directly included: • A UNESCO discussion on education • The World Youth Congress in Turkey in 2010 to deliver a workshop on effective international representation
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• Forming part of a children’s delegation to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the UK reporting process in Geneva in 2008 • Observing the UK Government examination by the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child • An international model United Nations event • An international conference with UNICEF in Copenhagen in 2009 • The ‘Future of education in Europe’ event looking at the role of the EU and the Council of Europe in education policy • Representing the UK at an international disability awareness event • Briefing a young person to represent a youth organisation at the European Youth Forum. Other young people said that they had participated in European or international decision-making by getting involved in consultation activities in England, which were then fed into processes at European or international level. Examples of this kind of involvement included: • Holding consultations on youth employment to feed into a report that was presented at a European youth conference in Hungary • Helping research and write the children’s report that was presented to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of the UK reporting process • Getting involved in model United Nations events in the UK. Most of the young people engaging in these processes found out about opportunities from an organisation and were subsequently supported to engage in them by that organisation - very few appeared to have engaged in these processes independently. The majority of children and young people that had participated in European or international opportunities were positive about their experiences. Children and young people said that their involvement had made them feel a sense of achievement and had helped increase their confidence and personal development. Moreover, their involvement had helped to educate others and raise awareness about young people’s views, influencing decision-makers and having an impact on the final outcome of decisions made at these forums. Some young people said that they really felt that they had been listened to and taken seriously. In addition, participants identified a number of factors that had helped things go well, including staff support, money, time and having a good understanding of the process and issues being debated.
Young people talking about their personal experiences of European and international decision-making
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Being able to measure whether they had made a difference was seen as particularly important. One young person who had been involved in a UNESCO debate on education said ‘[It was] positive, made an impact on
Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
myself and the stakeholders involved’. Young people who had been part of the delegation to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child explained that they made 14 recommendations to the Committee based on their research with children, all of which were reflected in the Committee’s final concluding observations to the UK Government. Participants in one group discussion said that it was essential to see that things had changed as a result of children and young people’s involvement. A number of comments were made about things that had not gone so well. Adult attitudes were identified as being a challenge. Some young people said that they felt that the adults they had come into contact with did not really believe in, or have the will to support, children’s involvement in decision-making. Other things that raised concern included opportunities being inaccessible for children and young people with specific needs; young people being nervous about travelling alone to meetings; an unrepresentative group of young people participating in meetings; and young people finding the language of the meeting challenging and inaccessible. Young people who had been involved in European processes commented that, at a European level, “youth” often includes people up to the age of 30. This means that the views of younger children are not necessarily being represented. Another young person said that these opportunities can feel very “one off” as there is often no follow up. Comments were also made about children and young people’s participation feeling very tokenistic: ‘a lot of it seems to be like a token thing, do you know what I mean?’. Several suggestions were made for improving the process of engaging children and young people in European and international decision-making: • Reduce the use of jargon and acronyms at meetings • Provide more funding for children and young people to attend and to be supported by adults • Raise awareness of opportunities and make them open to a wider range of children and young people • Youth organisations working together to support children and young people’s participation • Make processes and opportunities accessible for disabled children and young people • Ensure that adults are listening to children properly • Ensure more legacy and follow-up after the participation has taken place • Make it easier to get involved in these processes. At the end of the session, participants were asked to give their views on whether they thought that some groups of children and young people were more likely to engage in international decision-making than others.
There was general agreement that some groups of children and young people were more likely to engage in these processes than others. Several participants said that children and young people who were ‘more privileged’, would be more likely to get involved. One young person said that ‘better off children [were more likely to engage] as [it] might cost lots of money’. Other suggestions of the characteristics of children and young people more likely to get involved were: • Those who are more passionate, determined and motivated • Those with more time or without commitments and responsibilities at home • Those with specific experience of having their rights violated or a personal grievance: ‘If a child has been abused or had their rights neglected in any way they are more likely to want to give their input than if they have been treated well all their life’ • Those with better contacts or who are already involved in a youth organisation • Those who have an interest in politics and current affairs • Those who are already engaged in decision-making: ‘the same people are involved in everything’ • Those with access to the Internet • Those who have supportive adults around them • Those who know others who have been involved in similar activities • Those with better contacts • Those who have had information about these opportunities presented to them in an accessible and interesting format • Those with more confidence and those who don’t get homesick. Participants were clear that many children and young people did not have the opportunity to get involved in international decision-making processes: ‘some may be discriminated against. Not everyone will know how to get involved, poorer areas may not be included...’. As described above, a number of barriers were identified which prevent children and young people from engaging in decision-making. Many of the obstacles were related to a lack of knowledge and awareness about these opportunities; not having time to commit due to family responsibilities and school work; a lack of information and interest in the topic; and being concerned about the cost of getting involved. Several young people said that disillusionment with decision-makers and the political system might be a factor in children not engaging in these processes. Others said that a feeling that they are not being listened to and that nothing will change might stop many children and young people from getting involved.
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Barriers were also related to not having supportive and encouraging adults around; friends thinking that you are ‘uncool’; and having ‘complicated stuff going on’ that might prevent involvement. Several suggestions were made as to how these barriers could be overcome. Many related to better marketing of opportunities, ensuring that children and young people without Internet access get to hear about them and finding a range of ways for children and young people to input their views and opinions. One of the most common calls was for there to be more funding for children and young people to get involved in these kinds of opportunities. Another common suggestion was that a great deal more needs to be done to raise awareness of European and international decision-making processes in schools – particularly in citizenship lessons. Some young people thought that this should be a compulsory part of the curriculum. Participants also said that it was important for children and young people to know how their views and opinions were going to be used – without this information they might be deterred from participating.
‘Of course they should [take part in decision-making] because it is the young people of the world that will in the future be running it.’
Section 6: The best international participation process Key findings: • The consultation illustrated that there is no single way of supporting children and young people’s effective engagement in international and European decision-making. A range of methods can be used and each has its pros and cons • Opportunities should be accessible to a range of children and young people, well advertised and transparent in how young people are selected. Additional support must be made available to ensure that children and young people with specific needs and circumstances can participate • The outcomes of the process should always be fed back to children and young people so they can see how they have been listened to and where they have helped to create change. Before designing the ‘best international participation process’, children and young people were asked to consider the advantages and disadvantages of a range of different methods for engaging children and young people in decision-making. After that, the final activity provided an opportunity for participants to design the ‘best international participation process’. Each group was given a different scenario describing a European or international decision-making body/ opportunity, such as the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Day of General Discussion. They were asked to consider how children and young people would get their views across; how best to advertise the opportunity and select the participants; what information children and young people would need to have in order to engage most effectively; and how to measure the impact of their involvement. A number of common themes came out of the final presentations. Many participants favoured using multiple methods to support children and young people’s participation. They were very clear about the need to ensure that a range of children and young people could participate in international decision-making, even if they could not physically attend – and so suggested online surveys and questionnaires, focus groups, use of video messages and social networking sites and discussions in schools. Where children and young people were directly attending a European or international event, it was felt strongly that they should gather the views and recommendations of other children and young people from their country, to ensure that they were being truly representative.
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Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
Table 2: Summary of advantages and disadvantages of different methods of engaging children and young people in European and international decision-making Method
Advantages
Disadvantages
Online survey to find out the views of children and young people
Quick, cheap, easy to disseminate and publicise, lots of people use the Internet, can get large numbers of children involved, can be translated into different languages, can cover lots of issues.
Some children and young people don’t have Internet access, might not be representative results, limited data, needs face-to-face follow-up, not taken seriously, can be too many questions – respondents get bored, questions might need explaining.
Small focus groups with children and young people on a specific subject
Qualitative data, personal and more detailed information, different views are shared, great to hear from other people, feel like you are being listened to, gives people freedom to speak, hear from young people directly, can discuss issues and solutions in depth, more inclusive.
Views not always taken seriously, nothing happens with data, labourintensive and time-consuming, shy young people might not want to speak, easy to get off the subject, might not be representative if only a small group of young people are involved, not everyone will agree.
Europe-wide consultation event for children and young people – views get fed back to European decisionmaking body. Two young representatives attend from each European country
Great opportunity to travel and meet other young people, get an understanding about other countries, hear lots of other views and experiences.
Cost of travel, every country is different and issues that children and young people want to change would be different, therefore might be harder to achieve change. How to select participants?
Children and young people directly participating in European or international meeting alongside adults. Children and young people can speak at the meeting
Adult decision-makers hear your views directly, direct influence, real participation, decision-makers can see young people’s passion, feels like you are important, makes you feel like you have some power, puts into practice children’s right to be heard, adults can ask children questions directly.
Can be expensive, how to select participants? Could be intimidating, might favour articulate and confident young people, formal environment might stifle creativity and passion, scared to make a mistake, need to take time off school, too much jargon used, not accessible for all children and young people, things might not change, young people might not want to share views with adults who might disagree.
In-country consultation event – views get fed back to European or international decision-making body
Chance to share your opinion, hear lots of different views, meet new people, can be fun and creative, views are being fed back, learn from other participants, lots of children can attend – different ages and backgrounds, way of learning about an issue in detail, good way to get heard.
Might be too far to travel, only “oneoff” opportunity – what happens next? Less confident young people might not participate, poor food or venue might put people off, how to deal with lots of different ages, some voices might dominate, not everyone has the chance to speak.
Meetings with individual decision-makers
Direct influence, questions can be asked and answered, can have a proper conversation, more personal, good experience.
Can be intimidating, might not speak to the right person, might be scared to say true feelings, might be shy and feel intimidated, difficult to secure meeting, can be tokenistic, might not get results, might not be taken seriously.
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England
All of the groups put a strong emphasis on advertising, publicity and marketing. They said that opportunities should not just be advertised online (although all of the groups mentioned social networking sites as being an excellent way of spreading the word about opportunities) but also through schools, in magazines and newspapers, on radio and television and sent out in the post by organisations working with children and young people. It was seen as important to ensure that children and young people could find out more about an opportunity very easily and this called for dedicated websites, email addresses and phone lines to allow children to ask questions and find out how to get involved. Participants in the consultation were also keen to ensure that the methods used to engage children and young people were stimulating and imaginative. They wanted those people facilitating opportunities to be creative, and recognise that formal meetings are not always the best way to elicit the views of children and young people. It was noted that this might be challenging for the adults involved. A key issue for participants was the selection process. Throughout the consultation, participants said that certain types of children were more likely to participate in opportunities than others. Many of the groups said that they wanted an open and fair selection process that was advertised to as many children and young people as possible – not just those who were already engaged in activities. Several groups raised the issue of ensuring that there is adequate funding to support children and young people’s participation and that processes are appropriately adapted to meet the needs of children and young people. Specific issues included how to ensure that disabled children and young people can participate effectively and providing interpreters for children and young people who don’t have English as a first language. One group was very clear that children and young people need to be very well prepared before they participate in an international or European decision-making opportunity – they might need training; child-friendly information on the process and the issues; and to have adults available to answer questions whenever necessary. The same group also said that things such as the venue, food and accommodation are really important and that these need to be suitable for the children and young people. The issue of feedback and follow up was also crucial. Many of the participants said that the best participation processes are those where the participants are well informed about the outcome and results of their involvement. Children and young people should receive information about the impact and influence they had, and where they helped achieve change. Lots of participants wanted short, accessible reports setting out what had happened and highlighting the impact of their involvement. Other suggestions included sending letters to participants after the event and making short videos about what had happened.
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Report from the Speak to the World consultation with children and young people
Section 7: Evaluation As part of the evaluation process, children and young people were asked to give their feedback on the activities; to comment on how easy they found it to participate in the event; and make suggestions for improving the consultation process were it to be repeated. Two different evaluation exercises were carried out. Pants and tops Pictures of large pants and tops were placed around the room on sheets of paper. Participants were then asked to write or draw on the tops what they thought had been good about the day, and on the pants what they thought had been bad about the day. This method of evaluation was selected as a fun and interactive way to gather views. By not asking any specific questions, this method of evaluation allowed participants to reflect openly on any aspect of the day, including the food, venue and timing of activities. The main feedback from the “tops” included:
The main feedback from the “pants” included:
• There were lots of good discussions • We enjoyed meeting new people • Learnt more about how to influence decision-makers • It was inspiring hearing other children speaking about their experiences • Enjoyed being able to express my own views and hear other people’s views • The food was good! • It was a cool venue • Lots of different depth of knowledge • Enthusiastic and passionate staff.
• It was a long day • There was too much squeezed into the day • A very early start! • Shame it was in London • Some of the tasks were quite hard and there was a lot to fit in • Challenging ideas • Didn’t always understand what was going on.
Evaluation form A set of evaluation questions was agreed with the external evaluators in advance of the consultation events. An evaluation form was put together based on these questions. This form was given to all of the participants attending the consultation event to complete at the end of the day. The evaluation form asked participants whether they felt they had been able to share their views and hear the views of others; which activities helped them find out more about European and international decisionmaking; and whether they would get more involved as a result of participating in Speak to the World. There was also space for any other general comments. The majority of participants were enthusiastic, and particularly enjoyed having the opportunity to share their views and experiences and hear from other young people. Most of them said that they had been able to express their views and opinions, with only a very small number telling us that they had not been able to voice their opinions. Many of them commented that they wanted to get more involved in European and international decisionmaking as a result of the day. Participants gave very positive feedback about the mix of activities. They identified the small group discussions and the “post-it” note exercises as the most effective in helping them have a say. The Big Challenge activity (the final session of the day) was named by many of the participants as being fun and a great way to express their views about international decision-making. A number of the participants also valued the opportunity to speak to other children and young people informally over the break and lunch time. Several participants said that it was excellent being able to hear directly from young people who had participated in European and/or international decision-making. Suggestions were made for how the day could be improved. This included more whole group work and a debate on specific issues relating to international decision-making. One young person said that she felt the day could have been improved by less of an insistence that the voices of children are important in international decision-making. Other comments related to the venue (largely positive) and the food (more mixed). A number of children and young people said that the day had been very long and there had been a lot of information to take in. Some participants also commented on the location of the consultation activity and said that it would have been better if it was not in London.
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Additional feedback
Lessons learnt
Some additional feedback on the day was collected from a small group of young women who have experience working as young investigators in their local areas.3 CRAE staff at the event worked closely with this group during the afternoon to find out the reasons why they were not enjoying the day and to seek their views as to how we could improve the activities for them.
The consultation was a success, but there are clear lessons for CRAE in running such activities again, either at domestic or European level, for example:
One of the main problems was with the information provided to participants before the event. One of the girls said that ‘there should be fewer big words in the information packs’. Other suggestions for improvement included more pictures, less text and bigger writing. One of the girls said the information ‘looked boring’, others said that the event had not engaged them at the start. Three of them said that they had ‘switched off’ within the first five minutes of the event.
• The subject matter is complex and can require a great deal of background information. Further thought will need to be given as to how this information is communicated • The consultation activities need more time: it is difficult to cover all of the issues (processes, personal experiences and recommendations) in one day • More work is needed to ensure that younger children (under-10s) can engage in these activities, and in the decision-making processes themselves.
Some of the group had only been told about the event and received the supporting information the day before, once they had arrived in London (despite CRAE sending it to support workers much earlier). This clearly raises questions about how young people are selected to attend an event, and prepared for it. Staff at the event asked the group how the day could be improved. One said that not enough information had been given about the purpose of the event and why it was taking place. Others said that there should be lots more team work and ‘more fun’. One of the major criticisms was that the participants had been mixed up: ‘would rather work with someone we know rather than be separated into different groups’. 3 This is a programme where young people investigate local services to see how they can be made better for the children and young people that use them.
Ludwig Boltzmann Institute Human Rights
4 Upper Mount Street, Dublin 2, Ireland
Freyung 6/2, A-1010 Vienna, Austria
3 Intrarea Stefan Furtuna Str, District 1, Bucharest
Endla Street 6 – 18, 10142 Tallinn, Estonia
www.childrensrights.ie
bim.lbg.ac.at/en
www.salvaticopiii.ro
www.lastekaitseliit.ee
2011
With financial support from the EU’s Fundamental Rights and Citizenship Programme
Design and print: www.graphicimpressions.co.uk
94 White Lion Street, London, UK, N1 9PF www.crae.org.uk