What is child participation and why is it important?
Participation refers to the opportunity to express opinions, influence decision-making, and achieve change. Child participation means the informed and voluntary involvement of all children—including the most marginalized and children of different ages and abilities—in any issue that directly or indirectly affects them. Child participation is both a way of working and a fundamental principle that runs through all programs and takes place across all areas—from family to government, from local to international levels.
Participation is one of the most significant drivers of a child’s and society’s development. The fact that a child has the chance to participate actively from an early age—in family, school, society, and community—greatly contributes to the development of children’s capacities, self-confidence, and socio-emotional skills.
Children best develop their competencies through activity. Giving children the opportunity to be active participants in their own development leads to the growth of skills that enable more complex forms of participation, which in turn foster the development of new, more advanced competencies. In this way, participation is not only a means for children to be included in decision-making processes but also a way to develop autonomy, independence, and new social skills. That is why it is important to give children the opportunity to make choices and decisions from the earliest days.
How to encourage children’s participation?
It is important to start with a few facts about child development:
- Children are naturally curious and want to explore the world around them – it is necessary to find methods to stimulate that curiosity.
- Children need an encouraging environment where they can realize their potential – often children are unprepared to act at this level due to negative family and social influences. Their potential is stifled, they lose confidence, and a vicious cycle is created from which they don’t know how to escape.
- Peer support is important to a child, especially in early and later adolescence, when peers become the primary and main reference group – there are different models under which children can act together and support each other.
When working with children, professionals need to be flexible, innovative, and creative, finding ways to motivate children and methods that enable their participation. For example, children who do not want to speak in front of a group can express their views and thoughts by writing, drawing, or photographing on certain topics. It is essential to ensure that children’s voices are heard, whether through written or oral forms—what matters most is that children have the opportunity to express themselves.
It is always important to hear the perspectives of many different children involved. We often assume we know in advance what children think and what they will say—yet, adults are often trapped in their own frameworks, from which it is hard to escape, and by doing so, we confine children to the same limits. Children will often say things that adults would never think of, identify problems we don’t see from an “adult” perspective, propose activities we haven’t considered, as well as solutions. For all these reasons, it is crucial to talk with children and create a safe environment where children can build trust and confidence to share their thoughts. This means creating “fertile ground” where a child feels accepted with their differences, respected in their reflections, and supported in their ideas.
