Child and youth participation resource guide
Involvement in political decision-making
Conferences and consultations
Cockburn, Gail, Meaningful Youth Participation in International Conferences: A case study of the international conference on war-affected children, CIDA, Winnipeg, 2000.
This paper includes sections on the definition and justification of children’s participation and on theprocesses of youth participation at an international event. It includes principles for youth participation and concrete guidelines based on experiences of adults and youth at the conference.
Dynamix Ltd, Participation – Spice it Up! Practical tools for engaging children and young people in planning and consultation, Save the Children UK, London, 2003.
This publication provides ideas and values that underlie youth participation approaches. It includes tried and tested examples of over 40 activities. The topics cover everything from getting started and gathering information to long-term planning and evaluation.
Email: dynamix@seriousfun.demon.co.uk
Ennew, Judith and Yuli Hastadewi, Seen and Heard: Participation of children and young people in Southeast, East Asia and Pacific in events and forums leading to and following up on the United Nations General Assembly Special Session on Children, May 2002, Save the Children, Bangkok, 2004.
This evaluation report looks at some specific experiences of Save the Children and its partners in South-East Asia, East Asia and the Pacific. It recognizes successes and failings of that regional process and identifies a number of ways the outcomes could be better achieved.
Etherton, Michael, Creating a Process Fit For Children: Children and young people’s participation in the preparations for the UN Special Session on Children, Save the Children, 2002.
This report evaluates Save the Children’s support for children and young people’s participation in the national, regional and international preparations for the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children.
Lansdown, Gerison, Promoting Children’s Participation in Democratic Decision Making, UNICEF Innocenti Research Centre, Florence, 2001.
Refer to the section on facilitating children’s participation in international conferences.
North American Regional Consultations, Focus Group 101: Guide for Facilitators, United Nations Secretary–General’s Study on Violence Against Children, 2003.
This guidebook was developed for young people to use when facilitating focus group discussions with other young people, especially for the North American Regional Contributions to the UN Global Study on Violence. It is a useful resource for adults who want to facilitate focus group discussions.
NSW Commission for Children and Young People, Taking Participation Seriously. New South Wales Commission for Children and Young People, Australia.
Booklet Four: Conferences and Events
Booklet Five: Meeting Together – Deciding Together
Taking Participation Seriously consists of six booklets that provide comprehensive information and practical tools for involving youth in decision-making processes. Conferences and Events provides ideas and activities for helping children play meaningful roles before, during and after events so that everyone benefits from their participation. It includes stories about young people’s participation in conferences. Meeting Together – Deciding Together helps young people to prepare for a meeting, participate during the meeting and debrief afterwards. It includes ‘child-friendly’ templates for invitations, agendas and minutes.
Save the Children, So You Want to Consult with Children? A toolkit of good practice, Save the Children Alliance, ISBN 82-7481-099-6, London, 2003.
This toolkit is based on the experience of Save the Children in helping to facilitate children’s meaningful participation in the process leading up to, and including, the 2002 UN General Assembly Special Session on Children. The toolkit lists everything that needs to be done to make sure that children participate in consultations in meaningful ways.
Save the Children, 12 Lessons Learned from Children’s Participation in the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children, International Save the Children Alliance, London, 2004.
This booklet provides guidance on key principles and processes that have to be considered when involving children in conferences. It includes sections on creating an enabling environment, adult attitudes and behaviours, child protection, planning and budgeting.
Trimmer, Caspar, Guidelines for Organizing ‘Human Trafficking–Voices of Children’ National Forums, Save the Children UK and the ILO-IPEC East Asia Sub regional Office, Bangkok, 2003.
These guidelines were prepared for national forums on child trafficking. They cover the main ethical and practical issues that should be considered when organizing consultations with children.
UNICEF, C8 Protocol Pack, UNICEF, London, 2004.
UNICEF facilitated the participation of children and young people at the G8 for the first time in July 2005 to debate, discuss and put forward their agendas to the leaders of the G8. The protocol pack consists of forms and guidelines, such as evaluation forms, guidelines for chaperones and translators, media consent forms and travel checklists.
Email: youthvoice@unicef.org.uk
United Nations Association in Canada, Navigating International Meetings, A pocketbook guide to effective youth participation, UNAC, Ottawa, 2002.
This booklet gives concise information about the structure and process of United Nations meetings, looks at different avenues available to youth for participating and offers practical information for surviving such meetings. The guide also addresses important questions regarding the impact of these meetings on the local, national and international levels that every participant should consider.
UNODC, Equal Partners: Organizing “for youth by youth” events, UNODC, Vienna, 2001.
Veitch, Helen, Protocol on Children’s Participation at the Regional Consultation for the UN Study on Violence Against Children, Interagency Regional Steering Committee for the UN Study on Violence Against Children, Bangkok, 2005.
This protocol pack on facilitating children’s participation at consultations includes principles, standards, guidelines and forms for organizing children’s participation at consultations. It was developed through a participatory process.
Email: Henk.van.Beers@seap.savethechildren.se
