Children's Voices Part 3 -- Children and Young People as Valued Citizens and Learners

Summary

The video script emphasizes the importance of including children's voices in community decision-making. It highlights the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms children's rights to express opinions on matters affecting them. The script calls for genuine engagement beyond tokenism, recognizing children as valuable contributors to society. It also praises South Korea's progressive approach to children's participation and the benefits of a child-friendly community for resource allocation and planning.

Takeaways

• 🚀 The importance of collective effort is emphasized by the saying 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.'
• 👧 The necessity of including children's voices in community decisions, as they are often the ones most affected by those decisions.
• 🤔 The challenge of recognizing and trusting children's capabilities to contribute meaningfully to community engagement.
• 🔍 Moving beyond superficial engagement to a deeper, sustained interaction that values children's insights and opinions.
• 🌟 The role of adults is to facilitate children's participation, ensuring they are heard and their opinions are taken seriously.
• 🏛 The responsibility of councils to engage with children as part of their core community, acknowledging them as residents and stakeholders.
• 🏗️ The significance of children's input in community planning, especially since many community developments are intended for them.
• 💪 Empowering children to understand their agency in the community and their ability to influence decisions that affect their lives.
• 🌱 The value of children and young people's perspectives as a gift to society, which should be nurtured and considered in societal development.
• 📜 The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, which affirms children's rights to express their opinions on matters affecting them.
• 🌐 The South Korean government's progressive approach to children's participation, demonstrating that it is feasible with a shift in perspective.
• 🛠️ The benefits of child-friendly initiatives for local planning, providing a fresh perspective from the actual users of community services and facilities.

Q & A

What is the main message conveyed by the saying 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together' in the context of the transcript?

The saying emphasizes the importance of collaboration and inclusivity, particularly when discussing community engagement and the need to involve all members, including children, in decision-making processes for long-term success and sustainability.

Why is it crucial to involve children in community decisions according to the transcript?

Involving children is essential because it ensures their needs and perspectives are considered, leading to more informed and inclusive decisions that directly impact their lives and the community's future.

What does the transcript suggest about children's perception of decision-making in their community?

The transcript suggests that children feel decisions are often made by adults, particularly those in positions of authority, without their input, leading to a belief that only adults have the right to make decisions.

What challenges are mentioned in the script regarding engaging with children's voices in community engagement?

The challenges include recognizing and believing in children's capabilities for engagement, moving beyond tokenistic displays to sustained engagement, and ensuring that children's voices are genuinely listened to and taken seriously.

How does the transcript define the role of children in community engagement?

The transcript defines children as active participants and key informants in community engagement, with the right to express their opinions on matters affecting their lives, as affirmed by the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

What is the significance of Article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child as mentioned in the transcript?

Article 12 signifies that children have the right to their own opinions and to express these ideas freely on matters affecting them. It mandates that their opinions should be listened to and taken seriously.

How does the transcript describe the South Korean government's approach to engaging with children's voices?

The transcript commends the South Korean government for being progressive in engaging with children's voices, highlighting a shift in perspective and the development of skills to listen and draw out children's deeper thoughts and ideas.

What is the 'child-friendly city' initiative mentioned in the transcript, and what is its purpose?

The 'child-friendly city' initiative is led by the Department for Education in child development, based on UNICEF's international model. Its purpose is to support local communities in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, particularly focusing on engaging with children's voices in local decision-making.

How does the transcript suggest that engaging with children's voices can benefit local planning and decision-making?

Engaging with children's voices provides a new perspective from the actual users of facilities and services, leading to better use of resources and more relevant planning that meets the needs of the entire community, including children.

What outcomes are expected from empowering children and involving them in community decisions, as per the transcript?

The expected outcomes include children feeling empowered and having a voice, showing ownership and passion for their community, and being actively involved in shaping and leading what happens in the future.

How does the transcript emphasize the importance of inclusivity in community engagement, particularly for children and families?

The transcript stresses that children and families are vital components of the community, and operating from a whole-of-community perspective ensures their inclusion, leading to a more inclusive and representative decision-making process.

Outlines

00:00

🗣️ Empowering Children's Voices in Community Decisions

This paragraph emphasizes the importance of including children in community decisions. It highlights a saying that underscores the value of collective effort, suggesting that involving children in decision-making can lead to more sustainable outcomes. The speaker discusses the need to genuinely listen to children's opinions and not just make assumptions about their needs. They also address the challenge of moving beyond superficial engagement to a more meaningful and sustained interaction with children. The role of local councils in engaging with children is stressed, recognizing them as integral community members whose voices should be heard in policy development. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child is mentioned, which affirms children's rights to express their opinions on matters affecting them, and the need for practices and policies that ensure all children's voices are engaged as active citizens.

05:01

👶 Listening to Children for Better Community Planning

The second paragraph focuses on the initiative of involving children in local decision-making and planning processes. It encourages communities to genuinely listen to children and understand their perspectives, which can lead to more effective use of resources and more relevant community services. The speaker points out that children provide a unique and valuable perspective on their environment and what they believe should happen in their communities. The outcomes of such initiatives are described as empowering for children, who feel they have a voice and can contribute to shaping their future. The importance of including children, who make up a significant portion of the community, is highlighted to ensure that community planning meets everyone's needs and is inclusive of all facets, including children and families.

Keywords

💡Community Engagement

Community engagement refers to the process of involving members of a community in activities that impact their lives. In the video's context, it emphasizes the importance of including children's voices in community decisions. The script mentions that 'it's critical that children have a role in a voice and community engagement,' highlighting the necessity for children to be active participants in shaping their environment.

💡Children's Rights

Children's rights are the human rights of children with special attention to the rights set forth in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The script underscores the significance of these rights, particularly the right of children to express their opinions freely, as stated in 'article 12 of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.' This right is central to the video's theme of empowering children to participate in community decisions.

💡Inclusivity

Inclusivity is the practice of including everyone, especially children, in community activities and decisions. The video script stresses the importance of recognizing children as part of the community, stating that 'children and family are a vital component of that,' and that 'operating from a whole of community perspective means that they're included.'

💡Empowerment

Empowerment in this context is about giving children the authority and confidence to make decisions that affect their lives. The script illustrates this with the statement 'I want to empower the children so that they get an understanding that they're not just people in the community who have to do as is stated to them by adults.' Empowerment is key to the video's message of enabling children to have a voice.

💡Participation

Participation is the act of being involved in decision-making processes. The video script discusses the importance of children's participation, as seen in 'Judah's participation sits right at the heart of child friendly si.' It is a fundamental principle of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and is essential for ensuring that children's perspectives are considered in community planning.

💡Voice

Voice in the script refers to the ability of children to express their opinions and have them heard. The video emphasizes that 'everyone has a voice, some more dominant than others,' and the goal is to ensure that all children's voices are engaged. This is crucial for creating a child-friendly community where children's ideas and concerns are taken into account.

💡Child-Friendly Cities

Child-Friendly Cities is an initiative based on the UNICEF international model, which aims to support communities in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. The script mentions this initiative as a framework that encourages engaging with children's voices, which is integral to the video's theme of creating communities that are inclusive and responsive to children's needs.

💡Sustainability

Sustainability in the context of the video refers to the long-term engagement with children's opinions and ideas beyond tokenistic displays. The script talks about the need for 'sustained engagement with children,' which is important for adults to explore deeper meanings that children express and for ensuring that children's contributions are meaningful and ongoing.

💡Opinions

Opinions are the personal views or judgments of children that the video script suggests should be listened to and taken seriously. The script states that 'children have the right to their own opinion,' emphasizing the importance of valuing children's perspectives in community decisions.

💡Capacity

Capacity, in the context of the video, refers to the ability of children to engage in decision-making processes. The script discusses the challenges of 'knowing and believing in children's capability and capacity for this kind of engagement,' suggesting that recognizing children's potential to contribute to community planning is essential.

💡Consultation

Consultation is the process of seeking the views of children and others in the community to inform decisions. The video script highlights the value of consulting with children, as they provide a unique perspective on their environment, which can lead to 'a very valuable addition to the planning consultative process.'

Highlights

The saying 'If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together' emphasizes the importance of collaboration, especially when involving children in community decisions.

Children's voices should be directly heard rather than adults guessing what they want or need in a community.

Children often feel that only adults, usually men in positions of authority, make decisions.

Questioning children about their right to make decisions and have their opinions listened to is crucial for genuine engagement.

Everyone has a voice, and it's essential to allow everyone, including children, to speak up and be heard.

Children should have a role and voice in community engagement, especially in decisions affecting them.

A key challenge is believing in children's capability and capacity for meaningful engagement in community matters.

Moving beyond tokenistic displays to sustained engagement with children is vital for deeper understanding of their perspectives.

Councils have a core role in working with the community, including considering children as important residents and members.

Children and young people's voices are important in the community, even though they may not be voting members.

Empowerment of children helps them understand they can have a say and choice over what happens in their lives.

Children and young people are a gift to society, and their experiences and perspectives should be considered in decision-making.

The Child-friendly Cities initiative by UNICEF aims to support local communities in implementing the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child affirms children's right to be consulted about decisions affecting their lives.

Article 12 of the Convention states that children have the right to their own opinions and to have them listened to and taken seriously.

Practices, policies, and standards should be in place to ensure all children's voices are engaged as active citizens.

The South Korean government is commended for being progressive in engaging children's voices in community planning.

Listening to children is at the heart of child-friendly cities, seeking to understand and respond to their perspectives in local decision-making.

Involving children in planning provides a valuable perspective as they are the actual users of the facilities and services.

Recognizing children as part of the community ensures better use of resources and more relevant planning to meet everyone's needs.

Empowering children results in them feeling ownership of the community, excitement, and passion for being involved in shaping the future.

Children are an integral part of the community, and including them ensures an inclusive approach to community planning and engagement.

Transcripts

a saying that's really impacted on me is

if you want to go fast go alone if you

want to go far go together and what I

think is really important if we're

talking about going together we must

talk about the students going along with

us because we are children you know it's

one thing for an adult to take a guess

at what children want a need in a

community but for it to come straight

from the child you know it's not I guess

it's a definite what we want to see the

excitement on the children's faces and

almost the surprise that somebody else

really was listening to them and really

did ask them we found that the children

were saying that only adults make

decisions it's usually a man and it's

always a boss so we put forward another

question can you make decisions do you

have a right to make decisions so what

does it mean to have an opinion what

does it mean to be listened to what does

it mean when we say we're taking

something seriously everyone has a voice

some more dominant than others but it's

our job to allow that everybody to speak

up

I think it's critical that children have

a role in a voice and community

engagement just as it is for anyone

who's affected by decisions that we're

trying to make and policies that were

trying to develop I think one of the key

challenges to engaging with children's

voices is knowing and believing in

children's capability and capacity for

this kind of engagement another key

challenge is also about moving beyond

tokenistic displays to sustained

engagement with children so that adults

can explore deeper and deeper the

meanings that children are expressing

and that is a really important thing to

be doing buts also a challenging thing

for council it's really important to

engage with children as our core role is

to work with the community and we

consider everyone who lives in the area

to be residents and community members it

would be remiss not to see children in

that important role children and young

people's voices is really important in

our community and although they might

not be those voting members and they

certainly have a lot of to offer so a

lot of what we are building in our

community is for our children and young

people so why wouldn't we go and talk to

them about that

I want to empower the children so that

they get an understanding that they're

not just people in the community who

have to do as is stated to them by

adults but where they can have some say

some choice over what happens in their

lives and to learn that from the

earliest stages of their lives

I think probably if we're going to be

making decisions within our society

within our communities we have to take

on board what children and young people

are say I think children and young

people are a gift really to the society

that they live in and we really need to

pay attention to what they're saying and

to their experiences and perspectives if

we're going to build a future for them

child-friendly essay is an initiative

led by the Department for Education in

child development

it's based on the UNICEF international

model of child-friendly cities

UNICEF's framework aims to support

communities at a local level to

implement the United Nations Convention

on the right of the child engaging with

children's voices this part and parcel

of children's rights in 1989 the United

Nations Convention on the Rights of the

Child affirmed the child's right to be

consulted about decisions affecting

their lives this very clearly positions

children as key informants about matters

that impact on them and it acknowledges

children's wisdom and capacity to so

engage article 12 of the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of the Child

states that children have the right to

their own opinion

and to be able to express their own

ideas particular matters would have

which affect them their opinion needs to

be listened to and taken seriously it's

really important therefore to have

practices and policies and standards put

in place to ensure that all children's

voices are engaged as active citizens

otherwise some children have privileged

voices while others are silenced I have

to commend South Korean government

in a big way for actually being very

progressive in this it doesn't take a

massive amount of investment it just

takes a shift in perspective and

expertise clearly in being able to draw

out of the children

maybe not their first ideas but their

second and third ideas to have that

skill of listening is something I think

that they have embraced very well indeed

Judah's participation sits right at the

heart of child friendly si because it's

one of the key or one of the four key

principles of the United Nations

Convention on the Rights of the Child so

what we're asking communities to do is

start to really listen to children

listen to what they're saying I'm really

seek to understand what they're saying

and to respond to them appropriately in

relation to local decision-making and

local planning it's a wonderful

initiative from the point of view of

planners and local government in the

sense that you get a perspective a new

perspective a perspective of the actual

users of the facilities the services

being provided and children have the

most wonderful concept of their own

environment and what they feel should

happen so you get a very valuable

addition to the planning consultative

process by ensuring that we understand

what children young people and their

families really want in their

communities we can ensure better use of

resources and more relevant use of

resources so whether it's building

playgrounds or anything else that occurs

in the community by recognizing children

are part of the community and they make

up 25% of our communities in South

Australia ensures that what is being

planned and achieved really meets

everyone's needs the outcomes that we've

seen in regard to activities are

children that feel empowered that have a

voice and want to be a part of different

things the ownership around the

community and the excitement and and

passion in being involved in what

they're doing and how they can have a

voice in shaping and leading what

happens in the future our kids are part

of our community and operating from a

whole of community perspective means

that they're included so we are having a

community that's inclusive of all facets

and children and family are a vital

component of that