DAY project launches model for meaningful child participation

New resource available in 9 languages to replicate child participation practices developed in Naples by young people together with civil society.

For the past 18 months, Eurochild has implemented the Democratic Activation of Youth (DAY) project in Naples, Italy together with local civil society partners - our member Fondazione d’Albero della Vita and CIDIS.

The project, funded by the European Union, has involved almost 2,000 children and young people across 9 schools from 3 districts of Naples and has created a model of meaningful child participation.

The approach championed by this project involved:

• Creating genuine youth participation mechanisms for local governance;
• Improving decision-making processes by connecting the voices and experiences of young people with the policies and interventions that concern them;
• Creating opportunities for young people to grow as active, responsible and aware citizens;
• Raising awareness and training local policymakers on the principles of meaningful child participation.

The DAY model is created from four fundamental principles from the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child:

• Article 2. Right to non-discrimination;
• Article 3. Right to life, survival and development;
• Article 6. Right for the best interests of the child; and
• Article 12. Right to be heard.

The DAY Model includes 3 parts:

1. A description of the model and its methodology that can be adapted for and inspire other local participation projects.
2. A child-friendly version is also available, to further support its replication with children and young people.
3. Summaries of the Youth Civic Agendas (find the full ones here) outlining key areas for action identified by young people and presented to local policymakers, including in: social-welfare, scholastic and educational activities, and urban maintenance and hygiene.

We, the project partners, hope to demonstrate the sustainability and replicability of this model of meaningful child and youth participation.

The model is now available for download in Italian and English.

Summaries in 7 other European languages (Bulgarian, French, Greek, Polish, Portuguese, Romanian, and Spanish) are available here.

We invite allies across civil society, NGOs, and foundations, together with EU and national policymakers to explore and utilise this model in their own practices engaging children.

Impact of the DAY project:

During the project, young people, political leaders, teachers and parents witnessed the benefits of active citizenship: students made their voices heard, they understood local administrations and political dynamics and they were proactively involved to transform their Districts following the programmes of their own Youth Civic Agendas.

The long-term effect is the incorporation of a model of youth participation in the proceedings of the Municipality of Naples, so that the right of young people to be heard becomes a solid principle embedded at a cultural level in the day-to-day local decision-making in Naples.

What’s next for the DAY project?

• Young people from Naples will exchange on practices of child participation with current and former Eurocihld Children’s Council members, the National Eurochild Forums, and the Eurochild Child Participation team.
• The delegation from DAY will travel to Brussels, where Eurochild will support them to share their work and agendas for change with European policymakers, including representatives from EU institutions and international youth networks.
• A final conference takes place later this month in Naples, where the DAY project will be presented and concluded with local decision-makers and political representatives.
• Eurochild are preparing a documentary to capture the legacy of children’s participation in the DAY project. Stay tuned!

For more information, contact Isabella Cervino and Ciaran O’Donnell from the Eurochild Secretariat.