Creating and embedding child participation at local level: Step-by-step, together

Child Citizen Project’s closing conference.

On 15 April, Eurochild, together with our member CSAGYI – the Child Family Youth Association, and local partners hosted the closing conference of the 2-year Child Citizens (JóKer) Project, funded by the EU’s Citizens, Equality, Rights and Values (CERV) programme. The initiative has been led by the Children and Youth Participation Programme at the Józsefváros Municipality of Budapest. Key results at local level included:

• Over 900 children participated in the “Children's Participation Budget”, deciding how more than €60,000 (26 million HUF) would be spent to improve their local community!
• Around 700 children participated in the "We need a team!” mini-community development projects, with a total of 28 ideas submitted, with 11 finally being selected.
• More than 160 children participated in the Children's forum: 2 times.
• 10 young people joiend the newly established Youth Forum.
• 163 parents and professionals received training on child rights and participation.
• 60+ experts participated in Children and Youth Participation Roundtable.
• Participants shared that it was the first dedicated conference in Hungary on children's participation.

Throughout the day, we heard from children, young people, and professionals who have participated in this project. When reflecting on the future of child participation at local and European levels, Eurochild’s Ciaran O’Donnell, Partnerships and Programmes Coordinator, shared that: “There should be systemic integration of child participation, children should be considered as co-leaders in decision-making, and cross-border collaboration - like the Child Citizen project - helps advance child participation by sharing good practices and setting common standards.”

Our conference featured an intervention from Marie-Cécile Rouillon, the European Commission's Coordinator for the Rights of the Child, who shared solidarity and congratulated the participants on the Child Citizen’s contribution to children’s rights:

Participants also heard from Dr Maria Herczog, CSAGYI, who shared in her keynote speech that: “If adults are not aware of their own rights or are unable to exercise them, we cannot expect the rights of children—such as being heard and having their opinions taken into account—to be fully realised. Both children and adults must be respected, empowered, and actively listened to in all matters that affect them.”

CSAGYI also launched a new Handbook on Child Participation in Hungary during the conference, developed through this project.

Eurochild takeaways from the Project

This project is nothing short of inspirational: the local municipality, including its leadership, local civil society, professionals in early years, schools and youth centres, and of course, the children and young people themselves, have all demonstrated a committed approach to embedding child participation into local practice.

Not only this, but the context within which local actors have implemented this project is also an inspiring example of strengthening child participation in a challenged civic space. Recently, children’s rights civil society in Hungary has been targeted by claims that civil society receiving EU-CERV funding was using it for political pressure and foreign interests. However, the CERV programme is intended to promote democratic societies and support vulnerable groups.

Eurochild stands in solidarity with civil society across Europe looking to protect and fulfil children’s rights. We call on EU institutions, national governments, and funders to protect children’s rights defenders, strengthen civil society, and empower children as rights defenders.

More information

Alongside Eurochild, the project partners for the Child Citizens project include: The Józsefváros Municipality (coordinator), CSAGYI (Family, Child, Youth Association), Partners Hungary Foundation, and John Wesley Theological College.

• Click here to access the full project results, in Hungarian and English.
• Click here to read more about this project.
• For more information, contact Ciaran O’Donnell, Eurochild Partnership and Programmes Coordinator, and Laure Pailleau, Child Participation and Policy Officer.