Enablers, barriers and proposals for child participation in spanish municipalities
Article Sidebar
Main Article Content
Abstract
INTRODUCTION. The EU Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027) has highlighted the importance of strengthening working relationships between the political authorities and children population to defend youth rights and inclusion in local, national and European decision-making. This paper aims to identify enabling factors and barriers to participatory practices with children and to make proposals for developing these practices in the context of the network of municipalities belonging to the International Association of Educating Cities (IAEC) and the Child-Friendly Cities Initiative (CFCI). Identifying these factors will enable to propose strategic actions leading to a full children participation in political and democratic life. METHOD. The study was part of a nationwide project with a mixed-method approach. Data were collected via two self-administered online surveys with ad hoc design. The sample consisted of 136 girls, boys and adolescents, 191 local government officers and 88 elected representatives. The resulting data was analysed via a content analysis using Atlas-ti software. RESULTS. Respondents agreed on the need for greater political commitment towards child participation, and to increase the arenas where under-18s can make decisions and carry out initiatives to transform their social environments. DISCUSSION. The obtained results support the importance of valuing child participation and highlighted the need to promote cooperative actions between girls, boys and adolescents and policy makers to influence municipal policy. The need for child participation as an indispensable element of the public sphere was made visible, for it to be articulated in settings where children can work together with elected representatives, and for it to have a tangible impact on municipal policy, as recommended by the Council of Europe.
Downloads
Article Details
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
References
Agud, I., Novella, A. & Llena, A. (2014). Conditions for effective children’s participation, according to children’s voices. Revista de cercetare si interventie sociala, 46, 9-21. https://bit.ly/3RSiHoc
Andersson, E. (2017). The pedagogical political participation model (the 3P-M) for exploring, explaining and affecting young people’s political participation. Journal of Youth Studies, 20(10), 1346–1361. https://doi.org/10.1080/13676261.2017.1333583
Augsberger, A., Collins, M. E. & Gecker, W. (2018). Engaging Youth in Municipal Government: Moving Toward a Youth-Centric Practice, Journal of Community Practice, 26(1), 41-62. https:// doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2017.1413023
Brown, C., De Lannoy, A., McCracken, D., Gill, T., Grant, M., Wright, H. & Williams, S. (2019). Special issue: child-friendly cities. Cities & Health, 3(1-2), 1-7. https://doi.org/10.1080/2374 8834.2019.1682836
Cahill, H. & Dadvand, B. (2018). Re-conceptualising youth participation: A framework to inform action. Children and Youth Services Review, 95, 243-253. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childy-outh.2018.11.001
Collins, M. E., Augsberger, A. & Gecker, W. (2016). Youth councils in municipal government: Examination of activities, impact and barriers. Children and Youth Services Review, 65, 140-147. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.04.007
Comité de los Derechos del Niño (2009). Observación General n.º 12. El derecho del niño a ser escuchado. Convención sobre los Derechos del Niño. https://bit.ly/3nAnkW9
Comité de los Derechos del Niño (2016). Estrategia del Consejo de Europa para los derechos de los niños y las niñas (2016-2021). Derechos humanos de los niños. Consejo de Europa. https://bit.ly/3IjZjwt
Comité de los Derechos del Niño/Comité Directeur pour les Droits de l’Enfant (CDENF) (2022). Stratégie du Conseil de l’Europe pour les droits de l’enfant (2022-2027). Les droits de l’enfant en action : poursuivre la mise en oeuvre et innover ensemble. [Estrategia del
Consejo de Europa para los Derechos del Niño (2022-2027). Los derechos del niño en acción: conseguir su puesta en práctica e innovar conjuntamente]. https://bit.ly/3AignRs
Convención sobre los derechos del niño. Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas (1990). Decreto publicado en el Diario Oficial de la Federación el 31 de julio de 1990. https://bit.ly/3iJNq5c
Creswell, J. W. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design. choosing among five approaches (3.ª ed.). Sage.
Crowley, A., Larkins, C. & Pinto, M. (2020). Listen – Act – Change. Council of Europe Handbook on children’s participation for professionals working for and with children. Council of Europe. https://bit.ly/3OSIiLD
Derr, V. & Tarantini, E. (2016). “Because we are all people”: outcomes and reflections from young people’s participation in the planning and design of child-friendly public spaces. Local Environment, 21(12), 1534-1556. https://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2016.1145643
Díaz de Rada, V. (2012). Ventajas e inconvenientes de encuestas por Internet. Papers, 97(1), 193-223. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers/v97n1.71
Díaz de Rada, V. (2021). Utilización conjunta de encuestas administradas y autoadministradas. ¿Proporcionan resultados similares? Revista Española de Sociología, 30(1), a09. https://doi.org/10.22325/fes/res.2021.09
Egli, M. I. (2020). La participación social como herramienta de aproximación para la transformación de la política pública urbana. European Public & Social Innovation Review, 5(1), 81-97. https://doi.org/10.31637/epsir.20-1.7
ENYA (2020). Let’s talk young, let’s talk about children’s rights in decision-making. Report from ENYA Forum 2020. ENOC/Barncombudet. https://bit.ly/3qWI4t7
Flick, U. (2015). El diseño de investigación cualitativa. Morata.
Forde, L., Kilkelly, V., Kelleher, D. & Lundy, L. (2020). The Right of Children to Participate in Public Decision-Making Processes. Save the Children International. https://bit.ly/3OX1tnQ
Gal, T. (2017). An ecological model of child and youth participation. Children and Youth Services Review. 79, 57-64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.05.029
Hub na nÓg (2015). Participation Framework National Framework for Children and Young People’s Participation in Decision-making. Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth. Government of Ireland. https://bit.ly/3QZRsId
Jäntti, A. & Kurdela, K. (2021). How Municipalities Can Enhance Citizen Participation? Exploring the Views of Participants and Non-Participants. Scandinavian Journal of Public Administration. 25(1), 23-42. https://bit.ly/3uh2PSp
Kay, E. & Tisdall, M. (2021). Meaningful, effective and sustainable? Challenges for children and young people’s participation. In M. Bruselius-Jensen, I. Pitti, E. Kay & M. Tisdall,
Young People’s Participation (pp. 217-234). Policy Press. https://doi.org/10.1332/policy-press/9781447345411.003.0013
Krechevsky, M., Mardell, B. & Romans, A. N. (2014). Engaging City Hall: Children as Citizens. The New Educator, 10(1), 10-20. https://doi.org/10.1080/1547688x.2014.868212
Lay-Lisboa, S. & Montañés, M. (2018). De la participación adultocéntrica a la disidente: La otra participación infantil. Psicoperspectivas, 17(2). https://doi.org/10.5027/psicoperspectivasvol17-issue2-fulltext-1176
Ley Orgánica /2018, de 5 de diciembre, de Protección de Datos Personales y garantía de los derechos digitales. Boletín Oficial del Estado, 294, de 6 de diciembre de 2018. https://bit.ly/2RBZTKI
Martínez Miguélez, M. (2004). Ciencia y arte en la metodología cualitativa. Trillas.
McMellon, C. & Tisdall, E. K. M. (2020). Children and young people’s participation rights: Looking backwards and moving forwards. The International Journal of Children’s Rights, 28(1), 157-182. https://doi.org/10.1163/15718182-02801002
Messina, G. & Valdés-Cotera, R. (2013). Educating cities in Latin America. International Review of Education, 59(4), 425-441. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11159-013-9369-x
Ministerio de Educación, Política Social y Deportes [MEPSD] (2008). Informe Técnico sobre experiencias de participación social efectiva de niños, niñas y adolescentes (principalmente europeas).
Secretaría General Técnica. Subdirección General de Información y Publicaciones. https://bit.ly/3nqoAvf
Ministerio de Sanidad, Servicios Sociales e Igualdad (MSSSI) (2015). II Plan Estratégico Nacional de Infancia y Adolescencia (II PENIA 2013-2016). Evaluación intermedia. https://bit.ly/3y5l6TG
Novella, A., Agud, I., Llena, A. & Trilla, J. (2013). El concepto de ciudadanía construido por jóvenes que vivieron experiencias de participación infantil. Bordón, 65(3), 93-108. https://recyt.fecyt.es/index.php/BORDON/article/view/23166
Novella, A., Sabariego, M., Esteban, M. B. & Crespo, F. (2022). Experiencias participativas de niños, niñas y adolescentes desde el ámbito local. Pilares que facilitan la participación. Unicef España. https://bit.ly/3S9Nble
Ramiro, J. & Alemán Bracho, C. (2016). ¿El surgimiento de un nuevo sujeto de ciudadanía? Aportaciones teóricas al debate contemporáneo sobre los derechos de los niños. Papers. Revista de Sociología, 101(2), 169. https://doi.org/10.5565/rev/papers.2218
RAND Europe (2021). Study on child participation in EU political and democratic life. Final Report. RAND Europe/Eurochild. European Commission. https://bit.ly/3OSkpUr
Riggio, E. (2002). Child friendly cities: good governance in the best interests of the child. Environment and Urbanization, 14(2), 45-58. https://doi.org/10.1177/0956247802014002
Sant, E. & Davies, I. (2018) Promoting participation at a time of social and political turmoil: what is the impact of children’s and young people’s city councils? Cambridge Journal of Education, 48(3), 371-387. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2017.1337719
Stake, R. (2013). Estudio de casos cualitativos. In N. K. Denzin & Y. S. Lincoln (coords.), Manual de investigación cualitativa. Las estrategias de investigación cualitativa (vol. 3) (pp. 43-102). Gedisa.
Tonucci, F. (2018). Poner a los niños en la política significa hacer una buena política: 25 años de escucha en el proyecto “La ciudad de los niños”. In A. Llena & A. Novella (coords.), Impulsar la participación infantil. Los consejos de infancia y adolescencia. Graó.
Unicef (2022). Effective, representative, and inclusive child participation at the local level A study on child and youth councils in UNICEF National Committee countrie. Based on the views of child and youth council members in selected National Committee countries. Unicef. https://bit.ly/3BQczqQ
Wong, N. T., Zimmerman, M. A. & Parker, E. A. (2010). A typology of youth participation and empowerment for child and adolescent health promotion. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46(1-2), 100-114. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10464-010-9330-0
Wood, P. & Smith, J. (2018). Investigar en Educación. Conceptos básicos y metodología para desarrollar proyectos de investigación. Narcea.