Four crucial life skills we Youth Advisors have learned through child participation
From a very young age, children are asked to listen to adults. However, we rarely talk about what children can learn when adults listen to them.
The day you enter adulthood, society expects you to have certain practical skills for employment, decent work, and entrepreneurship. But how can we learn these skills when this learning is only theoretical? If adults don't welcome children’s views and opinions, how can young people feel legitimate to make decisions when turning 18?
Turning 18 cannot be considered the only pivot point. In order for children to become actors in society, they need to be given a space to express themselves as early as possible. Children represent 30% of the world’s population, and learning through participation must become a priority in order for children to learn the skills they need for the future.
Considering the number of young people who are inactive in the political field all over the world, we should take action on every level of society. One answer to this problem is to strengthen children’s participation in decision-making impacting their lives. Thanks to this, children will develop practical skills that are essential for adult life.
On this World Youth Skills Day, we want to share what we have learned through our participation and political engagement.
Amine on developing a stronger self-confidence
“How do we expect young people to raise issues and stand up for themselves if all we have taught them is to sit still, listen, and write down what they have learned? Allowing us to speak isn’t enough either if we are allowed only to repeat what we have learned. We need young people to see themselves as valuable individuals who are a part of society and have an inalienable right to speak and be heard. That is what self-confidence is all about. Knowing our own value is the first step to thinking by ourselves, and feeling concerned about what is happening around us … By boosting young people’s self-confidence they will start to participate and use their rights to create and improve today’s society.
As a young person, I know that all that separates me from succeeding are the small things, like knowing that I have the right to do so and how to get started. After that, everything else follows. The most important part about building the self-confidence of young people is how self-confident and able adults are to help us succeed. If they don’t know how to support us, maybe it is because they didn’t get enough support when they were young.”
Lilou on making sense of the world
“Managing information is essential in adult life. Especially in our ultra-connected world, receiving information is part of every hour every day. Information, whether it is from schools, our parents, or social media, needs to be organised in order to be useful. When you master the skill of making sense of the world and forming your own opinion about it, you save time and develop competencies for the working world.
Making sense of the information we receive happens in many different areas of life. It can be with work, activities, or thoughts. School teaches us about the skills we need but only focuses on theory. For me, the greatest teaching has been having to express my thoughts in front of adults. As a 21-year-old student I can now look back on my experience and say proudly that thanks to practical experience, I have become able to form my own beliefs. By learning how to sort out all the information I was receiving, I learned to think for myself. For example, having to present a report to the European Commission was one of the greatest exercises in this. I had to believe in what I was saying. It was more than just presenting other people’s thoughts, it was my own beliefs that I had to defend.“
Gabriel on developing stronger beliefs and appreciating diversity
“Personal growth is definitely one of the most important priorities of young people, and so is the development of your own worldview. Thanks to participation, children and youth can learn and grow, reinforcing their ideas, and realising their voice matters. By exchanging opinions, we create new perspectives and are able to develop aspects of ourselves that would never have been discovered if we lived surrounded by people that share the same concerns. Being exposed to different worldviews helps youth to know what they want, to understand how the world works, and to create links between us.
On a personal note, participation has given me the opportunity to connect with many people. Some of them shared my vision of the world; some did not. And all these experiences have contributed to shaping the ideals that I hold today. Knowing other points of view has helped me not only to form an idea of the world, but also to be more accepting of those whom I cannot understand, to respect the perspectives that differ from my opinions, and to want to continue discovering other beliefs to complete my own. “
Jess on children being agents of change and finding hope for the future
“Children and young people have their own voice, but children need to learn to express themselves and to be listened to find their own voice. When you feel heard, you see yourself as an agent of change. This is all about developing your own utopia and finding hope for the future. Young people can empower each other with the help of utopias and express their wishes and needs. In doing so, they can draw attention to social challenges or the lack of participation in politics.
When your utopia is heard, you feel hopeful, as adults show that they care. Listening and implementing ideas makes you feel empowered. One only dares think about one's utopia when adults do not define it for you. This motivates you as you break out of the constraints of the present and vision a better future. It makes you ask: what does it take for every child to participate? Which utopias find space in political discussions? Which voices are made invisible by adults? Positive experiences of success or best practices from the past, such as the UNICEF Youth Advisory Board or the EU consultations to inform the new EU Child Rights Strategy process, have given me hope. Hope that you need to deal with your commitment and opposition from adult decision-makers and not give up.”
The role of child and youth advisory boards
As child and youth advisors, we create spaces for all children to feel heard in politics. We bring different perspectives from different countries and backgrounds and bundle together ideas that strengthen children and young people’s opportunities to participate. When children and young people are heard, both children and adults can develop important skills to create a better future. Now, we want to sit at the table and help to shape life together. Through our own projects and the representation of interests at conferences, we represent a strong involvement of young people. The Child Friendly Governance Project is a good example of how adults take the concerns of adolescents seriously.
As a formally established Child and Youth Advisory Board in the Statutes of the CFGP, we are anchored in the organisation’s decision-making and have the right to vote on every decision that affects the organisation. That is the goal: to give children and young people access to decision-making at all levels. We welcome other organisations to join us on this mission.