Spain: Child-friendly governance in Avilés

Challenge

Gaining genuine and impactful child participation at local levels continues to be a pressing challenge for governments around the world. Children are all too often not consulted during decisions which affect them, or if they are consulted, their decisions are not implemented. Nowhere is this less the case than in Avilés.

Solution

Avilés, a city in Northern Spain, is known for groundbreaking child- and youth-friendly governance systems. The Avilés’ Child and Youth Council (CIAA) was launched in 2010 and since then has made great strides in advancing child and youth participation in the decisions which affect them. In 2013, the Avilés city council requested the CIAA to draft the local ‘Children’s Action Plan’. The Children’s Action Plan was drawn up exclusively by children and young people, who split up into commissions for different thematic policy areas (e.g. culture, the environment). The Children’s Plan is a field-leading example of children taking control in decisions which affect them. The Plan is continuously reviewed and its implementation’s progress is continuously monitored by the Town Council.

Additionally, the CIAA has focused heavily on increasing inclusivity in schools, showcased by their work to increase the visibility of students with disabilities. The CIAA worked with children from Avilés’ special school and began the tradition of an artistic intervention to be carried out annually in the Town Square by students from the school. When the issue of female representation in school textbooks emerged, the CIAA drafted a gender analysis of the problem, which was brought before local authorities and textbook publishers.

Impact 

The breadth of issues which the CIAA has dealt with and the fact that the majority of the work has been carried out and led by children, shows the impact that can be made if children are properly and meaningfully engaged in decision making frameworks on issues pertaining to children’s lives. This has been a major inspiration to other local councils in Spain, who soon started drawing up their own Children’s Plans. Avilés’ Mayor Monteserín says that ‘In Avilés, we are very clear on the fact that democracy is not limited to the right to vote that our Constitution gives to those over 18’. It is this attitude, accompanied by concrete actions, that makes Avilés such an inspiring example of child and youth participation.