Children and young people's participation: a lever for meeting tomorrow's issues and challenges
Children and young people are often the first to be forgotten when it comes to civic participation processes, despite the fact that they are full-fledged players and citizens in society, and make up a significant proportion of the French population. Indeed, 17.3% of the French population is under the age of 15, and 34.8% of French people are under the age of 30.
Or, the low presence or even absence of children and young people in these processes can undermine the quality of concertation and the decisions made for two reasons.
Firstly, concertation aims to inform decision-making from the diversity of participants' viewpoints and by taking their needs and expectations into account. Children and young people contribute to this diversity, since they have their own particular uses and visions of the world. In addition, they form a heterogeneous social group in terms of gender, age, social origin, level of education, living environment, life experiences, etc. Involving children and young people in their diversity enables more inclusive, fair and effective decisions to be drawn up.
On the other hand, concertation brings into discussion subjects that are decisive for citizens' future quality of life (ecological transition, mobility, urban planning, etc.). The absence of children and young people from participatory processes prevents them from taking ownership of these issues and expressing their views on public policies that directly concern them and will have an impact on their future lives.
Longdisregarded, even minimized or delegitimized, the voice of children and young people is in the process of acquiring its letters of nobility. Beyond being a right, it is the expression and power to act of entire generations on the society they will inhabit tomorrow that it is our responsibility to support by strengthening the culture of participation of children and young people in France. This cannot be achieved without empowering young people to speak out, nor without genuine political support for consultation processes and mechanisms, and the help of intermediaries who facilitate children's and young people's expression.
The benefits of child and youth participation
Giving a voice to young people and children is essential today if we are to hear the views of the generations concerned on the society in which they will live, involve them in the transition, train the leaders of tomorrow, benefit from their fresh outlook and stimulate innovation... Over and above the interest of the generations in place in public affairs in legitimizing their own visions of society and the future, the thinking behind Res publica is based on speech for speech's sake (without restriction), young people for young people, by young people (directly with them, without too many intermediaries, and leaving them the possibility of organizing themselves...).
In recent years, Res publica has organized and led a number of consultations involving children and young people, because we are convinced of the added value that their voice brings, both for the projects, for the young people themselves and for society!
Citizen participation by children and young people: a real opportunity to enrich public policies and projects
On the one hand, the civic participation of children and young people gives a voice to a section of the population that is poorly represented in political bodies and that cannot express itself, or expresses itself less, through the traditional channels of elections. We believe it is essential to gather the views of these groups through alternative forms of participation. On the other hand, children and young people bring a different perspective to public policies and projects, based on their own experiences. In this respect, the Pôle Métropolitain de l'Artois submits the examination of projects applying for the Euralens label to three committees: a committee of partners, a committee of experts and a committee of high-school students. The opinions issued by the Lycéen Committee are more environmentally ambitious and pay particular attention to social inequalities than those issued by the Technical and Expert Committees. High school students also bring a user perspective that complements the perceptions of technicians and experts.
Young people may also have specific needs and expectations linked to their age group. Their presence is all the more essential when the subject of the policy or project under discussion concerns or affects them directly. This was demonstrated during the consultation process forGénération Dijon, the City of Dijon's new educational project for children and young people from birth to age 25. The City of Dijon has asserted its determination to involve those most directly concerned in the drafting of this document. Children, teenagers and students played an active part in the workshops for the general public. In addition, workshops specifically designed and run for them gave them a special place. One of these brought together over 70 middle and high school students from 6 to 12 years of age, from 8 different schools. Their contributions fed into the city's new educational project, alongside those of professionals, parents and elected representatives, and led to the emergence of new themes such as the safety of young women in public spaces.
In the same spirit, the Ile-de-France region wanted to involve the first people concerned indrawing up its Schéma Directeur Régional Environnemental, a document that sets the framework for the region's development up to 2040. To this end, the Res publica team visited some thirty high schools and CFA (apprentice training centers) to run fun and educational "Objectif 2040" workshops. The aim was to raise students' awareness, enable them to grasp concepts linked to the ecological transition and regional planning in the Paris region, and invite them to formulate major challenges for their future in the region, as well as priority actions in their view.
What's more, children and young people are making a disruptive contribution to the development of urban projects in their area . Studies show that the city is designed by and for adults. "The overwhelming majority of children are condemned to play in confined spaces called 'playgrounds', sometimes escaping into wastelands and other wastelands," writes Thierry Paquot (philosopher and retired professor at the Paris Institute of Urban Planning) in La ville récréative. Building more inclusive cities, with facilities adapted to all, requires that children and young people be considered as full stakeholders in urban projects. Hence Res publica's desire to create and implement schemes specially dedicated to young people during urban consultations.
As part of the consultation process initiated by the town of La Baule-Escoublac for the redevelopment of public spaces on the seafront, two workshops were organized with the Municipal Youth Council, enabling them to meet the project management team and produce frescoes illustrating their ideal walk along the seafront. The scheme gave the children (CM2-3ème) the opportunity to express their views on the project and the work of the landscape designers and architects: they learned that, more than vegetation, play and accessibility are important aspects of their expectations.
Last but not least, the City of Cherbourg-en-Cotentin also called on young people aged 14 to 18 to take part in the consultation on the future of the historic city center, to gather the opinions of young local residents who experience public space in a different way. Recruited by organizations that welcome young people on Wednesday afternoons, participants took part in a participatory stroll through the city center, followed by an "ambiances-usages" workshop. The young people appreciated the opportunity to give their opinions on the project, and the city services were pleasantly surprised by the quality of the ideas that emerged from the discussions. In response to proposals put forward by participants to address the mobility problems encountered by young people without a driving license, the project owner has set up a self-service bicycle system on an experimental basis.
Learning about citizenship and personal enrichment
When young people take part, they gain a different understanding of their local area, and discover the role of institutions and public policies. They learn to speak in public, to debate and, more broadly, to exercise citizenship. Their involvement in consultation processes provides them with a practical apprenticeship in democracy and its principles: equality, open-mindedness, respect for others, argumentation and critical thinking. What's more, children and young people are often delighted to meet and exchange ideas with new people. This was confirmed at the Youth Forum we organized nationwide , which brought together 200 young people aged 18 to 35 from all regions of France and overseas. During a feedback session at the end of the process, many participants shared their delight at having had the opportunity to acquire skills on the challenges of the energy transition, and to debate and forge links with young people from all walks of life.
Precautions to take when implementing child and youth participation schemes
Experience dictates that we pay particular attention to certain elements when we embark on the implementation of concertation involving children and young people.
First of all, mobilizing children and young people is much more complex than with adult audiences, notably because of questions of availability, communication unsuited to these audiences, the unaccustomed nature of these approaches and political mistrust. In this respect, structures catering for young people, such as schools, associations and youth advisory bodies, can play a facilitating role in the organization of schemes. However, the risk remains of attracting particularly homogeneous profiles that do not reflect the plurality of the young population: children and young people from privileged backgrounds and/or involved in school, student or public life (e.g., class delegates, members of associations and high-school, student or political bodies).
Special mobilization relays need to be identified to mobilize specifically targeted audiences. As part of our assignment with the Pôle Métropolitain de l'Artois, we mobilized schools representing the different conurbations and study streams (to target young people in school), as well as local missions and structures welcoming young people who are neither in training nor in employment.
Another solution is to draw lots. The aim is to design a panel of participants illustrating the diversity of young people, based on a certain number of criteria. In particular, this system makes it possible to include young people who are far removed from traditional participation mechanisms. The Youth Forum we organized brought together young people from all regions of mainland France and overseas for 4 days. Some of these participants were selected at random on the basis of several criteria (gender, age, social class, level of education, region).
Special programs can also be designed for young people who are particularly far removed from the school system. For example, as part of the call for projects launched by the French Ministry of Labor, Res publica led a two-day beneficiaries' committee, bringing together some twenty young people from three regions, chosen for the proximity of their profiles to those targeted by the call for projects. The young participants auditioned 14 project leaders and debated their compliance with the selection criteria, based on a pre-established grid, thus contributing to the selection of the winners of the call for projects.
Secondly, the design and facilitation of participatory processes must respect certain prerequisites of traditional consultations, but with particular attention paid to young people:
Firstly, pedagogy and the popularization of knowledge are to be favored. Emphasis must be placed on the use of language that is accessible to all.
Secondly, the attention of children and young people must be captured by making them active players. This means using interactive, dynamic and/or playful modalities on the one hand, and avoiding overly dense content and top-down presentations, which make it easier for participants to lose focus, on the other. It's also important to create a climate of trust and conditions conducive to everyone speaking up. The participatory process must not reproduce a school classroom, where the students who are most comfortable speaking and/or have the most knowledge monopolize the floor. The moderator must therefore ensure a fair distribution of the floor, and design formats that encourage everyone to express themselves. Lastly, the design of educational tools or serious games to help children and young people take ownership of the subjects and issues under discussion enables them to form their own opinions and produce quality contributions useful to the project.
For all these reasons, the design and facilitation by a third party trained in participatory approaches for children and young people is particularly relevant.
Right: A national youth forum.
Finally, we note that, like all members of the public, children and young people have very high expectations that their contributions will be taken into account (" Will our contributions really be taken into account? " asks a schoolgirl from Dijon, addressing an elected official). They also fear being used for political ends. It's up to elected representatives and sponsors of participatory initiatives to give value and credit to the investment and voice of children and young people, at the risk of seeing them turn away from civic and political life. A form of accountability would strengthen the relationship of trust between young people and civic life, for example through the creation of formats that enable children and young people to follow or even be involved in the implementation of projects to which they have contributed.
Over the past 30 years, the place of children and young people in society has changed considerably. Higher levels of education and the rise of social media, particularly the Internet, have given them direct access to a considerable amount of knowledge and information. This has also enabled them to speak out and engage in direct exchanges, outside organized frameworks (schools, studies, youth organizations, unions...). Finally, the climate emergency and uncertainty about the future are motivating them to get involved and speak out in new ways. The disengagement of young people in elections and the rise of movements for climate change and social justice are also prompting us to review the frameworks within which young people are given a voice, in order to involve them more fully in decisions about the future. At Res publica, we are committed to giving children and young people a full place in our missions by renewing our methods. Above all, we involve young people in the projects they propose to us and help us to co-construct. We don't just give the floor, we take the floor, and we're open to any new form of debate that might surprise us. It's this openness that enables us to understand the reasons behind young people's distrust of political decision-making, and to work with them to find ways of changing the way politics is done. Finally, reaching out to young people also means organizing intergenerational dialogue, sharing experiences and learning about the world we are leaving them. It means shaping and arming the future in the face of highly complex challenges. Above all, it means betting on their ability to train us in their own skills!
