Child & Youth Participation

What are the major issues experienced by young people about participation?

In countries like us, where the most important voice is the voice of an adult rather of a child it is difficult to act properly, or people believe that their opinion is not taken into account. When we ask children and young people about participation they see as an important process and not a routine. When children and young people believe that their voice has bring some change, they continue this model of expressing opinion/fact etc. Children and young people are really good at judging whether adults respect them or not, if they ideas and views are taken into account. Sometimes they see an urgency for professionals to put things in order as procedures are required. In fact, they want just to be listened to and share their ideas with adults. Children and young people have lots of ideas and views about how they are cared for, and what would make life better for them.

Article 12 of the UNCRC means that children are born with the right to express their views and opinions on all matters concerning their lives. The aim of participation is to empower and engage people around issues that are relevant to them.

Participation is a right. In fact, we have a say/voice since we are born in this world. Care of children and young people in social care system it is organized to ensure their right of participation or their right to tell opinion/view about aspect of life affecting them. Sometimes the practice has shown the opposite of participation. Most of the times there are adults to decide about their future. In many policies and practice and legal acts the right to be heard it is protected by constitution. Children and young people need to be heard and enroll in different process of care with the aim of changing practice or policies that are affecting negatively them. It is about of improve the system and society. This can be done only if we as a society work with the Theory of change!

We have seen children/young people as key stakeholders and built a culture of participation in our MA based on our practice. Child and youth participation occurs to various degrees and always jointly with adults and taking children’s welfare into account. Through such participation, children and young people also develop skills, build competencies, acquire confidence and form aspirations. Participation is being part of!! Non-participation is the process when others are deciding for you on matters that affect you and you are just informed – such as for your information.

SOS Children Village Albania to enhance the participation level uses different techniques such as:

Inform: Adult-led activities, in which children & youth understand purpose and decision-making process. Provision of capacity building measures to children/youth and care professionals on child/youth participation in decision-making. Informing them about different topics or introduction of new policies
Consult: we seek children/youth views to build knowledge in order to design an action or programme. Create spaces for dialogue among children/youth and program national management to address changes in their life based on their needs. (e.g. Facilitating children and youth focus group discussion for designing of national strategy)
Involve: we invite young people to share their views and contribute to a project (e.g. facilitating youth spokesperson opportunities in advocacy projects of national, regional and international level.
Adults and youth collaborate as equal partners to a jointly led project. (e.g. preparatory phase for establishing Ombuds has created the opportunity that youth can influence decisions as an advisory board who works closely with the OMBUD.)
Decided and led by young people: Youth are provided with the space and opportunity to initiate their activities and take their decisions. Adults take only a supportive role. (E.g. Youth-led campaigning and advocacy, or participation of youth recruitment commission for the selection of OMBUD.) Strong involvement of young people in several projects and advocacy campaigns (Two young people without parental care formulated, led and implemented “Education through Sport” project. This was part of Youth Power (Youth led initiative) supported by IO in 2023.

More concretely, the child participation is ensured in four levels:

In program participant level:
Participation in and use of the individual development plan. A process in which child/youngster outlines his/her needs and is active to fulfill and meet his/her developmental needs with other professionals in care services. Children’s and young people’s participation is ensured in ways appropriate to their age and maturity during different processes such as:
1. Evaluation of their IDP in an active way and evaluation of care services provided to them
2. Active participation in quality development planning (“Youth Day”) and in drafting house regulations & policies of the organization
Program/service level:
In each service, there are regular discussions for collaborative decision-making in line with the location’s specific needs. Improvement of program/services through active participation in design, evaluation, and program planning is ensured.
Strategic level:
Consultations with children for the strategic directions of MA. Children’s views were reflected in the main directions of the National strategy 2023-2025. By including the voices of children, we ensure the programs we design are relevant for them. In close consultation with children for the implementation of OMBUD approach, which will be an added channel to share concerns and report incidents.
Participation on national and international mechanism/bodies level:
1. Inclusion in advocacy initiatives and bilateral meetings with high representatives of local and central public institutions such as:
  - Mayor of Tirana municipality
  - Mayor of Shkodra municipality
  - Representatives of Parliament and Albanian Government
  - Ministers of Education Sport and Youth Ministry, Health and Social Protection, National Ombudsman, etc.
2. Inclusion of children and young people in hearing sessions with EU Delegation in Albania with the aim to influence EU institutions in raising advocacy issues in different events of EU (public consultations, roundtables, and meetings).
3. Conference participation. Young people have participated in local, national, and international conferences as speakers, delegates, and rapporteurs, often with significant impact on the outcomes of such events. Participation in the reporting meetings with UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to represent the Albanian children’s rights concerns.

We have built a culture of participation within SOS CV Albania and some of our successful examples are as following:

Research. Nine young people have been trained as peer researchers, adding committed support to the implementation of all the activities in the Peer Research- Albania’s National Report 2011–2012
Create spaces for dialogue among children/youth and program national management to address changes in their life based on their needs. Children and Young people share their views and experiences to help in design and implementation of services that target their specific needs; propose new organization of their living premises and forms of care/services for example ; youth consultations organized in the framework of Strategy 2030, reorganization of Youth Communities No1 into a small unit, or by playing a key role in monitoring and evaluation of the services offered to them through the process of evaluation Youth Day. Offer suggestion for improvement of care services. Involvement in the budget planning process and all matters that affect them.
Peer support, representation and advocacy. Young people are increasingly being provided with opportunities to elect or be elected by their own peers to serve as advocates, working with adult to lobby for more respect about their rights. They have participated in different advocacy projects run by SOS Children Villages of Albania or other stakeholders. They learn, exchange and network with their peers on national and regional level (Erasmus+ projects and Youth Power).
Policy analysis and development. Many initiatives for youth involve our youngsters in reviewing existing legislation and policies. In this case we have good examples, and our youngsters were part of I matter Campaign in 2009, part of the meeting of Millennium of Development Goals (UNFPA), Children Rights Network, Youth Voices network etc.
Campaigning and lobbying. Once young people are offered the chance to come together and articulate their experiences and concerns, many are able to develop campaigns about the realization of their rights. Organization of youth mobile camp in different cities of Albania to inform young people from care about their rights and increase their skills, lobbying for the necessary changes from grassroots to national levels.
Youth councils and parliaments. Young people have participated in different meetings to inform and influence or change aspects of their lives for better. Good examples are youth parliaments located in municipality level and our young people has participated actively.