Description
The project aims to ensure the institutional and functional framework –The Children’s Councils- through which one could develop a system of relationships between children, teachers and local authorities from 6 rural communities. This system can be a model of information, mobilization and capitalization of children’s potential to actively participate in decisions that concern them directly. The project objectives are: 1. setting up 6 Local Councils of Children, in 6 rural communities, in 7 months, so that children can be an active part in decision making process at the level of the communities where they live. 2. Setting up 6 Local Action Plans for Pupils in 6 rural communities. Based on these action plans, the local resources can be identified and therefore ensure the increasing of the children’s capacity to be active and responsible citizens. 3. Promoting the participatory democracy in 30 rural communities from Teleorman County so that concepts and civic values are assimilated by children, teachers and local public representatives from 50 rural communities. The project target groups are secondary school children, teachers and local public representatives.
Summary of project results
The project “Vote children again!” was implemented in six rural communities in Teleorman county. It aimed to offer to small localities a model of community involvement, that increased children’s capacity to get actively involved in solving the problems that they, or the community as a whole, face. During the project six Children’s Local Councils (CLC) were established. They represent a functional institutional framework which made possible a system of relationships between students, teachers and local authorities, at the community level. The project succeeded in creating a model of information, mobilisation and capitalisation of students' potential to actively participate in decisions that directly concern them. The first phase of the project was the selection of the communities that took part in the project, and also making them aware of the opportunities and the good value of their involvement and commitment to this project. In this respect, partnership agreements that stipulated the responsibilities and the degree of involvement of each of the partners have been signed. An analysis of interested stakeholders in the community followed. After that, election campaigns were organised in the participating schools, so that children could candidate and get elected by their colleagues as members of CLCs. After the Election Day, in every community, the investing of the mayor, deputy mayor, secretary and local councillors took place, followed by the validation of the CLCs. Local Action Plans for Children have been developed and community projects were designed and implemented. Amongst those projects, the most relevant are: organising sports competitions and exhibitions with products made by children, organising a visit to the Romanian Parliament with all the members of the Children Local Councils etc. For the dissemination of the CLC model, a promotional campaign in 30 rural communities was implemented and, at the end of the project, the Promoter organised the conference "The role of children in local community development". The activities conducted by the CLCs were presented in a newsletter, in a CLC magazine and in a progress report developed for each CLC.
Summary of bilateral results