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Description
The project will focus on an important, but still insufficiently addressed topic of youth participation. Researches show that participation enables young people to learn how to critically engage in the environment, how to make informed decisions and how to take part in practical measures. The impact of engaging in participatory processes is at least twofold: a real positive impact on where we live, but also a better perception of ourselves and our better position in a hectic and complicated world. Children and youth will learn about participation in practical and creative ways. At the same time they will work on practical projects in which they suggest concrete ideas for urban planning. The best project (according to expert jury) will be able to advance to the next round - the town hall''s participatory project called Nápad pro Šestku. The involvement of children and youth in participatory processes will raise awareness that participation is a necessary democratic process that enhances the quality of our lives.
Summary of project results
In the project we addressed the - often neglected - topic of children''s participation. We believe that with the help of the individual activities (primarily a programme for primary school children, where children, with the help of architects, learned how to think about public space and then prepared their own plans for its improvement) and accompanying campaigns, we have succeeded in showing that children SHOULD and WANT to be heard.
The main activity was to involve primary school children in the transformation of public space - not only on a theoretical level, but also on a practical level, and to show children what their possibilities are when they want to solve a bigger or public problem/situation. To this end, they visited the town hall - this had an impact on the other side, with councillors and representatives realising the benefits of children''s voices in addressing various issues, especially in the area of public space planning, where children aged 8-16 are often neglected. Children also tried their hand at participation in leisure clubs - in the editorial office of the Břevnov Express they were managing the editorial office and finding suitable topics for the magazine. At the same time, there was one issue of the magazine and one podcast dedicated to participation as such. The children also explored working with public space in the animation workshop and at the suburban camp - in both cases they suggested better and more functional solutions for specific Břevnov spots.
The programme involved 133 children from primary schools who developed 6 projects that addressed the location of the playground in Na Křídle Street. We held an exhibition of these projects and selected the best elements of the children''s projects to be implemented in cooperation with Prague 6. During the project, 2 courses for children (journalism and animation) continued to take place, involving a total of 24 children (for the whole project).In the summer of 2023, we organised a suburban camp for 11 children, which focused on participation themes. We involved a total of 3 councillors, 3 deputies and 4 employees of the Prague 6 municipality. During the project we cooperated with a foreign partner, with whom we held 2 face-to-face meetings and 3 online consultations. The project mainly benefited the children, who had the opportunity to experience what it is like to be heard and at the same time learn to think about public space in a way that makes it functional and beautiful. However, the councillors and officials at the town hall who met with the children and perceived that the children''s voice is also important in civic participation were also significant beneficiaries. We also tried to convey this theme to the public through campaigns - the success is confirmed by the completed fundraising campaigns where the public contributed specifically to children''s projects.
Summary of bilateral results
Thanks to the bilateral cooperation we had the opportunity to learn about the work of the partner in the field of non-formal youth education. Although the partner focused more on the education of young people at an older age than we did, some of the experiences are transferable and we will use them. The main outcome of the bilateral cooperation was the creation of an internal manual for youth work. We would very much like to continue the bilateral cooperation, ideally with another partner who has experience in working with young people aged 10-15.