Representatives of the Society “Our Children” Opatija Sanja Škorić, secretary of the association and Antonia Katic, mentor of the Children’s City Council of the City of Opatija with the elected councilors of the CCC Opatija Lana Golubović, Leona Malič, Mihaela Šorić and Nola Varljen participated in two large and important events in Brussels and Valetta.
About 40 children from 17 EU member states, aged 10 to 17, gathered in Brussels from June 26 to 28 at an event organized by the European Commission as part of the activities of the EU Children’s Participation Platform, which established last year. The aim of the platform is to support and promote meaningful, inclusive and safe children’s participation to ensure that children’s voices are heard and to help children across the EU realize their right to participate in decision-making and to share, learn and connect with others.
The EU Children’s Participation Platform itself emphasized the importance of continuing the progress achieved for children in the last five years, such as the adoption of important documents of the EU Strategy on Children’s Rights, the European Guarantee for Children and the establishment of the EU Platform for Children’s Participation, and to be ready to face the challenges ahead and ensure a fairer and greener world for every child.
Over the next two years, our councilors of CCC Opatija Mihael Šorić and Nola Varljen will participate in the work of the Platform for the Participation of EU Children with the support of mentors from the Society “Our Children” Opatija. At the meeting, along with Nola and Mihael, were the director of Primary School Rikard Katalinić Jeretov Milana Međimorec and Sanja Škorić, secretary of SOC Opatija. The participation of children and adults is supported by the European Commission.
At the same time, from June 28 to July 4, Lana Golubović and Leon Malič, accompanied by mentor Antonia Katić, participated in the preparations and establishment of the new convocation of the Children’s Council of the Eurochild organization. SOC Opatija has had child representatives in all previous convocations, from the very beginning. Now the 4th convocation of CCC Eurochild was founded and after Lana, our Leon Malič was elected. In parallel with the establishment of the new Children’s Council Eurochild, the organization’s Eurochild Convention was held, attended by more than 160 people. Representatives from the United Nations, the European Commission, the EU Agency for Fundamental Rights and the Maltese government joined Eurochild members and guests in discussions on how to tackle child poverty and social exclusion across Europe.
The focus was “Encouraging rights-based solutions to combat child poverty and social exclusion across Europe”. The event, hosted by Eurochild and the Malta Foundation for Social Welfare, included 15 workshops and study visits.
“In these challenging times, the rise of far-right movements in Europe, the ongoing conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza, and the disparate treatment of children in these regions highlight the work ahead. We must raise our voices, advocate for fair policies and ensure that no child is left behind.
Discussions and workshops highlighted the transformative power of early childhood development and the need for systemic reforms to address structural inequalities. Together we can make a difference”, said Sabine Saliba, Eurochild’s general secretary.
The event was an opportunity to celebrate the achievements of the network founded exactly 20 years ago.
Thanks to its members, Eurochild has been sharing knowledge, giving children a voice and influencing EU and national governments to ensure that the needs of children and families are prioritized for 20 years. Following the history of Eurochild traces the history of children’s rights in Europe, from the economic crisis, pandemic, wars and the protection of children in migration.
Eurochild has contributed significantly in the fight against child poverty, against institutionalization and in favor of family care and prioritizing early childhood development in public policies and funding. It consists of a network of 211 members in 42 countries. Eurochild is the largest network of organizations and individuals working with and for children in Europe. It advocates that children’s rights and well-being be at the center of policy-making.
Society “Our children” Opatija has been a member of the Eurochild network since 2010. Due to our work on promoting and advocating children’s rights and children’s participation, in 2018, with the support of the City of Opatija and the patronage of the then President of the Republic of Croatia, we hosted the large Eurochild conference “Building a better Europe with children: join us!”, which was attended by more than 350 experts dealing with children’s rights and more than 130 Euro children from Europe and Croatia.
Sanja Škorić, secretary of SOC Opatija, is a member of the Board of Directors of the Mediterranean Movement for Children’s Participation chaired by Her Excellency Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca, president emeritus.
During the stay in Malta, a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Mediterranean Movement for Children’s Participation was held, where the state of children’s rights today in the world, the actions that should be initiated in order to spread and advocate peace in the world, and the schedule for the selection of a new convocation of children were discussed.
