As part of its commitment to the child’s right to be heard in all decisions that affect him, Eurochild works to develop child participation standards and integrate child participation into its working structures and supports the establishment of the National Eurochild Forum (NEF). At the end of June 2019, Eurochild published a call for proposals for the establishment of two new National Forums of Eurochild Children’s Councils. Until then, three National Forums of Children’s Councils were operating as pilot projects – NEF of Malta, NEF of Bulgaria and NEF of Estonia.
WHAT IS THE NATIONAL EUROCHILD FORUM OF CHILDREN’S COUNCILS (NEF)?
An activity that enables children and young people to exercise children’s rights:
• the right to express one’s own opinion on all matters relating to them;
• the right to have their opinion and the opinion of their friends respected by persons who decide on issues related to the lives of children and young people at the local, national and European level.
WHAT IS THE ROLE OF NEF?
• Influence decision makers at EU and national level.
• Serve as a platform where children can share opinions and learn about European topics.
• Discuss the problems that children face in their countries.
• Forward the collected views of children at the local and national level to Eurochild.
• Propose possible actions of Eurochild towards the European Union or the bodies of the Council of Europe.
• Promote the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child to children and young people, governments and the public.
• To investigate the experiences of children and young people on European and national topics.
• Act as a platform where children learn how to become stronger advocates for children’s rights.
• Enable children to learn from each other.
COMPOSITION OF NEF:
• NEF members are selected representatives of Children’s Councils, Children’s Forums that operate within the Union of Societies “Our children” Croatia.
• Members are from 10 to 15 years old.
• The mandate of elected NEF members lasts two years.
ELECTION PROCEDURE:
• Children who want to represent their peers and want to advocate for the realization of children’s rights should fill out a questionnaire, in which, in addition to personal data, they should answer the questions.
• They register their candidacy in their Children’s Council or Children’s Forum.
• The selection of children is jointly coordinated by the Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija and selected by NEF members via the ZOOM platform.
• The Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija are announcing among their network of Children’s Councils and Forums a competition for children applying to work in NEF respecting the conditions of the Eurochild organization (Children’s Councils and Children’s Forums are forms of active children’s participation that we foster in our network and operate in more of about 40 cities and municipalities in Croatia).
• The conditions are also published on the websites of the Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija, which forward them to their network of Societies “Our children”.
Elections are held on the same day in Croatia.
Children can register themselves or their peers can register them.
• Registered candidates must write a short CV, a motivation letter and fill out the application form.
Elected members of NEF are active in the work of their Children’s Council and Children’s Forum.
At the workshops of their Councils or Forums, they discuss topics that are important for the lives of children in the local environment (child safety, sports, health, extracurricular activities, entertainment…), but also at the national level.
They collect information from children in their country on a given topic (50 percent of these topics will be decided in cooperation with the Eurochild Children’s Council and 50 percent of the topics are agreed among NEF members) taking care to actively involve children from different backgrounds with different experiences (ethnic groups, religion, social status, disability, age group, etc.).
NEF meetings are held once a month via the ZOOM platform, once or twice a year they meet with other elected members of NEF at joint meetings.
The elections for the 1st convocation of the NEF of Croatia were held on November 11th, 2019 while the constituent session of the 2nd NEF convocation was held on February 4th 2022. The 3rd convocation of NEF Croatia had its first meeting on the 25th of March 2024.
During the last few years, NEF Croatia has been part of several important researches, implemented several projects in cooperation with adults and was mentioned as an example of good practice in the National Plan for Children’s Rights of the Republic of Croatia by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy.
From 2023, the work of NEF Croatia is supported by the Ministry of Labour, Pension System, Family and Social Policy.
The selection of children is jointly coordinated by the Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija, and selected by previous NEF members via the ZOOM platform.
The Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija are announcing among their network of Children’s Councils and Children’s Forums a competition for children to apply to become part of NEF, respecting the conditions of the Eurochild organization (Children’s Councils and Children’s Forums are forms of active children’s participation that we foster in our network and operate in more than about 40 cities and municipalities in Croatia).
The terms of the Competition are published on the websites of the Union of SOC Croatia and SOC Opatija.
The selection process for becoming a member of NEF Croatia is simple!
· Children who want to represent their peers and want to advocate for the realization of children’s rights should fill out a form in which, in addition to personal information, should answer the questions in the form.
· Along with the form, candidates must send a motivational letter and a short film about themselves lasting up to 2 minutes.
· They register their candidacy in their Children’s Council or Children’s Forum.
· Candidates should submit their applications to e-mail: sanja@savez-dnd.hr no later than March 7th, 2024.
· On March 11th, 2024, the results will be published on the website www.dnd-opatija.hr, and in addition, candidates will be notified personally.
PRINCIPLES OF PARTICIPATION IN THE WORK OF NEF:
• transparent and informative,
• voluntary, respectful,
• relevant,
• “child friendly”,
• inclusive,
• supported by training,
• safe and responsible.
The 2nd convocation of NEF Croatia adopted its program of work, in which the monitoring of the state of children’s rights here, in Europe and the world, respecting children’s rights in the online environment, advocating children’s rights and active children’s participation, and participation in international researches is emphasized.
Members of NEF Croatia participated in the following research:
1. Child Poverty Report, Eurochild organization (2022)
At the invitation of the Eurochild organization, members of NEF Croatia participated in the “Child Poverty Report” research. About 200 children from Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia and Malta were consulted. Children and young people between the ages of 9 and 21 participated in the research.
Research goal:
According to the latest Eurostat data, 1 in 4 children lives in poverty. In recent years, an increasing level of child poverty has been observed across Europe, which is why the aim of this research is to gain a better understanding of poverty from the children’s perspective. Children are experts in their own lives and it is essential that policies dealing with child and family poverty are based on these first-hand experiences.
This research sought to gain a better understanding of children’s experiences of child poverty and the problems they consider to have the most impact on their lives.
Research implementation methods and procedures:
Methods included in-person focus groups, online questionnaires, or a combination of both methods. The questions were translated into the national languages of the NEF countries in order to reach a larger number of children of different origins.
Topics covered by the research:
Children who took part in consultations and surveys were asked to consider questions about different areas of child poverty and how it affects children’s lives.
These areas were:
• Understanding poverty
• Poverty at school
• Poverty at home
Research results:
• For the majority of children in the four countries, “lack of basic resources” stood out as the main aspect of poverty. This can be a lack of financial resources as well as many more different aspects.
• When children were asked what poverty meant to them, most of the answers focused on not having enough money for basic needs such as home, food, heating, medicine or clothing. They pointed out that poverty can affect children emotionally and make them feel isolated.
One child summarized poverty as: “The condition in which people find themselves without enough money or other material needs.” – a child from Croatia
• Some children believe that it is more likely that children living in poverty will be bullied or excluded from school because they cannot afford necessities or school trips. They expressed concern about the impact of poverty on the physical and mental health of children and the feeling of exclusion of poor children.
• As a means of supporting children and families living in poverty, the children recommended focusing efforts on enabling more people to work and raising wages across Europe. However, the children did not focus only on financial support, but also emphasized the importance of donating funds, such as food or clothing to children and families.
• In addition, children asked for more education about the impact of poverty in schools and communities. In this way, overall awareness is raised, and life in poverty becomes destigmatized. The children expressed their desire for more educated adults who know how to support children living in poverty.
• The social aspect of child poverty cannot be underestimated. This is particularly evident in the fact that they do not have the same opportunities as their friends, but also in active exclusion from society, which makes it difficult to live a happy life, as some children explained. The impact of poverty on children can be enormous. Not only does lack of socialization affect children, but children also explained the effect poverty has on mental health.
This lack of social contacts and financial resources can result in certain emotional implications such as unhappiness or loneliness. Children regularly mentioned abuse, ridicule or exclusion.
Some children expressed a desire for greater support from their governments or civil society organizations so that children in vulnerable situations could go on school trips or afford the necessary school materials, such as books or clothes, as well as the provision of various social services to children and parents free of charge.
Many children recommended offering free lunches for children at school or setting up more food banks for vulnerable families. This would make it possible to help children living in poverty in a simple way.
Poverty at school can lead to bullying and social exclusion from other children. Among the children who gave their answers for this report, two-thirds admitted to experiencing bullying either directly or being bullied by a peer. Therefore, the experience of poverty can lead to violence in schools. Many children stated that it is difficult to have friends and that children are bullied because they live in poverty.
Feeling afraid of going to school can lead to mental health problems. Many children expressed their hopelessness and sadness at the problem of being poor at school. They further explained that the children are not to blame because “they cannot help” if they grow up in poverty, but they still have to live with the consequences of poverty. Regarding mental health, a child from Croatia clarified when talking about a friend: “[they] felt very uncomfortable and humiliated and were very sad and had no one around them”. Struggling with mental health further affects children who experience poverty in school. This can lead to poor concentration during class, which makes learning difficult. However, some children pointed out some positive aspects that poverty can have on children, because they can become more resilient and it will be easier to deal with difficult situations later in life.
Among children, the most common association with poverty was home. Some of the children explained that they do not have enough financial resources to stay in their home and are forced to move to another place. At the same time, several children reported that their houses were in worse condition in terms of coldness or humidity, for example compared to other peers. Some of the children also stated that they are constantly worried that they will be evicted and have nowhere to stay. Lack of money increases the likelihood that you will have to live in a house that does not have the basic conditions for a safe home. As one child explained:
“Survival from month to month comes first, and fun, companionship and love fall into the background.” – a child from Croatia
This clearly sums up the difficult situation in which children living in poverty live. Instead of being able to spend time with their peers and grow up in safe conditions, many children living in poverty have to set their priorities differently. The constant fear of not knowing what comes next is a huge burden for children.
Therefore, poverty at home negatively affects children and young people. According to children, poverty can lead to anxiety and depression and can create an unhealthy family environment.
Thus, children confirm that poverty is much more than the lack of financial means to afford everything they want. Instead, the impact on mental health leaves a lasting mark on children’s development. Several children confirmed that living in a poor family has a negative impact on mental health and that it is a very stressful situation that limits children in all other aspects of life. As part of the struggle, children living in poverty at home often face less accommodation and thus a lack of privacy “which can often lead to a very bad atmosphere”, according to one child from Croatia. The lack of private space leaves a big mark on children’s development, because they don’t have the opportunity to find rest between all the fights, as two children said. Poverty at home is therefore a significant challenge for children and worsens the overall situation.
In addition to mental health issues, children living in poverty are at risk of not being able to access needed health care or legal representation if something happens.
Children’s recommendations
Despite the mostly negative perception that children expressed about poverty at school, they nevertheless offered insights into possible solutions and measures.
The children suggest that greater focus should be placed on education about poverty. One suggestion was to give participants a real-life experience of what it means to be poor to foster an understanding of what it’s like for people living in poverty. This could result in the destigmatization of poverty because more and more people will become aware of its implications. Some students highlighted the importance of developing understanding through explaining these issues to children. They talked about how all children should have equal opportunities and suggested that the government should support children and families living in poverty.
Instead of conclusion…
With this report, Eurochild sheds light on the situation of children living in poverty by giving them a voice. It is crucial that children are included in discussions and political decisions from an early age.
Children may express their understanding of poverty from a very personal point of view. Acknowledging children’s lived experiences is the first step in making policies more accessible and child-centered. Only by taking their perspectives into account is it possible to make educated decisions about issues affecting children.
By looking at poverty in different contexts: at school and at home, the report manages to express the struggles that children living in poverty face and how it affects them. At the same time, the children themselves provide examples of what can be done to support them and their families.
Involving children in the process is a key factor needed to overcome poverty. As the report shows, children are the best source of information when it comes to child poverty. Therefore, it is crucial that children participate in the decision-making process and actively participate in finding solutions. Having experienced poverty themselves, children offer concrete insights into the situation of children living in poverty and can find the best possible help. It is in the hands of decision makers to provide as much support as possible to children and families in vulnerable situations so that child poverty can be solved.
2. Outcome indicators for measuring children’s participation (CPAT, within the CP4Europe project), Eurochild organization and Council of Europe (2023)
Research goal:
The Council of Europe Children’s Participation Assessment Tool (CPAT) was developed in 2016. It included 10 indicators to help governments measure whether they have all the necessary laws and policies in place to ensure children can be heard on issues that matter to them, for example:
• Laws that ensure the right to be heard in all places such as schools, hospitals, courts, local governments;
• Child-friendly appeals procedures;
• Training for professionals on children’s rights, including participation.
The Council of Europe invited NEF Croatia to evaluate whether these measures made a difference for children and to create new outcome indicators to measure children’s participation.
9 children of members of NEF Croatia participated in the research.
Working method: focus group in an online environment
Research results:
The outcome indicators of children’s participation were divided into sections with questions, the children had to answer the questions and decide whether to replace or remove some of the indicators.
Children generally think that every child in Croatia knows that they have the right to be heard and taken seriously, but this depends on the child and his involvement in expressing his views to others. Children agreed that adults should use child-friendly language when discussing and introducing children to these topics.
It is important for adults to help children express their decisions and feelings, to be understanding and supportive. Some of the children said that not everyone feels comfortable expressing their views and feelings, so children should not be forced to do anything. It must be completely voluntary.
They emphasize that adults must work to build trust between children and adults so that children feel confident and safe. Not all adults know how to work with children. The problem can be that children often do not know how to communicate and express their opinions.
Children’s involvement in decision-making depends on children and adults and their relationship. Adults are not everywhere ready to listen to children, children cannot influence decisions, decisions are made for them, not with them, especially in schools and at home.
When asked why children get involved in councils, the answers were: Children learn how to implement their projects, ideas, how to encourage children’s participation and the exercise of children’s rights. In our country, children’s participation in decision-making is often confused with teaching children how to become politicians, which is not the case. Children learn how to stand up for themselves, how to become responsible in creating and designing the life of their community and spread the “voices and opinions of their peers”.
All the children agreed that the word “political” should be removed because it does not sound good to them.
Children should be encouraged more to participate in decision-making that affects their lives in these areas so that children can see first-hand the importance of influencing and shaping the lives of their communities.
Adults must work to create more opportunities for children to influence decision-making.
It is important that all adults who work with children are trained, educated, because not everyone is able to work with children, which can lead to various problems: mental health, self-esteem problems, and so on. Children believe that adults do not understand how many children do not trust them or the system to help children solve the problems they face.
Many children are shy and cannot verbalize their problems. It is necessary to constantly educate adults in working with children.
Every child knows that they have to tell someone and who to call if they are hurt, abused or discriminated against, but this does not mean that they will actually do it, because of shame, fear and so on, so we are back to the problem of trust between children and adults.
School should be a safe and positive place for every child, because of its role in children’s lives.
Not all schools allow children to participate, and if schools do not encourage children’s participation, then they cannot be considered a safe place. Children believe that most children have trusted adults with whom they can talk about problems in their lives if they need to. Some children do not know how to express themselves and think that their opinions are not important.
Not everyone is comfortable expressing their views and does not believe their views are worth listening to.
One child said that before he became part of the Children’s Council, he did not have the confidence and faith in expressing his views and opinions, but now, thanks to this activity, he believes that he has important things to say and that his opinion is important not only in his family, but also friends, in coming up with ideas and proposals to improve the life of your city and so on.
Another child said that these activities helped him to fight for himself and others, which helped him with his self-esteem issues.
They agreed that as members of Children’s Councils, Forums and NEF, they think they are valued and accepted more than before because it gave them confidence in expressing their opinions, needs, wishes, attitudes.
Children feel pressured by their parents’ wants and needs.
They try to influence children’s lives, influence decision-making at the local and national level not as politicians, but as children’s activists.
One child said that he thinks it is also political engagement because we influence the policy that is created for children at the local level, but it is not a political activity, it is part of making decisions for children in our cities that would improve the lives of all children.
The children proposed two changes to the indicators:
• Children feel pressure from their parents regarding school, sports and so on.
• Children feel afraid of expressing their emotions to their parents.
3.Inclusive Social Protection, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (2023)
The Human Rights Council asked the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, to prepare a report on children’s rights and inclusive social protection, in close cooperation with all relevant stakeholders and through consultation with children.
Members of NEF Croatia joined the online consultations.More than 600 children aged 5 to 17 from 24 different countries participated.
The aim of the research: to find out what children think about the realization of children’s rights and inclusive social protection.
Research results:
Children identified several barriers to social protection, primarily insufficient state financial support, especially when parents/guardians were unable to work due to ill health, disability, unemployment or care obligations, including childcare. Consulted children believe that they are not always a priority in laws, policies and social protection programs. Children and parents/guardians are not always aware of available social protection support, and information is not always accessible or child-friendly.
Children highlighted the consequences of inadequate social protection for their rights, such as an adequate standard of living, including adequate food, housing, safe drinking water and sanitation.
Children in developed and developing countries emphasized that poverty and increased inequalities are key challenges. These inequalities, reinforced by the ever-increasing cost of living, were evidence of inadequate social protection. Children reported that lack of money affected their development, rights and social opportunities and limited their access to decent work later in life.
Children from all contexts reported that, even where social protection existed, it was often insufficient and not always inclusive. Some children were faced with multiple forms of discrimination or were in situations that made equal access to social protection difficult. Among them were children with developmental disabilities, children in rural areas, children of the indigenous population, children of asylum seekers, children of migrants and refugees, children in alternative care, those without legal documentation, those whose parents were unemployed or did not have a decent job and children on the street. Children noted that these vulnerabilities were often compounded in emergencies, such as conflict and humanitarian disasters.
Some children are aware of social protection measures, such as financial assistance for households in need of additional support or for housing and health care, or additional support for children with disabilities and refugees, and reduction or abolition of public transport costs for students. They also identified as social protection measures free school meals, health care, vaccinations and menstrual hygiene products, early childhood support and community activities for children to improve access to rest and leisure and provide opportunities to participate in play and recreational activities.
The children asked governments to strive to ensure that all children grow up happy, healthy and well supported, financially and otherwise. Children from all over the world said that every child should have unquestionable social protection.
Conclusion:
Universal social protection that respects, protects and fulfills the rights of all children is achievable. There is a framework, guidelines and resources for expanding social protection towards universal, inclusive social protection for children. This requires policy change, international solidarity, the political will to make the right choices and bold budget decisions that lead to fairer outcomes for all. Social protection is key to meeting human rights obligations. They are not optional and must be prioritized for the long-term future of people and the planet. As the world marks the seventy-fifth anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and looks to a future built on trust, inclusion and participation, states have a key role to play in realizing the social contract that realizes the rights of children so that they can realize their full potential and participate fully in society.
(Source: OHCHR Report available at https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/hrbodies/hrcouncil/sessions-regular/session54/advance-versions/A_HRC_54_36_Child_friendly_version_EN.pdf)
4.VOICE RESEARCH, 2023
The VOICE project is a collaboration between three children’s rights organizations with the common goal of strengthening children’s digital rights and online safety: ECPAT International, Eurochild and Terre des Hommes Netherlands on behalf of the Down to Zero Alliance.
The aim of the research: to listen to the opinions of children and their parents/guardians and to share the insights and opinions of children about the safety of children on the Internet.
Work methods: 3161 children and 6618 parents/guardians participated through focus groups and online consultations. NEF Croatia was included at the invitation of the Eurochild organization.
A detailed report will be presented in March 2024
Preliminary research results:
In the digital age, technology has a pervasive influence on children’s lives. Children spend a significant part of their time in the online world, and the average age of Internet access is getting younger. While digital platforms enable learning, socializing and entertainment, they also expose children to high risks, including online child sex, exploitation and abuse.
The online environment is not adequate and comprehensive child safety measures have not been taken. There is a significant gap in existing laws and regulations designed to protect children online. The responsibility to protect children online often falls on parents/guardians who may not be equipped with the right knowledge and skills.
VOICE partners believe that governments must step up and do more to ensure children’s safety online, including through holding technology companies and responsible online platforms.
In navigating the complex landscape of online safety, parents/guardians assume a significant responsibility, demonstrating their commitment to protecting children from online sexual exploitation and abuse. However, they emphasize the urgency of the need for additional support.
The call for more accessible forms of help, combined with expressed uncertainties about navigating online safety, highlights the opportunity for education and awareness initiatives tailored to parents/guardians. However, the responsibility cannot be placed solely on parents and guardians. To truly protect children online, governments and online service providers have a key role to play.
Children express the need for additional support and protection, greater education of children about the use of the Internet and protective tools and safety in the online world in order to meet all kinds of abuse that increasingly damage children’s mental health.
5.THE EUROPE KIDS WANT
At the invitation of the Eurochild organization, NEF Croatia participated in the research “The Europe Kids Want”.
Every five years, adult citizens of the European Union (EU) vote for the European Parliament. These elections have a direct impact on the composition of both the European Parliament and the European Commission (through the College of Commissioners), who will make key decisions that shape the lives of all individuals living in the EU, including more than 80 million children, and have an impact on millions of others in EU partner countries.
The next elections will be held in June 2024. With more than 400 million people eligible to vote, the European Parliament elections are one of the largest democratic elections in the world.
Under current EU law, EU member states are free to set their own minimum voting age in European elections. This age is set at 16 in Austria, Belgium, Germany and Malta, 17 in Greece and 18 in other member states. This means that in most EU countries, children will not be able to vote.
The elections to the European Parliament represent an important opportunity to highlight the challenges that children face and to highlight the priorities that they themselves think are important. That’s why the leading children’s rights organizations ChildFund Alliance, Eurochild, Save the Children, SOS Children’s Villages and UNICEF have joined forces to put children’s voices at the fore in shaping the EU’s agenda for the next five years. Together, these organizations will lead an EU-wide consultation process to highlight children’s voices when setting the priorities of the new EU leadership.
To this end, the partner organizations want to consult with children within the EU to give children a platform to express their opinions in order to shape the priorities for the new EU leadership.
The topics covered in the research are the following:
Education
Mental health and well-being
Discrimination
Protection
Participation
Climate changes
Children’s priorities
RESEARCH RESULTS (FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF NEF CROATIA MEMBERS):
Regarding education, they would prefer to learn through practical work and subjects. They would like to learn more about relationships with people, how to function in the community, how to get a job. What we learn in school is mostly useful, but there are also things that are not so necessary or important to us. Practice would be much more useful and prepare us more for the future. A greater content of optional subjects should be offered in addition to the compulsory ones so that they can choose the areas in which they want to achieve their goals and towards which they want to focus.
A big focus in education is only on results.
They would introduce money management, community functioning, employment after school, a greater choice of subjects and lecturers for individual subjects, housekeeping, more time spent in nature. Learning would be facilitated by focusing on research activities so that they do not have to learn without understanding, and joint learning of learning techniques and methods from the time the child starts school. They would change the equipment and adaptability of the classrooms: they would introduce lockers, tables and benches according to the age of the child, a part of the classroom dedicated to performing various exercises and activities for a more relaxed way of working and learning the material. They point out that school does not prepare them for life after school.
As for children’s mental health, the NEFs point to the great stress that school causes due to the large number of obligations and stress due to grades and the fear of failure. Violence is a growing problem today: peer-to-peer, online violence. Failure in sports also causes a lot of stress (when losing matches – the feeling that they have let the coach down – the coach will no longer devote himself to training, teammates, frustration because the effort did not pay off). Coaches demand a lot, and this can negatively affect children’s self-confidence. Also, children’s competitiveness and competitive spirit are strongly encouraged both in school and in sports.
Adults-parents should be full of support and know how to provide it, talk more with children and solve problems together, and not expect the child to solve it on his own. Professors and coaches should lower expectations and realize that they are children, work more with children and provide children with support. They would like everyone who works with children to be educated to work with children.
They feel safe and supported at home, and mostly in the places where they live, but adults should pay more attention to the increase in violence, especially in schools. Adults should invest more in city safety (more lighting in small surrounding towns-rural areas). They don’t feel as safe at school anymore because anyone can walk into school and hurt them, which is happening all around the world.
Discrimination occurs against children with disabilities due to financial situations (poverty). It is important for adults to raise children tolerantly and to respect others. Children should be taught to be proud and not to be afraid of their differences, but to accept them. Children should be educated in schools and councils about tolerance and respect for other people’s rights and freedoms.
In terms of participation, children participate in decision-making at home and in local communities. For example, together they decide what activities they will engage in, where to go on vacation, what to buy, etc. Student councils work depending on the school and the engagement of both children and teachers, as well as the readiness of adults to ask children for their opinion. They participate in proposals for projects, fairs, etc. Participation in decision-making in local communities depends on the local environment. For example, in Opatija, children have been actively participating in creating the life of their community for more than 20 years. Children participate in the creation of a large city budget in Opatija.
Most of them think that only finances are important to adult decision makers.
Climate change greatly affects children’s lives: fires, floods, earthquakes are our everyday life, the consequences of which are suffered by everyone, especially children. More education is needed for adults about the protection of our planet and the impact that climate change has on us. They believe that adults are not doing enough in the area of environmental protection.
The priorities should be the present, not the future: the children are here! Protection from climate change, raising awareness and education about environmental protection, protecting children online, greater support for children’s mental health and children’s safety in the online and offline world, the problem of poverty. Wishes and hopes for other children: that no one lives in poverty, that we live in clean and sustainable cities, that everyone feels safe, that children do not have to flee because of wars.
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