engleski

Teaching children's participation within university study programs - results of the analysis within the study “Participation of Children in the Republic of Croatia”

The implementation of the idea and values of participation in the everyday practice of working with children requires some elements of preparing the key stakeholders in this process: children, experts (adults) and institutions. The phase of preparation for participation is an important prerequisite for later phases of participation, and is considered by many authors to be the most important part of child participation (Lansdown, 2001 ; Stephenson, Gourley and Miles, 2004 ; Žižak, 2005 ; Steinitz, 2009 ; Davey, 2010). The preparation of adults and institutions precedes the preparation of children, because it is important that adults first understand what participation means and how it can be implemented, so that they can transfer that insight to children and can familiarise them with the purpose of participation. While preparing, professionals should read and reflect on participation, and question their own attitudes towards it. Čekić Bašić (2009) claims that professionals may be sceptical or cautious, and even intimidated by the more equal distribution of power between them and children, which can make the process of the inclusion and participation of children in decision making more difficult. The author states that the implementation of what she calls the rhetoric of participation in practice is more time consuming and harder than just accepting the idea in itself. In the evaluation of legislation, policies and practices of child participation in the European Union, 15 Day et al. (2015), among other things, list the lack of awareness, knowledge and skills for participation, both in children and experts, as obstacles to effective participation.

child participation, university programes

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