A project to strengthen children’s participation in municipal decision making
An inter-university team made up of researchers from the University of Barcelona, the University of Seville, the National University of Distance Education (UNED) and the University of A Coruña, has developed the ‘Toolbox: Childhood and Participation’, within the framework of the project Concept Test 2022, financed by the Ministry of Science and Innovation and the Next Generation funds.
The project takes the form of a toolbox and is aimed at adults who act as referents in accompanying children in decision-making processes. This resource is intended to promote and strengthen children’s participation in decision-making at the municipal level.
Within the framework of the State Strategy for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (2023-2030) and the State Action Plan for the Implementation of the European Child Guarantee (2022-2030), a horizon is drawn where the promotion of children’s rights is fundamental and where the capacity to transform their environment is essential.
This toolkit was created with the aim of guaranteeing and promoting children’s right to participate, providing resources and strategies that strengthen and diversify their opportunities to become actively involved in the life of the municipality.
Throughout the toolkit, theoretical knowledge, practical guidelines, methodologies and specific techniques are offered, as well as dynamics to generate spaces for reflection. The aim is to provide professionals from the educational, social and municipal spheres with key tools to incorporate children and adolescents in local governance processes. This resource is accessible free of charge through the following website.
The project’s website is designed to facilitate access to its resources in an intuitive way. It contains different sections with detailed explanations of the project’s objectives, methodologies and participation tools. It also includes a series of videos in which the main concepts and strategies are presented, together with some testimonials from those who have taken part in the piloting and validation of the toolbox. It also offers downloadable material with practical guides to implement the different parts of the Toolbox in different environments.
The resource is structured in different thematic blocks, each designed to address a key aspect of children’s participation, each offering specific techniques to be applied in our contexts:
1. The case for children’s participation: Explains the reasons and values that underpin the need to include children’s voices in decision-making.
2. Participation, shaping a collective definition: Provides tools to reflect on the concept of participation and its implementation in local contexts.
3. Map of children’s participatory practices: It gathers successful experiences of children’s participation in different municipalities, offering inspiration for new projects.
4. Accompanying: relational elements and methodological keys: Presents strategies for adults to facilitate and support children’s participation in an effective way.
5. Spaces for co-governance: the assembly: Provides guidelines for organising spaces for deliberation and decision-making in which children play an active role.
6. Networking, communication and dissemination: Addresses the importance of inter-agency collaboration and communication to broaden the impact of child participation.
From our commitment to children and to the construction of more inclusive and participatory societies, we share the ‘Childhood and Participation Toolkit’ for its implementation, dissemination and/or consultation in municipalities and entities interested in strengthening the voice of children and adolescents in the public sphere.
Caja de Herramientas © 2025 by Novella, A.,Sabariego, M., Barba, M., Buxarrais, M.R., Cano-Hila, A., Crespo, F., Ferrús, L., Gil, I., Mansilla, D., Martínez, M., Mateos, T., Melero, H.S., Noguera, E., Pose, H. Riádigos, X., Román, L., Romero, C., Ruiz, A., Sánchez, E. is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0