Eurochild, as an international organization, operates and supports a network of European child rights organizations, as well as advocating for child’s rights through their own work. They are helped by their Children’s Council (as we are, by our Kid Colleagues), which has youth members from 12 different European countries, who work together for two years, advocating for children’s rights and child participation. It’s an honor that it is now the second time that one of our Kid Colleagues was chosen to be part of the Council’s team, which generally works online, but meets twice a year at Eurochild’s headquarters in Brussels.
During their meeting this fall, Eurochild’s team made sure that the four days spent together were filled with valuable experiences. The Children’s Council took part in several training sessions, they learned about child participation, and got a chance to dialogue with European decision makers. The most exciting event of the trip took place on the last day, on November 20th.
World Children’s Day in the European Parliament
In honor of World Children’s Day, Eurochild organized a special event in the European Parliament. The 35th anniversary of the signing of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child proved to be the perfect opportunity for a special occasion, where the situation of children is assessed and their voices are amplified.
The event was opened by remarks from Veronika Cifrová Ostrihoňová, co-organizing MEP, and Marie-Cécile Rouillon, the European Commission’s child rights coordinator. Then the Children’s Council members got an opportunity to speak up. In their speeches they covered many topics that concern them and their peers, areas in which the decision makers who were present at the event could make a positive change. Alongside their speeches, they were also given space to pose questions to the MEPs, who in return detailed some of their achievements and plans for the future. The children’s remarks touched upon the themes of education, mental health, inclusion, online safety, abuse, climate change, and child participation. By sharing personal experiences they brought the topics closer to the participants and highlighted the need for action.
As part of the event, the children invited the participating decision makers to sign a statement with them, declaring that the rights and best interest of children would be at the forefront of their work. Eurochild’s Children Council took part in creating this document. The statement is also a promise, that every year on November 20th they will gather again to assess the situation of children on a European level.
The event was closed by thoughts from our Kid Colleague
Our Kid Colleague, Abigél gave the closing remarks at the event. In her speech she summarized the content of the statement and highlighted its significance. She reflected on her fellow council members’ speeches, the themes they explored, and the importance of their messages. She spoke to the decision makers about the significance of child participation when working for children’s rights. She also highlighted the need for accessible, quality education for everyone.
We are very proud of her work, from preparing the speech, to speaking at the European Parliament, all while strengthening both the Eurochild Children Council and the Kid Colleagues team. This is how she wrote about her experiences in Brussels:
“Child participation is very important – being able to express our opinions and being listened to, since our generation will face the consequences of people’s actions in the present.
I could divide my trip to Brussels into two parts. The experiences and the company. Luckily, I can say that both were great. I got to take part in many interesting and useful workshops, like the one about children’s rights. We had a very busy three days full of training sessions, but they also left time for teambuilding and relaxation. One of my favorite memories from the trip was when we went to an escape room with the team. Luckily everyone got out:). I feel that this trip was a great opportunity for the group to get to know eachother better, and when it was time to go home everyone was sad that it was over.
Since we were there right on World Children’s Day, on November 20th, we got to go to the European Parliament to give speeches about different issues that affect children, and discuss these with the MEPs. My role was giving the closing speech. I summarized the remarks before me and presented a statement that all the participants signed. Promising that on every November 20th we’ll gather again and celebrate children’s rights. It was a really great experience for me, and it was good to see that we were able to speak up about the issues that we witness everyday.
Thank you to the Eurochild team, and the colleagues working in their child participation team. They poured a lot of energy into making this event a reality. As a child rights foundation we always learn a lot from occasions like these, about how our Child Participation Program can become even more child-centered. They also gave lifelong memories to our child volunteers.
