Stepping forward: children and young people in the development process

Children and young people have much to offer the community they live in, but are often excluded I decisions and policies that affect their development, as their own opinions are ignored or overruled much of the time. Participatory approaches used in development in the North and South can provide the vehicle needed to include children in the decision-making processes which affect their communities and can have far reaching implications for policies and practice.

Stepping Forward presents the key issues and challenges facing those facilitating children’s and young people’s participation. The book has evolved from an international workshop on children’s participation held by the Institute of Development Studies, the Institute of Education and Save the Children in September 1997. The contributors to the book have been drawn from a wide range of backgrounds, utilizing studies from a number of countries to bring a multi-disciplinary approach and an international focus to children’s participation.

Covering issues of ethical dilemmas, process and methods, considerations for institutions, cultural relationships and the key qualities for a participation programme for children and young people, Stepping Forward is essential reading for professionals, agencies and institutions working with and for children.