OPINION AND ANALYSIS

Valuing voices

In light of a new children and youth-focused campaign called The Big Ambition, we explore the impact of empowering children by valuing their voices

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The Children’s Commissioner for England, Dame Rachel de Souza, recently announced the launch of a new campaign called The Big Ambition. Aiming to empower the voices of children and young people, it will capture their opinions and questions to put to political circles ahead of the next general election via a wide-ranging survey.

But why? Well, aside from contributing to the direction of the UK’s future, there are actually many reasons to value and empower children’s voices.

Why?

Humans are social beings, evolved to flourish in collaborative communities. As such, we have developed myriad ways to connect with one another from a very early age, making communication essential for building relationships, establishing social roles, and expanding learning.

Not only this, but the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child states that to be heard and listened to is a fundamental human right – one that children are entitled to as much as adults.

Over the past 50 years, various research – including Promoting Children’s Participation in Democratic Decision-Making by UNICEF, work by Dr Kathryn Peckham, and research by the University of Central London (UCL) – has highlighted that adult responses to babies, toddlers and children’s methods of communication up to age six can have a pivotal effect on their speech and language, as well as their sense of self and how able they are to advocate for themselves in future.

How?

  • Be mindful of the implicit messages your body language and facial expressions send – children are more sensitive to these communications early on due to their lack of language

  • Pay proper attention when children talk to you and respond with due consideration – as you would with an adult

  • Promote formal and informal conversation opportunities in pairs, small groups and larger group

  • Encourage thinking companions for problem-solving

  • Support ‘talk partners’, initially structuring to have confident speakers model the process

  • Role-play with children, asking both closed and open questions in character

  • Put time aside to converse with each child for a couple of minutes at every opportunity

  • Model process of analysing-reasoning-inquiring-imagining-evaluating

  • Collectively discuss and label emotions with descriptions of how it feels inside the body

  • Draw pictures to ‘show and tell’ with a partner/small group

  • Reinforce ground rules for conversations and build upon them with children’s suggestions

  • Be open to discussing difficult or important issues at an age-appropriate level

  • Allow children to speak without you rushing, correcting or dismissing them

Outcomes

  • leads to positive self-esteem, which is intrinsic to children’s happiness

  • teaches democratic participation, honesty and inclusivity, leading to...

  • …increased voluntary participation and self-motivation

  • helps them to make sense of their own thoughts

  • policies benefit from children’s unique experience and perspective

  • builds reasoning and problem-solving skills

  • aids sequencing and sense of time/place

  • helps children identify the difference between fact, opinion and belief

  • evolution of vocabulary for reflection and critical thinking

  • gives children the language to challenge abuse and neglect

  • leads to children’s self-regulation of emotions

  • teaches respect, empathy and compassion to others

  • helps to manage stress by giving them the vocabulary to share feelings


Although The Big Ambition is primarily for children and young people aged six to 18, parents of children under six years old or with additional needs are encouraged to discuss and complete The Big Ambition on behalf of their child to ensure the full spectrum of children’s experiences is included.