You have been carrying out neighborhood-based work with young people and women in Çiğdem Neighborhood for many years. How do these activities intersect with children?
The mission of the Çiğdemim Association is defined as “to increase the quality of life of neighborhood residents and to be influential in decision-making processes by promoting the culture of being a neighbor.” Its vision is “to be a neighborhood where the culture of solidarity and being a neighbor is effective, which is influential in regional and national decision-making processes, and where people of different characteristics (based on age, gender, disability, etc.) are happy in their living spaces.” Within this framework, planning is made for all residents of the neighborhood.
We try to create spaces where women and children can express themselves. Sometimes these are conversations, trips, book reading activities, and sometimes skill development workshops, such as handcrafts, instrument (like guitar, percussion, choir), painting, and drama workshops.
What is the Çiğdemim Children’s Parliament, how was it established, and how does it operate? How do children become involved? How are decisions made?
The Çiğdemim Children’s Parliament was established in April 2019 as part of the Mikrofon 1 Project and has been active ever since. The Children’s Parliament is for children aged 9-14. Every September, we invite children by reaching out to residents through the association’s social media accounts,
WhatsApp group, and email.
Apart from the age limit, there is no other criterion to participate in the Children’s Parliament. Decisions in the Parliament are made by consensus and there is no presidency system. For us, every child is unique and valuable. Therefore, every child’s opinion is important.
When there are differences of opinion in the Parliament, every member openly expresses their thoughts and the topic is discussed. Even if it sometimes takes a bit longer, decisions are made collectively. An adult who is an expert in the field is present for organization, but their role is only moderation.
When the Children’s Parliament needs to be represented in different environments, candidates are selected. These candidates are provided the opportunity to express themselves and the children who will represent are chosen by other children in the parliament.
Children’s participation often remains on paper. What do you do to ensure children’s real and effective involvement in decision-making processes?
The work of the Çiğdemim Children’s Parliament is already completely carried out with the active participation of children. For example, every year on April 23rd, a Children’s Games Festival is organized. All the organization, content, and activities of the festival are determined and implemented by children.
The Children’s Parliament also acts as an advisory board for Çiğdemim Association’s Board of Directors. Therefore, when planning work regarding children, input is sought from the Children’s Parliament and planning is done based on the views and suggestions of the children.
How do you ensure the participation of children from different age groups and different socio-economic backgrounds in the neighborhood? How do you involve quieter children or those who have difficulty expressing themselves? Do you observe any differences in the participation of girls and boys?
We make announcements about the Children’s Parliament throughout the neighborhood and try to establish partnerships with schools in the neighborhood. We believe this approach guarantees equal participation rights for every child. Participation of girls and boys in the Parliament is balanced.
Sometimes more introverted children join at the insistence of their families and may occasionally have difficulty expressing themselves. However, the participatory environment of the parliament helps open up opportunities for these children as well.
What participation methods do you use when working with children? What principles do you pay attention to in order to ensure participation is not merely “symbolic”?
Nothing in the Çiğdemim Children’s Parliament is symbolic. The space and speech belong to the children. Activities start with an opening question and every child shares their current feelings and experiences. The topic and activities are determined by joint decision. Task distribution is done by the children, games are played together, and the day ends with an evaluation of the activities.
For example, the parks in the neighborhood were evaluated by children and their needs were conveyed to the neighborhood head and the municipality.
What feedback do you receive from children in the neighborhood based on their experiences? How effective do they feel?
Children state that they feel valued in the activities they participate in and that they are able to express their opinions as individuals.
They also say they do satisfactory work, especially through the projects conducted. As an example, the work carried out within the scope of the Mikrofon 2 Project on “Preventing Violence Against Children in the Virtual World” can be cited.
What advice would you give to groups who want to work in other neighborhoods?
We would first suggest that they trust children, value their contributions, and create appropriate environments where children can express themselves. Because it is a fact that mechanisms in which adults make decisions for children, without considering the views of children, cannot be effective.