A creative approach to giving young children a voice in service planning
As Scotland prepares to incorporate the UNCRC into domestic law, how can the expressive arts and creative approaches help ensure very young children’s voices are reflected in decision-making and service planning?
The Year of Young People in 2018 showed the positive and powerful impact older children 8+ can have when they are empowered to participate meaningfully in decision-making.
However, so much consultation work with children relies on verbal interactions. We want to explore the challenging and often problematic concept of including the views of babies, very young children and all those who are pre or non-verbal.
At Starcatchers we believe the arts and creative experiences provide powerful opportunities for young children 0-5 to express themselves and communicate their thoughts and feelings. But how do we make the leap from recognising their agency in settings to reflecting their voices in strategic service planning?
It’s a question we’ve been asking as part of Starcatchers’ campaign Making My Mark. But we don’t have all the answers. Such a big and complex question requires individuals and organisations to come together from across sectors to share good practice and research, and explore the challenges.
This is an opportunity to explore the subject with colleagues from across the arts and children’s sectors, as part of Fire Starter Festival 2020: Celebrating Innovation and Creativity In Public Services.
