ABSTRACT
The participation and active citizenship of children and young people is a major priority across Europe. The recognition of the children’s right to participation has had a long-standing tradition in the Council of Europe1 legal texts, including the Revised European Social Charter, the Convention on the Exercise of Children’s Rights and the recommendations on the participation of children and family integrated policy. Particularly noteworthy are Recommendation (1998) 8 on children’s participation in family and social life, which covers a broad scope of areas in which children can participate, including children’s associations, work, training and public life; and Recommendation (2002) 12 on education for democratic citizenship. In accordance with the human rights approach of the Council of Europe and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, participation means that children have the right to express their views and relate their experiences, and that these be given due weight in the decision-making process.
