‘Pathways to participation’ revisited: learning from Nicaragua’s child coffee-workers

Work on children and young people’s participation in the UK (and other northern countries) has tended to focus on one specific aspect, namely consulting children and young people around their use of public services. Much analysis has focused on labelling different modes and models through which such participation may be facilitated. The author’s own ‘pathways to participation’ model is an example (Shier 2001; see also Kirby et al. 2003; Sinclair 2004).