Occupying the invited spaces of European decision-making: deepening conceptions of children's democratic participation by learning from Roma-led participatory projects with children

Abstract

There are growing commitments to involving children in policymaking in Europe and beyond, but these processes remain exclusionary. Thinking spatially and epistemologically can help challenge some of this exclusion and promote a stronger orientation towards justice. We draw on two case studies of Roma-led participatory processes in Europe that were part of an international programme in five countries, which sought to understand how to connect the concerns of children living in marginalised contexts with policymaking related to the EU Child Guarantee. Data collected through ethnography, participatory observations, voice notes, participatory evaluation and interviews with children, workers and leaders were analysed through a conceptually informed approach. This analysis shows that diversity in children’s participation policymaking can be strengthened by: providing opportunities in children's everyday spaces; creating bridging relationships between diverse places and identities to connect marginalised concerns to centres of power; creating multiple microphones through which to hear children’s concerns and to understand their contexts; intergenerational dialogues that progress towards meaning making through engagement with children and adult activists; reflection on the absences of reciprocity and engagement in action for change in social provision and social norms over the long term. These practices have relevance internationally for strengthening marginalised children’s democratic participation.