The Global Campus Child Participation Model. Resource Pack

Abstract

The report provides an overview of the GC’s Child Participation Model and its practical application during the International Child-Led Conference on Mental Health held in Nepal between January 31 and February 1, 2022. Rooted in Article 12 of the UNCRC, the model emphasizes the right of children to be heard and actively participate in matters affecting their lives. The report documents how children all over the world lived through the COVID -19 period. The conference main theme, mental health, and sub-themes, lack of educational mechanisms on mental health, unhealthy competition among children and violence against children, were chosen by children themselves through a structured participatory process involving a total of twenty-three national and international consultations between the September of 2021 and the February of 2022.

The conference brought together a hundred and eleven children from the then seven regions of the GC, fostering a platform for peer learning, collaborative advocacy and intergenerational dialogue. The outcomes included an action plan on mental health and the establishment of the Children’s Leadership Team (CLT), demonstrating the potential of child-led initiatives to drive impactful change. Today, the GC – CLT is actively involved in project designs and implementation as follow-up. The GC aims to embed the CLT into its institutional framework and create partnerships to amplify children’s voices in human rights education and advocacy. This report underscores the GC’s commitment to pioneering innovative approaches for sustained child participation.