Participation by kids - NSW Commission for Children and Young People

Participation is for kids and organisations. Participation is about taking part, becoming actively involved or sharing in an activity.

For organisations, participation means listening to what children and young people say and taking their views into account.

Why is participation important to children and young people?

Children and young people across NSW frequently tell us they want to play a greater role in their local communities. They want to feel that the adults around them value their contributions.

Participation is important to children and young people because:

it connects them with their community
it lets them express their voice and opinions
it helps programs and services that are designed for kids appropriately meet their needs.

Why is participation important for organisations?

Many organisations impact on the lives of children and young people. Organisations are more effective if they involve children and young people in the design, development and delivery of services and policies

Participation in practice

We have developed a kit called TAKING PARTicipation seriously to help organisations involve children and young people in their work.

Follow these links to read about examples of our work in involving children and young people in decisions that affect them:

The Minto Project - A participation case study
Participation in the NSW Summit on Alcohol Abuse
Participation at the NSW Childhood Obesity Summit
Sharing our journey

If you'd like more information about how to get kids involved in your work phone 02 9286 7276.