Project 5_ENG Participation of children and adolescents: a case study in the Council of boys and girls of the City of Hospitalet

Participation of children and adolescents: a case study in the Council of boys and girls of the City of Hospitalet

This project has been carried out with the funding of:

Summary:

The Research Project presented is part of the “Citizenship and Participation” research line of the Intercultural Education Research Group (GREDI) and is located in the City of Hospitalet de Llobregat. Specifically in this project a “instrumental” case study is proposed on the Council of Boys and Girls of this city; successful experience of citizen participation. The Council of Boys and Girls of Hospitalet is a participatory body that has been part of the Hospitalet Ciutat Educadora program for ten years. It is made up of boys and girls aged 10 to 16 chosen from the students of the different centers and has the involvement of tutors and families.

Councils – like other municipal projects that seek the involvement of children and adolescents – have grown in recent years. This growth makes it necessary to carry out rigorous and scientific analyzes that allow us to delve deeper into its operation, the profiles of participants, etc. and with the assessment that the same participants make of this participatory body. Carrying out the instrumental case study will allow us to make this analysis, while it will be possible to establish proposals for improvement and general guidelines to transfer to other contexts the results obtained and the methodological process followed.

Methodology

Following the case study methodology, we want to know the Council of Boys and Girls of the city of Hospitalet de Llobregat and the satisfaction of its participants.

Impact

Initially the children point out that the council has served to improve the city but when trying to delve into this idea, it is concluded that the activities carried out in the council have served to improve things a little at the local level nearby ( “What we saw is that our school yard was very dirty and now that we’ve done that, it’s cleaner”, “in our school before in the yard there was only a bin and now there is also plastic and they have made a green dot ”). Thus, several children point out that what they have done is start to “infect” their environment, for example by being more civic, but that there is still a lot of work to be done. They consider that when they have explained some of the activities, the transformations have no permanence in time. They believe that at first they achieve the goal but then do not hold out over time (“the effect is two or three days and then they get tired”).

The Council is composed of

103

students

57 in Primary and 46 in Secondary, from 34 public and subsidized schools in Hospitalet.

Study:

Taking into account the characteristics of the case study, the phases of the project have been:
Phase I. Data reworking and elaboration or adaptation of information collection techniques.
Phase II. Application and analysis of the first information collection techniques.
Phase III. Application and analysis of the second techniques of information collection.
Phase IV. Elaboration of proposals for improvement and general guidelines on the Councils.
In relation to information gathering techniques, we start from the integration of quantitative instruments and qualitative strategies. Specifically we use:
· The semi-structured interview
· The discussion group
· Participatory dynamics
· The observation

Timing

year

Transfer

http://governobert.gencat.cat/web/.content/30_ParticipacioCiutadana/04_Difusio_i_recerca/recerques_en_curs/Presentacio_Consell_Noies_Folgueiras_2017_05_31.pdf

Conclusions

Usefulness of participation in the board

Boys and girls emphasize aspects such as learning to be civic and meeting people. They also point out that it has been helpful to lose embarrassment, to make friends, to have fun, to get to know their city, and to skip class. Several agree that it has been useful to work more as a team. All the boys and girls appreciate that the council has served to meet new people and make new friends.

Type of participation

As for students, when asked if they felt comfortable participating, they all say yes. They felt very free, respected and were able to participate by giving their opinions, making proposals.
This type of projective participation is directly related to the dynamization of educators.
Within dynamism, the role they give to veteran counselors is important. These become key people for the integration of new directors.

Assessment of activities

One of the most valued is the work of Civic Agents. The 3 groups coincide. They say they liked it a lot because they learned a lot of useful and practical things.

Usefulness of the Council

Initially the children point out that the council has served to improve the city. Thus, several children point out that what they have done is start to “infect” their environment, for example by being more civic, but that there is still a lot of work to be done.

Lead researcher

This project has been carried out with the funding of:

Summary:

Impact

The Council is composed of

Study:

Timing

Transfer

Usefulness of participation in the board

Type of participation

Assessment of activities

Usefulness of the Council

Pilar Folgueiras Bertomeu

This project has been carried out in collaboration with:

Xarxes socials

Qui som

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