Workshop on Children and Young People in Climate Assemblies

Across the world, children and young people are calling for urgent climate action and greater representation in climate governance. The climate crisis is a child rights crisis, and our youngest citizens have the right to be involved, and taken seriously, in decisions being made today. This has been affirmed by the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in its recently published ‘General Comment No.26’ which enshrines, for the first time, that children have the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

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A small, but growing, number of citizens' assemblies are involving children and young people at local, national, and transnational levels. Climate assemblies hold significant and exciting potential for meaningfully, and creatively, bringing all generations together to find ways forward in addressing the climate crisis.  In response to the growing interest in and requests for guidance and tools for practitioners and policy makers on how to involve children and young people in climate assemblies, the Knowledge Network on Climate Assemblies is creating a how-to guide. This work is being led by Katie Reid, a child and youth participation specialist who designed and facilitated a child participation process for Scotland’s Climate Assembly and the Children and Young People’s Assembly on Biodiversity Loss in Ireland. This guide is being developed collaboratively, with the insights and inputs from children and young people themselves.

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As part of the development of the guidance, KNOCA is hosting a workshop which will both be a space to hear and learn from children, young people and adults who have been involved in citizens’ assemblies and an opportunity to offer reflections on a draft version of the guide, adding additional ideas, questions, thoughts, and suggestions.

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