Presentation of Ragazze, ragazzi e adulti nei processi partecipativi (Girls, Boys and Adults in Participatory Processes) by the Ombudsperson in Rome

The Head of the Italian Ombudsperson for Children, Carla Garlatti, presented in Rome the study and proposal document Ragazze, ragazzi e adulti nei processi partecipativi. Pratiche e Strategie. (Girls, Boys and Adults in Participatory Processes. Practices and Strategies), drafted by the working group set up within the framework of the National Council of Associations and Organisations, with the scientific and technical support of the Istituto degli Innocenti in Florence. The publication contains a survey of child participation in Italy and a series of recommendations addressed to institutions, the third sector and families. The Guida alla partecipazione attiva di ragazze e ragazzi. Una bussola per orientarsi (Guide to the Active Participation of Adolescents. A Compass to Orient Oneself) was also presented on the occasion. The Guide was compiled with the active collaboration of the Ombudsperson’s Council of the Adolescents together with the Istituto degli Innocenti and Defence for Children Italy. The booklet, aimed directly at minors, is intended to be an easy reference tool to learn why how, and where to participate.

Ragazze, ragazzi e adulti nei processi partecipativi. Pratiche e strategie (Girls, Boys and Adults in Participatory Processes. Practices and Strategies)

The document focuses on young adolescents and their experiences of participation in different life contexts. At the same time, the perspective of adults has not been overlooked, in order to offer a mirror image between their perception of the topic and that of young people. Starting from the data collected, the Ombudsperson has drawn up specific recommendations addressed to the educational community, the third sector and the institutional actors involved in various capacities, in order to transform the voices that emerged into concrete actions. Precise guidelines have also been included in the Guide for adolescents developed with the support of the Ombudsperson’s Council of the Adolescents, explaining how, where, and why to participate.

The hope is that these documents, placed within the broader context of European and international initiatives, can contribute to building a society increasingly capable of using intergenerational dialogue and the perspectives of minors. This would ensure that young people are recognised as essential protagonists in social, political, and institutional life, in line with the principles established more than thirty years ago by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Recommendations of the Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents

The Ombudsperson for Children and Adolescents, in the performance of their institutional tasks, uses the recommendations as a soft law instrument to be addressed to institutional actors, the educational community, the third sector and any other actors involved in the life of minors. “Girls, Boys and Adults in Participatory Processes” is a study that not only takes a snapshot of the perceptions that children and institutions have of participatory experiences in different contexts of life, but also highlights the critical issues and strengths of such practices. The recommendations were formulated in the light of the findings and are intended to strengthen the participation of under-age persons in Italy and how they are listened to. With them, in fact, the Ombudsperson asks adults, institutions and civil society to recognise, as an essential value, the involvement of the new generations in every choice that concerns them, taking into account the different contexts, needs and degree of maturity of those concerned. Special attention is paid to unaccompanied foreign minors, as a particularly vulnerable category who is present in every context this survey has taken into account. The significant presence of unaccompanied foreign minors in Italy is a growing concern, and calls for a broader and more comprehensive understanding of the challenges and opportunities for their protection and social inclusion. Promoting listening and participation as interventions requires constant and patient work of interaction, exchange of expertise and good practices.

Recommendation I

It is recommended that initiatives be put in place to make the right to be heard effective in every area of interest to minors, guaranteeing inclusiveness, safety and sustainability of these pathways.

Recommendation II

It is recommended that initiatives to promote and raise awareness of the inalienability of minors’ participation in decisions of their interest at every social level be launched. Underlying this Recommendation is the need to consider as indispensable the input of young people in matters that affect them, so that their age, condition and socio-economic backgrounds are not seen as an obstacle but as an essential value in obtaining their point of view.

Recommendation III

It is recommended that the right of unaccompanied foreign minors to be heard and recognised as active participants in decisions that affect them be supported and promoted.