On 4 April 2022, the Joint Project “CP4Europe – Strengthening National Child Participation Frameworks and Action in Europe” organised a webinar on “Child-friendly communication in crisis situations” to promote the importance of the child’s right to be heard and be informed in a way which is understandable to them particularly in complex contexts, such as the current armed conflict in Ukraine.
This interactive webinar was led by international experts on child participation, with long-standing experience in working in direct contact with different groups of children in a variety of sensitive situations, and saw the participation of a young person who was able to share her views and first-hand experience in the school context. The event was attended by around 150 people from the CP4Europe country partners and beyond, including national authorities and professionals working for and with children.
The experts emphasised the role and responsibility of adults in supporting children’s understanding of crisis situations through both verbal and non-verbal languages, while creating a safe and secure environment. Importantly, it was highlighted that schools should play an active role in providing children with adequate spaces to ask questions and discuss their fears, opinions and ideas about sensitive situations which they perceive as unsettling, both with adults and their peers.
Discussions about child participation and child-friendly communication constitute the central thread of the project and will be addressed again more thoroughly during the CP4Europe mid-term conference, to be held in Cork (Ireland) on 23-25 May 2022.
Presentation: Child-friendly communication in war context (Aneta Teneva)
Presentation: The role of schools in explaining difficult situations to children (Barbara Németh)
Calls for Tenders
