How can children help strengthen outdoor play and community life in their local area? That’s exactly what researchers from the World Playground Research Institute are exploring through the B-Challenged project – together with 5th graders from Ørstedskolen and local stakeholders on Langeland, Denmark.
Since January of last year, the children have worked as co-researchers and co-designers, identifying factors that support or limit outdoor play and developing ideas to improve outdoor spaces and social connections.
In November they had the unique opportunity to present their ideas directly to the Prime Minister of Denmark, Mette Frederiksen, the Minister for Children and Education, Mattias Tesfaye, and around 100 people gathered on Langeland, Denmark.
“We want to give children real voices in decisions that affect their everyday lives. When children become co-researchers and co-designers, they don’t just generate ideas – they experience that they can make a difference. And when you get the opportunity to stand in front of ministers, the children’s sense of ownership just grows even more,” says Charlotte Skau Pawlowski, project lead of B-Challenged.
Giving children a real voice means taking democracy seriously – and seeing citizenship in action 🗣️
Learn more about B-Challenged here: https://lnkd.in/dk_mjGjC