Influence

If people who can make changes only listen to children but never do anything, what’s the point? Influence means taking what children say seriously and doing something about it when needed. Influence also means that children and youth should be informed on how their views were considered during the decision-making processes they were involved in. Sometimes, it is not possible to act on children’s views. But children should be provided with information about why it wasn’t possible.  

Find out what influence means in your DRR context

Guiding questions:

  • What does “taking children’s views seriously” mean in the context of your DRR work?
  • What does “acting upon children’s views” mean in your DRR context?
  • What can children realistically achieve through their participation?
  • What concrete steps can you take to ensure that children’s input is put into practice?

Find out what influence means to the target group

Guiding questions:

  • Have you asked your target group what they want to achieve through their participation?
  • Have children been informed about how their views will be considered and acted upon?
  • Have children been provided with feedback explaining the reasons for decisions taken?
Examples:
  1. Australia to put children and young people at the heart of city design,
    UNICEF
    Example of how children can have a say in city design.
  2. Child and Youth Participation During Crisis: Recommendations for Decision-Makers in the Nordic Region
    Nordic Welfare Centre, p.40
    Case study highlighting a model developed in Norway for cooperation between a youth council and a municipality
  3. The Lundy Model in Action, St Oliver’s National School Killarney
    Dublin City University
    Good example of how the Lundy model have been used to ensure that children’s views are acted upon.
  4. Children’s Parliament, UK,
    Children’s parliament in UK working to, among other things, influence national legislation.
  5. CBSS member states provide children with space, voice, audience, and influence in policy making
    CBSS
    Examples from around the Baltic Sea how different countries work with child participation.
Tools/Resources:
  1. Child and Youth Participation Toolkit
    Tusla
    Toolkit for child participation
  2. How to Implement the Lundy Model in Your Organisation
    Participation People
    A checklist for applying the Lundy Model .