Democracy is about making sure that everyone’s voice counts and is heard when governments make decisions. Our job is to help make sure that the youngest voices are heard across the European Union.
Child members raised democratic participation as an important subject, so it is included in our 2023-2024 Work Plan.
We put together an online survey for children and teens to tell us what they think about democratic participation, what they think works well, what type of changes they want, and about their own experiences.
We also organised in-person meetings with children across the EU to make sure lots of different children were involved.
Who did we speak to
1,921 children from 23 EU countries completed the online democracy survey. 28 children and 3 young activists were interviewed and 122 children participated in focus groups.
What did children say?
What children and teenagers want:
- Safe and inclusive places to participate and be heard
- A bigger role in influencing decisions that directly affect their lives
- More information about democracy, how it works and how to get involved
- Encouragement to participate in discussions and decision-making
- Learn more about voting and the knowledge to help them make their own voting decisions
Animated version of what children said (all EU languages)
Become a democracy champion!
As part of the work done on democracy, the young members of our Platform have co-created a Democracy Toolkit that can be used in classrooms across the European Union.
The toolkit si an interactive and fun learning guide for children aged 9-13 to become Democracy Champions and make a difference in their school or community.
It supports teaching about civic participation and helps kids to engage with democratic principles through practical, hands-on experiences.
