From 6 to 7 May 2025, children and adults from 11 EU countries went to Ireland for the Platform’s first study visit.
What was the study visit about?
The visit brought a group of motivated children and adults together to share, learn and get ideas on:
- How Ireland involves children in decision-making at local and national level
- How child participation is working and could advance in their own countries
What we learnt
To make sure children's voices are heard and valued, national governments should:
Have a stable source of money, training, people and child-friendly materials
Involve children in decisions that affect their daily lives
Check if children's ideas lead to real changes and improvements
Teach both adults and children about children's rights and how to work together
Promote teamwork between children and adults for better results
Share successful practices and learn from each other
To make sure there are spaces where children feel confident and empowered to share their views, national governments should:
Include and reach out to more children from different places, groups, ages, and speaking different languages
Support ongoing conversations between youth and adults
Report back to children and have clear guidelines on how to do that and when
Organise more meetings between children and adults from different countries
Make sure that different groups and institutions work together, such as government, NGOs, schools
Speak up about how great it is for everyone when children and young people lead and share their views
Who joined the visit?
- Children from the EU Children’s Participation Platform (+ accompanying adults)
- National representatives from the EU Network for Children’s Rights
- Participating countries: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Finland, Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia, Spain and the Netherlands.
- Child members from UNICEF and Bremore School, Ireland (+ accompanying adults)
A happy study visit family!A happy study visit family! 
Structure of Irish child and youth participationStructure of Irish child and youth participation 
Different ways of engaging with Irish children and young peopleDifferent ways of engaging with Irish children and young people 
A creative workshop at The ArkA creative workshop at The Ark 
Discussions, brainstorming and suggestions!Discussions, brainstorming and suggestions! 
Kid's ideas to improve access to informationKid's ideas to improve access to information 
Welcoming cupcakes at Bremore ETSS schoolWelcoming cupcakes at Bremore ETSS school
What happened each day?
Day 1 – 6 May 2025
- Workshops on how child participation is organised in Ireland at the Department of Children, Disability and Equality, Dublin
- Creative activities for children at The Ark, Dublin
- City visit and dinner
Day 2 – 7 May 2025
- Workshops on children’s rights for adults and children together
- Sharing what we learned and what we want to do in each country
- Visit to Bremore Educate Together Secondary School, Balbriggan to see student voice in action
What happens next?
Conclusions and commitments were discussed during a follow-up session in July 2025.
Platform members reported to the Advisory Board in October 2025 and the Network members reported at their meeting in November 2025. Commitments will be followed up at the 2026 Network meeting and shared on the website.
Discussions are also looking at how the learnings and methods can be used in other EU countries to get increased and better child participation.