We held our 6th National Conference on Child and Adolescent Participation in Madrid [editar]

On 23 June, we held the Fundación Secretariado Gitano (FSG)’s 6th National Conference on Child and Adolescent Participation in Madrid. Under the theme ‘Rights and Participation’, the event brought together more than 25 Roma young people from across Spain, alongside the mentors who support their participation processes.

The meeting took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Social Rights, Consumer Affairs and 2030 Agenda and was opened by Mayte Suárez, Deputy Director-General for Participation and Talent at FSG, who thanked the participating young people for their involvement and commitment and highlighted the importance of continuing to create spaces where children and young people can express their opinions and actively participate in matters that affect them

The event also featured the participation of Adrián Arias Mieres, Director of the Office of the Minister for Youth and Children, who took part in a discussion with the group. During the meeting, participants learnt about some of the current initiatives and challenges relating to children and young people, as well as reflecting on the role played by children and young people in today’s society and on social media, analysing both the opportunities and the challenges posed by these digital environments

One of the most enriching moments of the day was the exchange of experiences amongst the participants, who shared their involvement in local children’s and young people’s councils, student representative bodies and other community initiatives carried out in their local areas

As a new feature, this sixth edition incorporated more specific activities aimed at strengthening skills for participation. Through various activities, the young people worked on aspects related to communication, active listening, teamwork, representation, decision-making and participatory leadership, making progress in a process that seeks to progressively strengthen their ability to participate, make proposals and exert influence in the areas that affect them.

We would like to extend our special thanks to the young people who form part of the National Group for Child and Adolescent Participation for their enthusiasm, involvement and commitment, as well as to the mentors and the FSG teams who ensure that these participatory processes continue to grow and become more established year after year.

The holding of this 6th National Meeting marks a further step in ‘Fundación Secretariado Gitano’’s commitment to promoting child and adolescent participation and fostering active citizenship from an early age.

This activity forms part of the State Programme for the Promotion of Participation among the Roma Population, funded through the State Programmes for activities of general interest deemed to be of social interest (0.7 per cent), under the remit of the State Secretariat for Social Rights.