Children into the center (Kinder in die Mitte)

Best Practice

Topics

• New forms of decision-making
• Governance capacity

Short description

'Kinder in die Mitte' is a participation project aiming at turning the provincial government of Vorarlberg into the child-friendliest provincial government of Austria. 'Future workshops' with children and teenagers and a so-called "Planungszelle" with adults were organised. The results were summarised in a 'civil report' and consigned to the provincial government of Vorarlberg. The projects aims at a longterm learning process of children, teenagers and adults.

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Project executive

Büro für Zukunftsfragen (Office for Future Questions) as a part of the provincial government of Vorarlberg. The project was initiated by the provincial governor Mr. Sausgruber.

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Participants

Büro für Zukunftsfragen, Vorarlberger Kinderdorf, Institut für Sozialdienste, politicians of the provincial government of Vorarlberg including the provincial governor, forum, Landesschulrat, Vorarlberger Tagesmütter, Welt der Kinder, Agentur die 3, Amt der Vorarlberger Landesregierung (social department), Institut für Sozialdienste Vorarlberg, Kinder- und Jugendanwalt, 51 children and teenagers (in the age of 10 to 15)

Objectives

'Kinder in die Mitte' is a participation project aiming at turning the provincial government of Vorarlberg into the child-friendliest provincial government of Austria. The project aimed to achieve: (1) having a dialogue between and within different generations to highlight the importance of child- and youth-friendliness for the future of all of us, (2) shaping of political opinions for the significance of participation, (3) societal acceptance and encouragement of the subjects child-, youth- and familiy-friendliness, (4) sensibilisation for different questions and aspects of family, school,... (5) to induce a positive climate for implementation of measures

Activities

implementation of 'future workshop' (only for children and teenagers), 'Planungszelle' (for adults), 'civil report' (written by adults), 'round table' (children, teenagers, adults, experts, persons in charge)

Process

The political steering group authorised the project team (Büro für Zukunftsfragen) to create the project 'Kinder in die Mitte'. The Büro für Zukunftsfragen was authorised to assume the project co-ordination, the moderation of the participation process and public relations. 51 children and young people were selected by a random generator. They discussed opinions and positions concerning their living spaces in so-called 'future wokshops' and developed ideas and suggestions for their future. Modelled on the 'future workshops' adults could bring their ideas in so-called 'Planungszellen': on the basis of the 'future workshops' and their own experiences in the 'Planungszelle' wrote the 'civil report'. The 'round table' was created to give all participants the possibility to get into a dialogue with experts and persons in charge. This process lead to measures that were handed over the steering committee. Persons in charge and experts were consigned to realise the compiled measures.

Results

Consensual ideas and measures for a child- and teenager-friendly Vorarlberg are available in a 'civil report'.

Evaluation

The project has not been evaluated yet.

Difficulties

(1) unusual method that was seen very sceptically in the beginning (2) high effort and amount of time spent for preparation and organisation (e.g. collecting of addresses)

Budget

160.000 Eur (Euro)

Financial backer

Provincial Government of Vorarlberg

Source of information

Competition

Participant at the 2005 Future in the Alps competition

Homepage

http://www.vorarlberg.at/vorarlberg/umwelt_zukunft/zukunft/buerofuerzukunftsfragen/weitereinformationen/publikationen/buergergutachten.htm

Publication

Liane Hrach: Die Planungszelle: Evaluierung der Planungszelle zur Bürgerbeteiligung. Diplomarbeit an der FH Dornbirn 2005 Kinder in der Mitte: Empfehlungen für ein kinderfreundliches Vorarlberg. Bürgergutachten 2005

Project executive as above

Contact person as above

Comments

Impact on nature and environment

The project is not directly linked to the issues nature and environment.

Economic value added

The participants developed a huge amount of measures e.g. special offers for families and children in ski resorts, like ski schools for children, competition for innovative projects for families and children in hotel business, the project family-friendly company,... The regional economic value added can not be estimated or quantified.

Socio-cultural value added

In a 'Planungszelle' participate people that are accidentally selected from all adults in Vorarlberg. These people do normally not have any self-interest on the issue. This is why a 'Planungszelle' is suitable for developing answers to societal problems. // Another benefit of the project is the mix of generations - old and young people worked on the same porblems and ideas. // The formation of the participants was almost perfect. There were more women than men participating.

Innovative content

There is no other known project, initiated by a provicial government, that deals with all questions of children and teenagers in such an open way. Children get very rarely the possibility to communicate their ideas and wishes on a regional level.

Good governance

The provincial government of Vorarlberg is the first government in Austria that implements such a braod and comprehensible participation process dealing with teenagers and children. The different types of methods made it possible to integrate a lot of groups on different ways. The work of the residents was completed in a dialogue with experts to get constructive ideas.

PR impact

(1) The "Vorarlberg Magazin" was published and sent to all households in Vorarlberg: it was possible to send more ideas to the Büro für Zukunftsfragen. // The project was published in the ÖGUT database http://www.partizipation.at/ and on the internet site of the provincial government of Vorarlberg. http://www.vorarlberg.at

Multiplier effect / networking

There is no information about multiplier effects.

Transferability

The project and the methods can be easily transferred to other Alpine or non Alpine regions. The results concern children, teenagers and families in all parts of Austria.