Let city children have their say

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Sat, 10/20/2007 4:03 PM  |  Opinion

Paramita Atmodiwirjo and Yandi Andri Yatmo, Jakarta

Children are city dwellers, just like adults. They have the right to live a meaningful life within urban environments.

The Child Friendly Cities (Kota Layak Anak) project that has been initiated in several Indonesian cities is an effort by the government to begin to acknowledge the rights of children in cities. Following a pilot project in five cities in 2006, the State Ministry for the Women's Empowerment is expanding the program to another 10 cities.

A range of different initiatives may be developed to promote children's rights in cities and give them the opportunity to live in a safe and healthy environment. One may imagine a child-friendly city, where many services and facilities for all children are available, including attention and protection for marginalized and at-risk groups of children.

A child-friendly city is a place where all children have easy access to housing, health and education. It is also the place where children can happily enjoy green and unpolluted playgrounds and a safe walk to and from school.

However, the concept of Child Friendly Cities requires much more than just the physical development of the urban environment. An important aspect in this concept is the need to promote children as active agents in their environment. This implies the active involvement of children in deciding about what happen to places where they live. This is also clearly stated in the definition of child-friendly cities, which should fulfill the rights of children to ""influence decisions about their city"" and ""express their opinion on the city they want"".

Giving opportunities to children to have a say about their life is quite a challenge in our culture. We have been culturally educated for so long that ""children are to be seen and not heard"". Thus most decisions in our society are made by the adults. Within families, schools and communities, we are used to the situation where children are only passive participants, merely following the programs or activities planned by adults.

The spirit of child-friendly cities in giving children a say also suggests how our society should change its attitudes toward children. We should begin to realize that our children possess potentials that should not be ignored. And they have the ability to express their ideas and opinions on matters that we normally consider as adult business.

A number of projects in many countries have proven the successful involvement of children in making decisions about various aspects of urban life. In London, for example, a commission worked on a project involving young Londoners in the strategy development process of the Great London Authority. A forum called M|nchner Kinder and Jugendforum was established in Munich to allow children and teenagers to have a say in the planning process of their city.

There are even more attempts to involve children at more micro levels. For example, children might be asked to give opinions about public transportation, to design their own school or to participate in the revitalization of a neighborhood park.

The involvement of children in making decisions about their cities brings together a range of educational values. It helps empower the children to become active citizens. It also enhances their sense of belonging to their environment. If our cities currently have so many problems, we must try our best to educate the next generation who will eventually lead our cities.

For some time, we have organized a series of workshops for primary schoolchildren. We asked the children to imagine the future of the city where they now live, and together we built a 3D model based on their ideas.

We found that this exercise is a powerful vehicle to involve children in the planning process and to give them some freedom to express their opinion. It is a way to develop their imagination and creativity about their environment, while at the same time teaching responsibility, awareness and sensitivity to what happens in their surroundings. It also provides opportunities for the children to learn about collaboration, and the importance of working together to make our environment better.

The involvement of children in the process of planning, developing and managing our cities should be at the heart of all efforts to realize child-friendly cities. The provision of physical facilities and services may have more direct effects in fulfilling the children's short-term basic needs, but promoting their active involvement will be a more valuable investment for the future of our cities.

So, have we already asked the children what they want? Perhaps it is a question that we all need to address before embarking into any development programs for our urban children.

The writers, lecturers of architecture at the University of Indonesia, develop environmental education programs for primary schoolchildren with the Education Care Unit. They can be contacted at mitayandi@gmail.com

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