The objectives we wanted to achieve and the results we wanted to realized were: 1. To inspire, motivate and challenge the participants of this exchange to work locally to a more childfriendly environment and to collaborate where possible to achieve such an environment. We wanted to provide the participants with practical tools and examples for their own local context. 2. To connect partners from (local) government, research and fieldwork with each other, both within their own country as cross-national, both locally and nationally.
Children & youth need – and have the right according to the Convention of the Rights of the Child – to grow up in a childfriendly environment. Their surroundings influence their health, safety, social life and opportunities in life. Yet both involved networks see how municipalities struggle to provide children with such a surrounding. The needs and interests of children are not always fully considered in decision making or activities concerning their environment - which is ruled by both national law, local regulations and rules as by different departments and services. Thus the local environment is neither the responsibility or result of one service or group and therefore demands collaboration. To conclude, although children and young people are experts when it comes to how they experience and use their environment, they are not invited to participate in decision making. Because of these findings, Netwerk Jeugdvriendelijk and Child Friendly Cities decided to organise an exchange between municipalities and local partners from the two different countries. With the exchange we addressed the needs for new insights, knowledge and examples from both research, policies and practice.