1. Why do you think that children's participation rights matter?
Children's participation rights matter because children are fully formed humans with their own thoughts and feelings. They should have the ability to give their opinions in matters that affect their lives. If children do not have opportunities to be heard, abuse and neglect are more likely to go unnoticed, and children are more likely to feel like bystanders in their own lives. In addition, failing to listen to children when making decisions about children can lead to the wrong decisions being made and children either disliking or suffering because of the outcome.
2. How does the inclusion of children's participation in the UNCRC implicate States Parties that have ratified the treaty?
Article 12 states that "States Parties shall assure to the child who is capable of forming his or her own views the right to express those views freely in all matters affecting the child, the views of the child being given due weight in accordance with the age and maturity of the child." Thus, State Parties are required to provide children occasions and outlets to express their opinions and then consider the child's thoughts with appropriate weight.
3.What do children's participation rights have to do with citizenship and democratic processes that are inclusive and empowering?
While most adults think of democratic processes as only having to do with government, there is actually a lot of democratic decision making done by adults on a regular basis which children are left out of. Children often do not get to make their own decisions on what family trips to take, what they learn, or what they eat. Giving children decision making power allows them to develop a sense of the broader world and prepares them for larger democratic decisions.Shaking the Movers
STM coresponds closely with Article 12 in that it provides children and youth a place to share their opinions and have their voices be given due weight. One of its strengths is its ability to bring together youth and policy makers face to face so that they are able to have open discussion about issues that affect the youth. The interactions between young participants and policy makers provide an opportunity for young people to prove themselves to the policy makers while also improving their own skills. The report at the end helps to bridge the gap between event organizers and the young participants who may have issues with the format being used. I do not see any major issues with the model; however, I am older than most of the participants would be and I have never been to a STM event. So long as the model is able to evolve based on the input of youth, it will be alright.
Shaking the Movers Exercise
The "Challenges and Solutions" section in the STM article provided a number of connections to participation rights. When the participants spoke about being bullied and not being able to speak out about it, it connects directly to the first article which calls attention to the fact that if we do not listen to children's voices, it is much easier for them to be abused or neglected. The STM report also spoke to the idea that adults are often concerned about children gaining too many rights, but argued this in a different way than previous articles by giving youth a platform on which they could rebuke that argument themselves as thinking, rational beings.