Young Speakers
Ellinor Bollman 2014-10-17
Young speakers
– A method for listening to Children
The core idea of Young Speakers is that children are experts in
their own situation and can provide valuable insight by sharing
their experiences and opinions.
By working with Young Speakers, you gain important
knowledge, information, ideas and views from the children and
young people themselves. You get a valuable contribution to the
issue or investigation you are working with. Your basis for
decision making is broadened, making your decisions more
well-informed and of higher quality. It also makes it easier for
you to conduct impact assessments of proposed decisions
relating to children.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
Cecilia Sjölander
Christopher Carlson
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
The core of the method
The core of the method is to seriously
listen to what children and young people
have to say, and to let them speak their
mind without interrupting them with your
own values and opinions.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
Steps in Young Speakers
1. Preparations
2. Contact and information
3. Work meetings
4. Coding and analysis
5. Young Presenters
6. Communicating the message
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
1. Preparations
 Which children should participate?
 Which children do you want to get in touch with?
 What is the purpose of your meeting with the children?
 Do you have a plan for support?
 How will the results be used?
 Is there a need to train the personnel who will be working
with Young Speakers?
 Documentation and tools?
 How will feedback be provided to children and young
people?
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
2. Contact with children and young people
 Consider how to best get in contact with children who have
experience in what you want to focus on.
 When you know which channels you want to use to reach out to the
children, you need to think about how to convey the information –
by post, phone or a combination of both.
 Gathering children to listen to their opinions and experiences on
different topics may require consent from their parent or guardian.
 Adapt the information to the target group.
 Make sure that the children have received and understood the
information.
 It may be a good idea to hold an information meeting before the
work starts.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
3. Work meetings
You must have a plan for
how your work meetings will
be conducted. An
information meeting may
also be required before
getting started with the work.
Remember that everyone is
different. You need to give
the children the opportunity
to express themselves in a
way that suits them.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
4. Coding and Analysis
After meeting with and
listening to children and
young people, you have
probably collected an
extensive amount of
material to serve as the
children's voice –
everything from films and
collages to recordings. It is
important to manage and
use this material in the best
way possible.
”Maybe the world
will understand us
this time…”
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
5. Young Presenters
Communicating knowledge gained through the children’s
experience to decision makers, directly through the
children.
 Decision makers are key players in efforts to realise the UN
Convention on the Rights of the Child.
 The meeting makes it possible for decision makers to learn
how laws, regulations and decisions work in the real world for
those affected.
 The meeting gives decision makers both new and more indepth knowledge.
 The aim of the meeting is to give decision makers insight into
what is lacking as well as an understanding of what it takes to
safeguard children's human rights.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
6. Communicating the Message
 Compile the children's messages and conclusions.
 Identify players who can make changes based on the children's
messages.
 Communicate the information to all relevant players.
 Follow up on how the players intend to act on the children's
message.
 Provide feedback to the children regarding how their message was
received and what will be done based on their suggestions for
change.
 Follow up after six to twelve months.
 Contact the children again and let them know the results of their
participation.
The Ombudsman for Children in Sweden
Thank you!