Growing UP: Empowering the Future Voices of Children Through Media Literacy and Critical Thinking

ongoing

"GrowingUP is a transnational project that aims to close the persistent participation gap for children aged 10–15 — a ""missing middle"" often overlooked in existing civic structures. Building on and seamlessly connecting multiple existing tools and initiatives at the EU and local levels, GrowingUP proposes to co-create and pilot a flexible, responsive, and inclusive Youth Participation Mechanism (YPM) that directly links young people with municipalities and community multipliers such as teachers, youth workers, and media professionals. This mechanism combines two interconnected pillars: (1) hands-on training and skill-building in media literacy, critical thinking, and civic expression, directly supported by trained facilitators from multiplier organizations; and (2) the systemic integration of child-generated outputs that reflect children’s authentic perspectives on real issues— such as articles, videos, podcasts — into public debates and municipal policy processes, allowing local authorities to engage in structured feedback and ongoing dialogue. Piloted across three diverse contexts — the Netherlands (Tilburg), Slovenia (Celje), and Hungary (Budapest 12th District) — GrowingUP offers a municipal-led structure designed to be attractive and accessible to children, responsive to their views, and embedded directly into existing civic and educational structures. By refining the mechanism across different national contexts, the project will create a scalable model that other cities across Europe can adapt and adopt. Ultimately, GrowingUP seeks to mainstream child participation, transforming it from an exception into a standard feature of democratic life across Europe — ensuring that children's voices are not only heard but meaningfully influence the societies they are helping to build – while also safeguarding gender balance, accessibility, and cultural sensitivity throughout. "