Children and Power: Do Young People Have a Say?
Almost one in three people in the world is under 18 years old. You could say: It is somehow "normal" to be a child. Every single one of us was one once. And yet – or perhaps precisely because of that(?) – we adults quite like to make a distinction: between those under 18 (whom we call "children" or "adolescents") and those over 18. These are the people of "legal age", the supposedly normal, sensible "adults."
“Normal” people have rights that cannot be taken away from them (in democratic states): they are free to decide about their place of residence, their bodies, their property, or their jobs. They can take legal action against unjust rules or take part in elections to change them.
But what about children and adolescents? Who decides for them? Why? And how? Do we need to protect young people? From what? Why aren’t they allowed to have a say? Are they even capable of it? Do they even want to? Do young people have a voice?
Prof. Dr. Jan Ehlers
Tiermedizinstudium an der LMU München und Mediendidaktik an der Universität Duisburg/Essen. Fachtierarzt für Informatik und Dokumentation. Tätigkeiten an der LMU München und TiHo Hannover. Seit 2014 Lehrstuhlinhaber für Didaktik und Bildungsforschung im Gesundheitswesen an der Fakultät für Gesundheit der Universität Witten/Herdecke und seit 2017 Vizepräsident für Lernen und Lehren der Universität.
Kai Inboden, B.A.
PPÖ-Alumnus, Bildungsenthusiast, Children's Rights Advocate
Seit über zehn Jahren an der UW/H: Erst als Student, dann als Dozent und inzwischen arbeite ich für die UW/H-Stiftung. Nebenbei forsche ich zur Diskriminierung von Kindern und Jugendlichen ("Adultismus") und zu Freilerner*innen. Alternative Bildungskonzepte haben mich schon immer interessiert, genauso wie die Selbstbestimmung von Kindern und Jugendlichen. Am Liebsten denke ich beides zusammen!
Objectives & Competences
In this seminar, we address the question of to what extent children - physically and psychologically, but also legally and socially - are capable of exercising self-determination, standing up for their own interests, and asserting them.
By the end of the seminar, you should be able to recognize structural discrimination against young people and critically question power-preserving narratives used by adults, as well as cherished concepts of 'childhood'.
Maximum number of participants
30 participants