Chapter 15 a voice in Decision Making: young children in Denmark Stig Broström Introduction

This chapter focuses on the life of young children. It views the child as an active and valid member of society, a democratic, communicating and participating person. The child is seen as a competent person, able to take part in and influence his or her daily life. Theoretical and practical examples are given, and the chapter explores not only how to bring up children as active democrats, but also how to encourage them to make use of their competences from an early age in order to contribute to society. The reader is encouraged to reflect on possibilities and problems surrounding the idea of young children’s participation and influence on society.

In Western societies attempts are frequently made to understand the principle of democracy from one overall perspective. The German scholar Jürgen Habermas (1994) argues that to take capitalism at its own word, and to strive for a real democratic society, there are four rules for non-controlling communication; a communication in which understanding, truth, correctness and honesty are expressed.

Not only in Denmark but in all the Nordic countries, the democratic dimension is mentioned in the aims for children’s learning and development in preschool. In Denmark, the Daginstitutiosloven (2007) demands that day care centres must contribute to and support children’s understanding of democracy and integration into Danish society (Daginstitutionsloven, 2007).

The act emphasizes children’s right to be taken seriously and protected. Though children do not have their own official ombudsman, Denmark has established a Børneråd, children’s advisory board, which ensures that children’s voices are not only heard, but also correctly understood within the larger society.

Most important for the protection and promotion of children was the creation of the United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child (1989). This landmark legislation delineated rights for children and expressed a vision and a hope for children the world over. Related to the theme of valuing children’s perspectives, the Convention specifies four fundamental and universal rights for children:

the right to develop to the fullest

the right to protection from harmful influences, abuse and exploitation; and

the right to participate fully in family, cultural and social life

This legal foundation gives the opportunity for educators to create a theoretical and practical approach in promoting children’s influence and active participation in society.
Theoretical background for the communicating and participating child

Numerous childhood sociologists have described changes in various aspects of childhood’s structure and content. They look at childhood as a social construction and argue for the study of childhood, children’s relations, and children’s culture in their own right, rather than as a consequence of external social forces and influences (Brannen and O’Brien, 1995; James et al, 1998). Proponents of this perspective see children as whole and complete persons with their own status, needs and rights, and not as incomplete versions of the adults they will become. Thus children are not seen as incompetent human beings who have to go through a primary socialization to establish a fundamental trust or secure attachment before they can meet the outer world with new peers and adults. They are competent and ready to participate in social life, even as newborns (see for example, Trevarthen, 1998).

Embedded in the above understanding, children are seen as social agents, in other words as active participants in their own development and important contributors to society (Jensen and Schnack, 1997). Modern perspectives on childhood, coupled with a growing faith in children’s competence, and views of children as human beings rather than human becomings create potential pathways for children to participate in society. Where children are seen as competent, and contributing members of a democratic society having rights, in other words as active participants, teachers, politicians and parents are more willing to consider a child perspective. However, with reference to Qvarsell (2003), when educators and researchers talk about a child perspective, they may refer to one or other of two different orientations:

(a) they may focus their attention on the ways in which adults look at children and reflect on what they, as adults, perceive to be the children’s perspectives, or

(b) they may focus on how children look at their own world, their conditions and themselves (adapted from Qvarsell, 2003).

These examples represent children’s active involvement in a living democracy. The response of the Børneråd and the Minister for Social Affairs reflect the extent to which children’s active participation is truly valued and respected.

Societal and educational values concerned with listening to children and letting them have a say are also supported by the idea of recognition, which during the last decades has had a big impact on Danish early childhood education. According to the German philosopher, Axel Honneth (1995), without recognition the individual cannot develop a personal identity; it is a precondition for the individual’s self-realization, for a good life. For that reason, a democratic society has to offer citizens a fundamental recognition, expressed via three spheres and forms of recognitions, namely: love, rights and solidarity (Honneth, 1995).

Many, though not all children in Denmark are involved in the daily life in their family, crèche, preschool and school, where they are seen as active and independent individuals with their own ideas and wishes. A range of significant adults, such as parents and teachers, are willing to listen to and give them the opportunity to have their say, and thus a feeling of recognition.

In preschool the teachers see Oskar and his friends as individuals with the necessary level of competence to be involved in conversations, dialogues and decisions. Each day they hold both organized and open periods. The organized periods involve structured group activities where teachers and children focus on shared topics, for example, dance, song, drawing or literacy. The open periods call for children to be directly involved with their friends in decision making through the use of shared activities.

Quickly Oskar replied:

`Don’t speak about my food. `

And then he turned to a boy on his left side saying:

`I like this, me and my father eats this at home with roasted onion, ah, goody! `
The boys continued the dialogue and then it ran out. However, based on this situation the teacher suggested for the group of the longest legs the theme `me and my family`, thus giving the children the opportunity to explore each others` culture, norms and values and reflect on matters concerned with nationalism, east-west conflict etc. It is important to note how the teacher proactively uses the dialogue generated by the children and in doing so recognises and respects the individual contributions made to shape the project. This kind of activity can help to make the world transparent for the children, as outlined by Klafki (1998) and Giroux (1988).
In another example, Oskar and two friends suggested that they play and find out more about the card games Gormitti and Pokemon. As the idea came directly from the children it allowed them to lead the planning process. The activity was used to explore three questions:
What do we already know about the theme or problem?

What do we need to find out?

How can we collect new information and improve existing knowledge and skills?
In response to the three questions, Oskar suggested to the group that they take a bus to a museum he had visited together with his grandparents. The exhibition was `Magna Japanese Pictures, Louisiana Modern Art Museum` (www.louisiana.dk).
I saw lots of pictures, cartoon books, figures and also a film, and then my grandfather asks me to hurry up although there was much more to look at.
In answer to the first and second questions, Oskar and his friends were able to use their existing knowledge about the game. They used drawings to help them express their views. In response to the third question, one child suggested they invite her big brother to visit them and show his collection. These examples illustrate how children can use their own themes and problems to influence and shape learning.
Involvement in societal changes

Over time, Oskar and his family have spent many hours in the local culture house with other participants, producing individual drawings, stories etc. The adult users of the house saw great potential in the children’s creative and active participation and expression, and decided to work politically for the establishment of a children’s culture house. In order to support the idea, the adults involved children directly in the development process. Thus Oskar, and specially his older brother Sebastian, became actively involved and engaged in the project The Future Children’s Culture House at Amager – when children get a voice. www.kulturhus.kk.dk/bornekulturhus-amar In order to let the children’s ideas and wishes inform the project from the beginning, the architect invited a large group of children to participate in four workshops (twenty hours in all). The children expressed their creative ideas, produced models and explained all the details to the architect who in the first instance acted as a listener but then questioned the children further as part of the overall democratic process.

These examples show how families, preschools and local institutions can take a child’s perspective and, by doing so, encourage the direct participation of children. They demonstrate that children can be involved in different aspects of their lives (Honneth, 1995). In the family and preschool (the private sphere), Oskar is involved in symmetrical relations, which give him a basic self-confidence. Furthermore, his active use of his right to express ideas (sphere of legal relations), both in preschool and in the culture house, make him and his brother, active members of society (sphere of community of value). During their participation in the planning sessions for the future children`s culture house, they become important members of the community, sharing with adults the development of a specific vision that is likely to increase feelings of self-respect and self-esteem.

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  Some families challenge their children and help them to be active participants, to learn to have influence and act as democrats; other families have neither the tradition nor energy for such an approach. Will this result in more societal inequality and, if so, how?
  

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  To what extent is it possible in the family, preschool, and first years in school to develop an educational approach promoting a child perspective, giving the child a voice and active influence?
  

Bae, B (2005) Troubling the identity of a researcher. Methodological and ethical questions in cooperating with teacher-carers in Norway. Contemporary Issues in Early Childhood, 6(3) p283-291