The Children's Forum brings young residents together to help shape the future of their city.
For the past eight years during Children's Week, Greater Dandenong Council Children's Services team has hosted the Children's Forum, where students in Grades 5 and 6 from primary schools across Greater Dandenong and Council teams come together to develop ideas about future projects in their community.
At the heart of it, Greater Dandenong Council believes that children's voices matter.
Children have the right and ability to help shape where they live. They are the experts in their own lives, their needs, and concerns - and they offer a different view from adults.
Involving children in decisions means they can have a say in things that affect them. These activities also help children gain new skills and knowledge and build their confidence, encouraging them to express their opinions and be part of civic activities.
Children's participation is a priority for Council, it is the cornerstone of a Child Friendly City a commitment made by the City of Greater Dandenong to endorse UNICEF's Child Friendly City Principles in 2015. The Children's Forum is one of the ways Council listens to children's voices.
2023 Children's Forum
At this year’s Children’s Forum, six teams from across Council ran consultative workshops with fun and engaging activities, to explore children’s thoughts and ideas around the planning and design of a range of Council programs including: public spaces, libraries, getting active, climate change and the environment and waste.
There were 84 students in Grades 5 and 6 from 20 primary schools in Greater Dandenong who attended the Forum on Wednesday 26 October.
The day was planned with enthusiasm by the Children's Advisory Group. The Forum was formally opened by the Deputy Mayor Cr Lana Formosa, with Junior Mayor, Tasneem, and Children's Advisory Group members taking on leadership roles at the Forum, including Master of Ceremonies (Emcee) of the event.
Thank you to all the amazing children who helped make this year's Children’s Forum a memorable and meaningful event. We are excited to see how your voices shape our city in the future.
Watch the video from the 2023 Children's Forum
