2 Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future. © Save the Children/Jonathan Hyams the Children/Jonathan © Save Contents Preface by the Child Advisory Board............................................. 4 Foreword by the European Commission......................................... 5 Foreword by the European Parliament’s Intergroup on Child Rights.. 6 Acknowledgements.................................................................... 7 Executive summary.................................................................... 9 Recommendations..................................................................... 13 Introduction and rationale........................................................... 30 A short note on methodology............................................................................ 31 Knowing our rights..................................................................... 34 Knowledge and respect of child rights............................................................. 35 Knowledge of the EU and its work to protect child rights................................. 36 A Europe where everyone is included............................................ 38 Children engaging and beign heard.............................................. 42 Quality services for all children................................................... 46 Growing up healthy........................................................................................... 47 Healthy food for a healthy body....................................................................... 52 Learning and developing skills for the future................................................... 54 Children’s living environments......................................................................... 60 Play, leisure and culture.................................................................................... 65 Risks and opportunities of the digital age...................................... 66 A childhood free of violence......................................................... 70 A climate for future generations.................................................... 74 Children’s lives now and in the future............................................ 77 The present...................................................................................................... 77 The future......................................................................................................... 83 Resources and references............................................................ 87 Appendices............................................................................... 89 I. Methodology.................................................................................................. 89 II. Online questionnaire..................................................................................... 93 III. Focus group questionnaire........................................................................... 107 IV. List of respondents per country.................................................................... 110 Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future. 3 © Save the Children/Jonathan Hyams the Children/Jonathan © Save Preface by the Child Advisory Board: Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future According to the data provided by thousands of respondents aged 11–17, all teenagers, regardless of their origin, religion or financial situation, want to participate in the decision-making process about things that concern them. On their behalf, we, the Child Advisory Board, call on politicians who should represent our interests to take our opinion into account and respect it in the same way as the opinion of adults. There are many topics that we want to draw focus to, but the ones mentioned here and in the executive summary are only a few important highlights of the report. We encourage you to read this report to get a better understanding of children’s perspectives and their thoughts on decision making. The topic of mental health has been looked down upon for years, even though many children around the world struggle with depression, anxiety or eating disorders. We worry about the future, school and loneliness, and this has a negative impact on our well-being and self-confidence. Currently, with the development of the pandemic and the global lockdown, the situation has worsened even further – we are afraid for the health of our relatives or the family’s financial situation. For years, children have been showing how important the availability of psychological help is, but not many get this help and support. This especially goes for sexual minorities and people with disabilities, among others. We also worry about education. Education is compulsory for children in European countries. This is not only an important obligation, but also a useful right. We spend many hours learning every day, regardless of whether the classes are held physically or online. However, we agree on one thing – that school does not prepare us properly for the future. We learn unnecessary and useless things, not practical when faced with reality. In addition, the large amount of homework and duties overwhelms us, negatively affecting our well-being and mood. The school that should be there for us doesn't want to listen to our needs and has become a place many of us don’t want to go to. We would like to have more interesting lessons, more sports and art activities, but unluckily, we never have the opportunity to express our feelings. Children are also concerned about equality. Equality is a common human right – it means that all people regardless of their faith, age or sexuality are treated equally. Yet, one third of children living in Europe have been treated differently, often negatively, due to their looks, gender, mental problems, sexual orientation or disability. Additionally, because of our age, we are less heard by the government, even though we would like to express our opinions on cases that are important to us. Our age should not limit our contribution to participating in decision making! We have special needs that should be equally important and respected in the same way as older people’s needs. We urge all politicians to consider our views and needs when making decisions that concern us. As Albert Camus famously said, “Democracy is not the law of the majority but the protection of the minority”. A democratic state should support every group in society, including children. True democracy is the representation of all groups, minorities and ethnicities in a region. Children are also a part of this population; therefore, their voices must be heard. The Child Advisory Board 4 Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future. Foreword by the European Commission We often say that children are the future – but it is high time to recognise that children are already actors in their own right, in the here and now. This report “Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future” could not illustrate it more clearly. The way the world looks at children’s rights has substantially evolved in the past 30 years, also with regard to the right to participation. We are convinced that the inclusion of younger people in democratic processes is increasing and is different to previous modes of engagement. The European Commission supports children in fulfilling their potential as engaged, responsible citizens. For this to happen, participation in democratic life needs to start during childhood. It is every child’s right to express their views on matters that concern them, including the future they dream of and aspire to, and to have them taken into account. To ensure children’s involvement and contribution to building fairer societies, we also must tackle poverty and inequalities, breaking the intergenerational cycle of disadvantage. The consultation for our upcoming comprehensive EU Strategy on the Rights of the Child and the European Child Guarantee benefitted from the contributions of over ten thousand children from both inside and outside the EU. The feedback we received through this report is truly inspiring; it raises alarm bells on important issues and is indicative of the quality of input we can expect from children when we engage with them in a meaningful and genuine way. We would like to express our deep gratitude to the children who have contributed to the child rights strategy and the child guarantee. This consultation and the report “Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future” are a real game-changer. They mark an important step for the European Commission towards greater participation of the younger generation in our policymaking. We are not in this for the short-term. We started last year with the European Forum on the rights of the child and we will continue on this path to establish a culture of child rights and child participation in the European Union. In this framework, we will insist on hearing the voices of children in the Conference on the Future of Europe. The politics of today and tomorrow is made both for and together with our children. This is how we strengthen our democracies. Dubravka Šuica Vice-President for Democracy and Demography European Commission Nicolas Schmit Didier Reynders Commissioner for Jobs and Social Rights Commissioner for Justice European Commission European Commission Our Europe, Our Rights, Our Future. 5 Foreword by the European Parliament Intergroup on Child Rights Children’s participation in decision making in all matters affecting them has gained ground in recent years. Today, the importance of listening to children and young people is recognized