[5.9] Children’s Agenda21
Mobility Component theme ‘In Movement’
[Domain: Mobility & Education]
Under the slogan “Do you want to change the world? Start here in Almada!”, the local City Council has been promoting the project “Children’s Agenda 21 of Almada”. The project plans to generate an educational process through which children learn about Agenda 21 and sustainable development. The initiative aims at listening to local children and their ideas for improving Almada and the Planet. Amongst the main goals of the project is the development of activities where children can face and identify problematic or positive situations, that must either be changed or expanded; the mobilization of children’s participation in the process of problem solving through making information widely available; the debate between young participants, specialists from different areas, politicians and other decision makers; the inclusion of children’s ideas in the annual City Council Action Plan and the implementation of measures and improvements proposed by them.
The first phase of the project was called “The Message” and took place in early 2004. Outdoors posed the question: “Do you want to change the world? Start here in Almada!”. A booklet was distributed in local schools, other strategic points and also through the City Council Newspaper - 100.000 copies directly in local mailboxes. The booklet included a short description of the project and also a message from the Mayor of Almada asking children to give their opinion about Almada. Thousands of postcards sent by kids from all around Almada were received and among the problems they identified, one of the most mentioned was “traffic problems”. This stage of the project will again take place in 2006.
During the following stage of the project, work is developed with children from 4 Elementary Schools, culminating in the Children’s Forum21. This a ‘Parliament’ for the “Young Deputies”, who were ready to publicly, and with the presence of the City Council Administration, present their ideas, suggestions and criticism for a better planet and council. One of the four big themes defined for the project was called “In Movement” and in its framework are explored issues of sustainable mobility and transports, with the support of the municipal team. Almada’s Mayor and Town Councillors commented on dozens of great ideas during the two editions of the Forum that already took place. Local and national media attended the event and published the ideas presented by the “Young Deputies”.
To help implementing the ideas they suggested, since the beginning of the project, the school that worked the “In movement” theme, is involved in the organization of the European Mobility Week and in the European Car Free Day campaign. The project continues with more schools wishing to join, and the 3rd edition of the Children’s Forum21 is being organized.
Children’s Parliament (Forum21)
One of the Schools involved in ‘The Message’ showing the detachable form
Project information and promotion materials