Children as Agents of Social Change

Abstract

*Focus on Latin America | Reports from the Field

This article describes a research-action experience called “A Community That Learns and Participates” that began five years ago in the Mexico City district (Delegación) of Tlalpan. The project is based on the Convention on the Rights of the Child, principles of citizen formation for democracy, and the ecological theory of child development. This report describes the basic assumptions of the project, its objectives and strategies, several of its activities and the obstacles encountered. The conclusion presents a series of lessons learned through this initiative. The goals of the project were to facilitate education for participation with a territorial approach that places children’s concerns at the forefront, open opportunities for learning and exercising the competencies necessary for responsible participation, and involve diverse social actors in collective actions to improve children’s living conditions.