Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion

1. Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion • Qualitative and Quantitative Design • Be clear on connections • Content • Broad questions: which learning environment has greatest impact on children’s well-being? • Health care setting vanished • How to address informal education? • Best ways to find out about feelings?

2. Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion • Form • Open discussion vs standardized format • Anonymity • Open environment • Consent forms • Recording: if and how • Children collecting data • Balance where to collect data • Outside of school: less constraint • In school: important learning environmt

3. Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion • Target group of students • Talk to disruptive kids • Socially and culturally diverse children • Age group • Add 10 year olds • Transitions / Sensitive • Comparisons • Do we need cross-country comparisons? • Do we need cross-region comparisons? • Add country-specific indicators/questions

4. Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion • Freedom • Do children have freedom to ask questions and freedom to express feelings? • Formal set-up can limit freedom • Quality education • Strong connection with well-being • Respect children’s involvement • Give children shared responsibility • Children often feel not listened to • How do we engage children and listen to them?

5. Issues raised in yesterday’s discussion • Definitions • Are based on prevailing environments • How do children define well-being? • Next Steps • What comes after the survey? • Don’t promise too much • Policy change takes time

6. Children’s Participation • “Shadow” Board • Have a linking mechanism between Boards • Have children from various countries • How to deal with language issue? • Have regionalized boards? • Have children choose who serves on Board • Creating a website portal for children’s well-being • Interactive TV shows / Comics

7. Children’s Participation • Connect with an organization that has experience working with youth • Empower institutions that already work with youth • Link with existing youth networks and websites • Give children the right and freedom to organize a new academic program • There are barriers to put it into practice

8. Children’s Participation • Children who have been deprived need orientation/preparation • Don’t use youth just as an image • Give children responsibility to decide for themselves what they will do • Bridge the gap between youth & adults • Political, economic, social aspects play a role • Have a strategic long-term plan

9. Issues raised in today’s discussion • Take into account political, social and economic context • How to get buy-in from Ministries of Education • Different environments impact well-being: in-school vs out-of-school • What language do we use for children to understand “well-being”? • “People behave as they are measured” • ICT and Internet • (a) at school, (b) on its own

10. Issues raised in today’s discussion To consider: • Physical appearance of students • School uniforms • Educational TV/Media channels • Comics • Reading • Technology: types, access, purpose of use

11. Issues raised in today’s discussion • Children’s autonomy and responsibility in school • How can children impact their school environment? • Link bet. respect, responsibility/autonomy and many other indicators (e.g. self-esteem, etc.) • Role models/ sources of inspiration • Who is the main influencing force? • In the Arab world: Spirituality = Religion • How to formulate questions re spirituality?