Wyness, Michael G.. (2009) Children representing children : participation and the problem of diversity in UK youth councils. Childhood: a global journal of child research, Vol.16 (No.4). pp. 535-552. ISSN 0907-5682

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Abstract

This article is concerned with the relationship between children's participation and the diversity of childhoods. While there are a number of different arrangements for encouraging children and young people to participate, the article focuses on a dominant mode of participation through which children are elected to represent the interests of other children within formal institutional structures. Drawing on empirical data from work with school and civic councillors in the UK, the article critically addresses two questions: what level of involvement do these child representatives have within their schools and communities that allow them to articulate the interests of their peers? To what extent do these representative forms of children's participation reflect the interests of diverse groups of children? The article concludes that the implementation of electoral forms of participation reinforce existing inequalities between groups of young people and are less likely to incorporate the voices of disadvantaged and socially excluded groups of young people. Formal structures of democratic representation may need to be revised in exploring more fruitful ways of articulating the voices of diverse groups of children and young people.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HM Sociology L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
Divisions:	Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education
Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):	Youth -- Political activity -- Great Britain, Student government -- Great Britain, Cultural pluralism
Journal or Publication Title:	Childhood: a global journal of child research
Publisher:	Sage Publications Ltd.
ISSN:	0907-5682
Date:	November 2009
Volume:	Vol.16
Number:	No.4
Number of Pages:	18
Page Range:	pp. 535-552
Identification Number:	10.1177/0907568209344274
Status:	Peer Reviewed
Publication Status:	Published
Access rights to Published version:	Restricted or Subscription Access
URI:	http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/id/eprint/16948

Data sourced from Thomson Reuters' Web of Knowledge

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