The National Council of Children and Young People

The National Council of Children and Young People is composed of children and young people aged between 8 and 17 from all over the country – mainland, the Autonomous Region of the Azores and the Autonomous Region of Madeira. Besides consisting of a forum where children and young people are given voice and empowered to express their experiences, concerns, needs and expectations, the National Council of Children and Young People also acts as a tool to establish bridges between its members and their local communities and is, thus, expected to produce impact on public policies and on social transformation.

As a matter of fact, the National Council of Children and Young People aims at:

- Promoting the access of children and young people to new social and political participation spaces;

- Developing the communicational, interpersonal relationships and critical reflection competences of children and young people;

- Provide opportunities for dialogue between children, young people and policy-makers;

- Training and raising the awareness of the participants towards the matters dealt with by the National Commission, namely the rights of the child; and

- Promoting the exchange of experiences between children and young people from all over Portugal.

The first edition of the National Council of Children and Young People was publicly presented on November 20, 2019, alongside the launching of a call for applications. The activities of this first edition shall wrap up by the end of 2021, due to adjustments of the initial chronogram deriving from the current pandemic crisis.