GOTALK children’s participation in school: final conference

You can't join us in person, but want to be a part of this conference? No problem, we've got you covered. Use the link below to join us:

Livestream

9.30 - 10.50 h: Welcome

11.00 - 12.45 h: GOTALK project results and exploration of synergies with other projects

14.00 - 16.00 h: Spread the word: looking for synergies to strengthen pupil participation

When

• Tuesday 24th of June 2025

Where

• Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts, Brusselstraat 45, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium

Cost

• Free - but if you'd like to add catering, we ask for a small fee:
  • Lunch: €15
  • Closing drink: €20

• 9.00 - 9.30 u.: Reception
• 9.30 - 10.50 u.: Welcome with keynote by Jan Naert (University Gent) & Rita Bertozzi (Unimore)
• 10.50 - 11.00 u.: Moving to workshops
• 11.00 - 12.45 u.: Morning workshops
• 12.45 - 14.00 u.: Lunch
• 14.00 - 16.00 u.: Afternoon workshop
• 16.00 - 17.00 u.: Closing drink

Morning workshops

Workshop 1: Discovering strengths and weaknesses in your school’s culture about participation (mapping the situation)

Language: Dutch

In this workshop, we’ll take you inside the pilot initiatives of the GOTALK project, developed in partnership with student councils from two primary schools in Antwerp. These councils brought together pupils aged 6 to 12, teachers, and out-of-school care coordinators to explore the theme of “leisure time at school.” Their goal: to shape inclusive and lasting policy decisions through meaningful pupil involvement.

We’ll examine practical strategies for embedding child participation in your organisation’s decision-making processes. How can children be genuine partners in shaping policy? How do you ensure every voice is heard, especially those of the youngest, and that their views carry weight across the organisation?

Through hands-on examples such as using a ‘living wall’ in participatory processes, we’ll explore how these methods can be adapted to your school or organisation. You’ll be invited to reflect on your specific context – whether educational or leisure-based – and will leave the session with a concrete plan to enhance children’s participation in your own setting.

Workshop 2: How to realise inclusiveness and who to include? How can you find the voices in the background? 

Language: Dutch

Participation in a student council doesn’t come naturally to every pupil. Confident, articulate students often thrive in such settings, while others may struggle to make their voices heard. So, how can schools ensure that all children have the opportunity to express their views?

In this workshop, we draw on the concept of the “100 languages” – a way of recognising that children express themselves in many different forms beyond spoken language. We’ll demonstrate how less verbal pupils can still share their perspectives meaningfully, using tools such as drawing, photography, video, and a ‘living wall’ that visualises the participation process.

We will look at methods for making all voices visible within the student council, as well as strategies for gathering input from pupils outside of it. Participants will also have space to share experiences and ideas.

By the end of the workshop, you’ll return to your school or organisation with practical strategies to uphold every pupil’s right to participate – and a renewed awareness, as both teacher and student council, of how to stay attuned to the quieter voices.

Workshop 3: GOTALK project results and exploration of synergies with other projects

Language: English (live and online livestream)

During this session, the key results of the GOTALK project will be discussed. In four Belgian and four Italian contexts, the project piloted methods to enforce children’s participation on different dimensions: sustainability, policy impact, and inclusion. Join this session for the researchers to update you on the main results.       

In this session, the GOTALK project will be presented alongside other transnational projects targeting children’s participation.

Afternoon Workshops

Workshop 4: Sustainability: How to involve the voice of children and youth in a complex policy theme?

Language: Dutch

In many schools, student councils are supported by just a handful of dedicated teachers. When these individuals are absent, the work of the council often grinds to a halt. This workshop explores how schools can take collective ownership of their student council to ensure pupil participation is more resilient and embedded across the school community.

We will consider different levels of participation: the internal organisation of the student council, school-wide procedures and practices for involving pupils, and the broader ideas and culture surrounding participation.

By the end of this session, you’ll have a clearer picture of the strengths and areas for improvement in your own school context, along with practical suggestions to help strengthen student participation in a sustainable way.

Workshop 5: Discovering strengths and weaknesses in your school’s culture about participation (mapping the situation)

Language: Dutch

In this workshop, we’ll take you inside the pilot initiatives of the GOTALK project, developed in partnership with student councils from two primary schools in Antwerp. These councils brought together pupils aged 6 to 12, teachers, and out-of-school care coordinators to explore the theme of “leisure time at school.” Their goal: to shape inclusive and lasting policy decisions through meaningful pupil involvement.

Together, we’ll examine practical strategies for embedding child participation in your organisation’s decision-making processes. How can children be genuine partners in shaping policy? How do you ensure every voice is heard, especially those of the youngest, and that their views carry weight across the organisation?

Through hands-on examples such as the use of a ‘living wall’ in participatory processes, we’ll explore how these methods can be adapted to your school or organisation. You’ll be invited to reflect on your specific context – whether educational or leisure-based – and will leave the session with a concrete plan to enhance children’s participation in your setting.

Workshop 6: Democratic education and giving students a real voice

Language: Dutch

This workshop introduces participants to the model of democratic education, which actively involves pupils in shaping their learning environment. EUDEC, a European network of democratic schools, offers inspiring examples of schools where students play a meaningful role in decision-making and school governance.

Teachers from mainstream schools will discover how they can engage pupils more deeply in school life, from sharing responsibilities to helping organise daily activities. Through real-life examples from EUDEC schools, the workshop offers practical tools and insights that can be applied in more traditional settings.

This session encourages a shift in perspective: seeing pupils not just as recipients of education, but as active participants in the life and direction of the school.

By Kenny Vrancken (This workshop introduces participants to the model of democratic education, which actively involves pupils in shaping their learning environment. EUDEC, a European network of democratic schools, offers inspiring examples of schools where students play a meaningful role in decision-making and school governance.

Teachers from mainstream schools will discover how they can engage pupils more deeply in school life, from sharing responsibilities to helping organise daily activities. Through real-life examples from EUDEC schools, the workshop offers practical tools and insights that can be applied in more traditional settings.

This session encourages a shift in perspective: seeing pupils not just as recipients of education, but as active participants in the life and direction of the school.)

By Kenny Vrancken (European Democratic Education Community)

Workshop 7: Spread the word: looking for synergies to strengthen pupil participation

Language: English (live and online livestreaming)

This session will focus on brainstorming and sharing between different organisations and projects on children’s participation rights. Insights are shared, and we project our ambitions to the future, explicitly focusing on how we can support each other and exploring possible elaborations for the future.

• Everyone with a big heart for children’s rights and children’s participation.
• School teams in primary and secondary education who want to invest in children and youth participation at their schools.

This conference concludes a two-year European project on child and youth participation at school. The project was co-funded by the European Commission in the CERV program.

During this conference, sessions in Dutch and English are both programmed. 

• The English-medium sessions are designed to give participants an overview of actions taken during the project in 8 settings of primary education, secondary education, and out-of-school contexts. It also includes the presentation of results and a tool designed for teams of educators and school staff to invest in pupil participation. It also invests in how to build synergy between organizations to continue building a more comprehensive participation for children and youngsters.
• The Dutch-medium sessions are targeted towards school teams that want to invest in making their pupil councils more sustainable, impactful, and inclusive. Workshops will allow participants to get inspired and to make a specific plan on how to tackle the specific challenges for their schools.

The program allows for networking opportunities with other participants.

The final conference is organized by the team of GOTALK and coordinated by Karel de Grote University of Applied Sciences and Arts (Research Center Pedagogy in Practice). 

Other partners involved are Municipal Education City of Antwerp (BE), International Institute for Humanitarian Law (IT), University of Modena and Regio Emilia (IT) and E35 Foundation (IT).