The project aims to deepen research on the participation of children in vulnerable situations in children's entities where they take part. Following the UN Comment No.12 (2019) "The right to be heard", the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development Goals (Art. 16.7), the New Strategy for the Rights of the Child (2022-2027), the European Child Guarantee (#EUCHILDGUARANTEE), and the State Strategy for the Rights of Children and Adolescents (2023-2030), it is necessary to increase children's participation in political and democratic life as active and engaged citizens of today. Children's participation in their environment is considered a fundamental right and a cornerstone of co-existence, social development, the construction of citizen identity, and democratic reinvigoration. Children are citizens of the present who must be heard (Cussianovich, 2018; Esteban & Novella, 2018; Coiduras et al., 2014), whose capacities are "differently equal" (Moosa-Mitha, 2005) to those of adults, so they should not be undervalued or underestimated as incapable people (Liebel, 2015; Suttertlüty & Tisdall, 2019). Instead, they must be included in collaborative and innovative spaces to shape their relational environments and participate in decision-making. Thus, children must be acknowledged as competent, collaborative, and co-responsible social actors (Estard et al., 2021; Edmonds, 2019; Sutterlüty & Tisdall, 2019; Thomas, 2007). To this end, efforts must be made to better understand children's social conditions to build a solid groundwork for the implementation of their rights (Mayall, 2002). This includes relational frameworks inspired by equality, recognition, and agency between children and adults (Mateos et al., 2022; Esteban, 2023; Dailey & Rosenbury, 2018). Based on the findings of previous studies and reports (RTI2018-098821-B-100; Unicef, 2022; ENYA, 2020; Council of Europe, 2020), the primary objective is to diagnose, analyse and systematise a training method to strengthen childrens active citizenship and participation in childrens entities. The methodological approach is mixed methods research (Wood & Smith, 2018; Valenzuela-González, 2019; Driessnack et al., 2007; Creswell, 2003), combining a descriptive study (phase 1), participatory diagnosis and co-design (phase 2), systematisation of experiences (phase 3), and validation of the training method (phase 4). Participatory and collaborative research will involve children, adolescents, and professionals from the Plataforma de Infancia entities, bringing citizenship and science closer together (H2020). The scientific impact of the research will follow the keys of the 2022-2024 New European Research Area Policy Agenda (ERA). The research results will provide a training method to increase the capacity of professionals to accompany participatory practices, and the capacity of children to co-lead their participation and enhance their capabilities to associate. In addition, it will increase opportunities for child participation and the configuration of their identity as subjects of rights with independent opinions who are a fundamental part of society. The project also aims to foster the innovative capacity of both children and the professionals who accompany them, to reduce inequalities in participation based on sex/gender, origin, and disability, and to make progress on the policy challenges of child participation over the next ten years.

Refª inED/2024/2