Around the table with policymakers: Giving voice to children in contexts of poverty and deprivation

Abstract

Increasingly, children are seen as social actors who are knowledgeable about issues that concern their lives, both in research and policymaking. However, this approach is not without challenges, particularly in relation to sensitive topics like poverty. One key challenge relates to how to involve children effectively so that their stories are actually listened to and acted upon by policymakers. This article reflects on the potential of photovoice as a method to make explicit children's narratives about their lives and to inform policymakers of children's perspectives. We involved two groups of children living in contexts of poverty and deprivation in urban areas of the Netherlands, supporting them to refine their narrative and presentation through photography. The children were brought into contact with policymakers after they had gained experience as photographers and experiential experts. The policymakers found their narratives compelling, and there is evidence that the children's perspectives were taken on board in local government. Exhibition of the photographs using a specially designed table was also found to be an effective addition to the photovoice method. We conclude that photovoice can be successfully used to facilitate dialogue between children and policymakers, but that its use requires time, creativity and reflexivity.

Exploring the boundaries of ‘good’ Participatory Action Research in times of increasing popularity: dealing with constraints in local policy for digital inclusion

“…Instead, the researchers and volunteers functioned as a bridge between the two worlds, thereby limiting shared learning. Though from former research projects (Sarti et al 2017;Bijleveld, Dedding, and Bunders-Aelen 2014; Abma and Broerse 2010) we know how valuable a dialogue is to increase mutual understanding of a multifaceted problem and the willingness to share ownership and to act together; we also know that such a dialogue should be well prepared with a representative group of people. Co-creative knowledge-generation requires facilitation so that trust can be builtparticularly for a group who feels less confident and does not always have positive experiences in relation to formal institutes, as was the case in this project.…”

“…The project was funded by the poverty director at the City of Amsterdam. Based on a former project with children living in poverty (Sarti et al 2017;Sarti, Schalkers, and Dedding 2015), the first author (CD) was invited to attend a meeting in which choices would be made on how to accommodate the needs of children in relation to digital inclusion. A group of professionals attended the meeting.…”

‘Are we famous or something?’ Participatory Health Research with children using photovoice

“…Photovoice proved a nice combination of fun, creativity and collaboration in a way that encouraged the inclusion, active learning democratic participation and empowerment of children and adult partners (Blackman and Fairey 2007;Rappaport 1995;Schalkers, Bunders, and Dedding 2017). Once photographs had been taken they acted as a tangible representation of the children's interests and in this way, they enabled to return to the issue later on for further discussion with the children as the photographs could be used as a reminder for the discussion.…”

Beyond a deficiencies approach: Towards a more integral representation of the everyday life of children growing up in contexts of poverty

“…This article presents the findings of the first phase of a two-and-a-half-year PAR study, in which we used different qualitative methods -photovoice, focus group discussions (FGDs), interviews, and participant observation -to gather detailed information on children's lives from their own perspective. In the second phase of the project, we facilitated a dialogue between children and policymakers (see Sarti et al, 2017).…”