Students (in Steenwijk) play the Democracity game. Photo: Wilbert Bijzitter
The Noordenveld city council is enthusiastic about the idea of a children’s council. Primary schools from the municipality are involved in the plan.
It is the intention that all sixteen schools in the municipality nominate two students from group 7 for membership of the children’s advisory council. The children are subsequently members of the council for a year, which provides the municipal council with solicited and unsolicited advice on subjects that concern primary school children.
Earlier experiment
The idea has already been experimented with. Children of primary school de Poolster in Nieuw-Roden already gave advice about biodiversity. The call for a continuation of this project comes partly from primary education. “So that children can give meaning to the term democracy at a young age”, spokesperson Netty Feenstra motivated on behalf of the schools in the municipality.
The city council did not have to discuss the proposal in detail on Wednesday: everyone is enthusiastic about the plan. Via the children’s council, the participants can possibly move on to a youth council – aimed at secondary school students. A working group is considering how this youth council can be revived.
Kick-off in July
In May, the sixteen schools in Noordenveld will be asked to nominate two children for the children’s council. If everything goes according to plan, the Children’s Council will be installed on 13 July.