ABSTRACT

Traditionally, children have been considered from a primarily developmental perspective, in need of education in order to achieve autonomy, growth, and eventually adulthood. Childhood studies have recently underlined an alternate way to look at children, starting from the consideration that children are competent social actors and can actively participate in social life. However, there has been relatively little attention paid to the ways in which adults can actively empower children’s agency and participation. This book aims to highlight this important aspect, explaining the position of adults as facilitators and mediators in the process of constructing childhood.

chapter |11 pages

Introduction

chapter 1|18 pages

Participation as Mediation and Social Learning

Empowering Children as Actors in Social Contexts

chapter 3|17 pages

Social Mediation and School Mediation

A Process of Socialisation

chapter 5|18 pages

Participation and the Institutional Agenda in Child Counselling

Proffering as a Means of Topic Management

chapter 8|14 pages

Children's Thoughts on Life Experiences

Growing Up and Political Socialisation in Contexts of Education, Society and Resistance

chapter 11|22 pages

Goals and Outcomes of Experiential Learning in International Camps

Perceptions of Participants