Description: According to art. 12 of the UN CRC (1989), every child has the right to freely express his or her views in all matters affecting him or her. Since this convention, “voicing” children has become a trending theme in scientific research. However, criticism arose regarding a tokenistic way of voicing, where children’s voices are instrumentalized without leading to real change or empowerment. Moreover, voices of children and youth who live in residential youth care, are more difficult to access and hear due to language and sociocultural barriers, and ethical challenges. But, voicing youth in care is necessary if we, as a society, want to understand how they experience growing up in out-of-home care and how these experiences impact their identities (Who am I?). At the same time, empirical research on children's rights, such as the right to be heard, reveals that practitioners are key figures when change and “doing children’s rights” are at stake. Thus, for voicing to lead to real change, a partnership between youth and practitioners with common goals is primordial. Therefore, the aim of this research project is to develop, first, creative storytelling with the youth and, then, collaborative action research to empower young people in residential care by collaboratively deciding 1) what the most urgent issues are that need transformations to empower self-identity in youth in residential care, 2) how these issues can be transformed and 3) what transformations are achieved.
Promotors: Els Dumortier, Marijke Van Buggenhout
Researcher: Ena De Brucker
Partners: Multidisciplinair Inst. Lerarenopleiding: Prof. Dr. Nadine Engels, Prof. Dr. Vicky Willegems and Ariadne Warmoes
Funding: FWO – JEZZ!
Duration: 01/01/2025 – 31/12/2026