Knocking on Agora's doors - a challenge or an opportunity?: a qualitative analysis of child participation in Albania's local government decision making

Civic engagement in post-communist societies is a vital component of democracy that deserves attention due to the political, social, and economic context in which it takes place. While it is still proving difficult for adults to succeed in building the civil society in such challenging contexts, little is known about how children fit into the whole picture especially right at the heart of decision making in the cities, towns, and villages where they live. The qualitative analysis presented in this dissertation makes an original contribution to literature by providing a through-their-lenses snapshot-effect picture of the barriers and opportunities that children face in their communication and collaboration with the local government in the post-communist context of Albania. It concludes that child activism has the potential to serve as a bridge to strengthen child participation in local government decision making, as it has already equipped children with theoretical and practical understanding of civic engagement. The results that derive from this study in terms of understanding participation, articulating its benefits, acknowledging its struggles, embracing its opportunities and building partnerships, have been analysed in relation to the absence of Space, Voice, Audience and Influence, which are elements of Lundy Model of children’s participation (2007). This model offers a conceptualisation of Article 12 of the UNCRC focusing on four key concepts such as (a) Space (children must be given the opportunity to express a view), (b) Voice (children must be facilitated to express their views) as components of “the right to express a view”, (c) Audience (the view must be listened to) and (d) Influence (the view must be acted upon, as appropriate) as components of “the right to have views given due weight”.