Section 1.2 - MYP Training

Section 1: What, Who, Why & How of Youth Participation

Who?

Defining Children & Young People

WAGGGS programmes tend to work with those up to the age of 30 as the key demographic. WAGGGS will typically directly engage with young people aged 16 and above, and the direct interaction with those under the age of 16 would require a chaperone. Those under 16 may take part in WAGGGS programmes, but these would be delivered by Member Organisations. Member Organisations will run programmes designed for children and young people of all ages.

Under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, the legal definition of ‘Children’ is anyone below the age of 18 years. We acknowledge that there is no universally agreed definition of ‘Youth’ and that this is context-dependant, but typically ‘Youth’ or ‘Young People’ is defined as every human being between the age of 15-30. The definition of ‘youth’ overlaps with the definition of ‘child’ in the WAGGGS Meaningful Youth Participation Framework and this training intentionally, to allow for flexibility in terms of engagement with children and young people in a fluid and tailored approach. We want to see children's participation as a natural extension of working in a youth-participatory way, which is why a large proportion of activities focus on changing thinking and behaviours that might be a barrier to this.

Defining Children and Young People