Although children have always been active members of our society, their contributions are often overlooked. … Children have been active politically though their participation takes various forms. Since the ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child in 1989, child rights advocates have begun to create opportunities for children to participate in formal political processes through international conferences, and national children’s parliaments, and even in municipal youth councils influencing budgets, programs, and policies (Guerra 2005, Hart 2008). … We must be critical to connect the changes that children are able to make in their communities, as well as the challenges they face in having their views taken into account on issues that affect them, with the social, cultural, political, and economic forces that swirl at nation, regional, and global levels (Answell 2009, Hart 2008, Katz 2004).

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