We just passed the 25th anniversary of the first publication of Pathways to Participation in April 2001, and people are still finding new ways to use it (The C&S website says 2006, but that’s when it went online. Before then it was an old-school print journal) onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/...

Always great to see “Pathways to Participation” reaching into new territories. Here it has been used to explore how children are listened to, and their views given due weight, when they find themselves in a Swedish ambulance on the way to hospital. journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/...

Finalmente, unas palabras muy apropiadas del libertador de Chile, Bernardo O’Higgins —quien, como su nombre indica, tenía ascendencia irlandesa — que vi en la Embajada de Irlanda en Santiago.

Muchísimas gracias a la Dra. Mahia Saracostti de la Universidad de Chile por organizar todo esto y por ser una anfitriona tan maravillosa.

De vuelta en Santiago, me encuentro con un héroe de mis años de estudiante, Salvador Allende.

Este póster en el Colegio Coya me llamó la atención.

Presentación sobre prácticas de incidencia política por NNA a estudiantes del Colegio Coya de Machalí, en la Carretera del Cobre de Chile (www.colegiocoya.cl).

Observación de estudiantes iniciando su participación en el programa de NNA investigadores en la Escuela Canadá de Requínoa (sites.google.com/daemrequinoa...).

Una noche en Santiago con una leyenda chilena de los derechos participativos, Patricio Cuevas Parra.

Reunión con el equipo de la Defensoría de la Niñez (www.defensorianinez.cl) para conocer su nuevo marco de participación contextualizada.

Encuentro con docentes y niñas en la escuela Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna de Santiago, en colaboración con la Universidad de Chile en el proyecto de NNA investigadores. (Por cierto, se solicitó permiso a todos los NNA que aparecen en estas fotos, y sus profesores, para tomarlas y compartirlas).

Simposio con grupos de la sociedad civil que trabajan con NNA en Chile, coordinado por la red Pacto Niñez (xn--pactoniez-r6a.cl/pacto-ninez-...), organizado por la Fundación Colunga (www.fundacioncolunga.org).

Me gustó este letrero en un restaurante de Santiago.

De vuelta de mi viaje a Chile puedo ponerme al día. En Santiago, la primera parada fue con estudiantes de la Universidad de Chile para hablar sobre su proyecto innovador de investigación participativa con NNA, facilitada por mi anfitriona, Dra Mahia Saracostti (www.instagram.com/p/DWEq6ShFdwK/).

Finally, some apt words from the liberator of Chile, Bernardo O’Higgins – who, as his name suggests, had Irish ancestry – spotted in the Irish Embassy in Santiago.

Warmest thanks to Dr Mahia Saracostti of the University of Chile for organising all of this and being such an amazing host.

Back in Santiago, here I am meeting a hero from my student days, Salvador Allende.

This poster in Coya College caught my eye. It says: “Coya College says STOP cyber-bullying. No more mockery, humiliation or threats.”

Presentation on participation for political influence to students at Colegio Coya secondary school in Machalí on Chile’s Copper Highway (www.colegiocoya.cl). (Btw, all children and young people in these photos, and their teachers, were asked for their permission to take and share these photos).

Observing students starting on the child researchers programme at Escuela Canadá (Canada School) in Requínoa (sites.google.com/daemrequinoa...).

A night on the town in Santiago with Chilean participation rights legend Patricio Cuevas Parra (www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/8/... www.wvi.org/publications...

Meeting with the team at the Defensoría de la Niñez (Children’s Rights Commissioner) (www.defensorianinez.cl) to learn about their new contextualised participation framework.

Meeting teachers and children at Benjamín Vicuña Mackenna school in Santiago – partnering University of Chile in the child researchers project.

Symposium with civil society groups working with children and young people in Chile, coordinated by the Pacto Niñez network (xn--pactoniez-r6a.cl/pacto-ninez-...) hosted at the Colunga Foundation (www.fundacioncolunga.org). Topic was cyp's participation for political influence.

I liked this sign spotted in a Santiago restaurant. It says, “We don’t have Wifi. Talk among yourselves”.

Then to Santiago, Chile. First stop there was a meeting with Social Work students at the University of Chile to discuss their innovative project promoting participatory research with children, facilitated by my wonderful host Dr Mahia Saracostti (www.instagram.com/p/DWEq6ShFdwK/).

Next stop, of course, the Little Mermaid (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lit....

Second stop: Book launch event for “Building a Sustainable Society Through Child Participation” at Copenhagen University College. My foreword is on www.harryshier.net, and the whole book is open access for free download here: link.springer.com/book/10.1007...

Home from my travels. Didn’t get round to posting, but now a chance to catch up. First stop was my lecture at Lund University (www.sam.lu.se/en/calendar/...) “Participation, Crisis and Empowerment: Rethinking Children’s Agency at the Margins” On www.harryshier.net soon, or contact me for more info.

Anybody going to be in Sweden in mid-March? I’m doing a public lecture at Lund University on Thursday 12 March: Participation, Crisis and Empowerment, Rethinking Children’s Agency at the Margins. www.lu.se/evenemang/ch.... Maybe see you there.

VALUES AND BELIEFS IN ACTION RESEARCH by Tara Webster-Deakin, Ruth Lambley, Catherine O’Connor, Imelda O’Keeffe and Harry Shier, just out in Ed. Action Research: www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10..... A great collaboration and a great result. Thanks to all the team, especially Tara for her leadership.

More extracts from the foreword to “Building a Sustainable Society Through Child Participation”. link.springer.com/book/10.1007.... Also at www.harryshier.net

Honoured to be invited to write the foreword for this new book link.springer.com/book/10.1007.... Also at www.harryshier.net Here are some extracts.

This highly recommended new book is OPEN ACCESS. Download free at: link.springer.com/book/10.1007.... Though focused on the Nordic countries (inc Greenland) it has fascinating insights for all working on child participation. I admit to bias, as I was honoured to write the foreword – see next post.

What are the most interesting, exciting and/or effective examples of CYP's participation you have seen in recent years? My current project with hubnanog.ie aims to gather examples of good practice around the world. Your thoughts could be a great help [Or contact me via www.harryshier.net]

New book “Youth, Transitions and Social Justice”, ed B McShane + M Whelan, pub Bristol Uni Press. With colleagues in Ireland and Australia, I helped with chapter on SOCIAL JUSTICE IN YOUTH WORK: DIALOGUE BETWEEN SDGS AND UNCRC. bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/youth-transi... Also at www.harryshier.net

We're delighted to interview our members, Aoife Daly, Pernilla Leviner, and Rebecca Thorburn Stern, about their edited collection - Treated Like a Child: Age Discrimination and Children's Rights: www.qmul.ac.uk/clpn/news-vi...

New CARN Bulletin just out at www.carn.org.uk/resources/ca.... It’s based on the proceedings of the Community Action Research Network's 2024 Malmö conference, and includes my keynote “PAR WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE: TACKLING CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVING TRANSFORMATIONS”. Also at www.harryshier.net

Taking time off, and what better way to enjoy my 71st birthday than chilling with my lovely family on Halki Island in the sunny Agean Sea.

Passing by Muizenberg Beach, one of SA's top surfing spots, I was astonished to learn that Agatha Christie used to go surfing here in the 1920s. Not only an early champion of women's surfing but believed to be the first European woman to stand up on a surfboard www.agathachristie.com/en/news/2021...

I rarely post non-work-related stuff here, but just want to share these winter flowers seen on top of Table Mountain on Wednesday.

Browsing in the library here at Cape Peninsula University of Technology, it was nice to come across some good friends from the old days...

Inspiring workshop yesterday with pre-school and primary teachers in Cape Town, co-creating from the ground up a new South African framework for participation rights in early years care and education. No outputs to share yet, but things are moving and we hope to have interesting ideas to share soon.

A valuable checklist. Thanks Julie. And for those seeking to explore further and challenge adultism in research, can I offer some additional resources from my own back catalogue: www.harryshier.net/docs/Shier-A... www.harryshier.net/docs/Shier-W...

Meet my wonderful hosts at CPUT: Head of Teacher Professional Development, Dr Zena Scholtz; Head of Foundation Phase, Dr Naseema Shaik; me; Dean of Education, Professor Andile Mji; Asst. Dean, Dr Martin Combrinck. Warmest thanks for your hospitality, and especially Dr Shaik for steering the project.

Greetings from sunny Cape Town. Here I am at Cape Peninsula University of Technology (www.cput.ac.za/academic/fac...), working on a collaborative project to develop a new South African framework for participation rights in early childhood education. #ChildParticipation #EducationRights

Well done UK. But don't forget, the first country to legislate votes at 16 was Nicaragua in 1985, so only 40 years behind.

Children’s Advisory Team from the Museum of Childhood Ireland (‪@museumofchildhood.bsky.social‬) has a new blog post on the museum’s website about their meeting at the Office of the Children’s Ombudsman (www.oco.ie) in Dublin last week. museumofchildhood.ie/our-third-li... #ChildParticipation

Great to see Shier’s “Pathways to Participation” published in Hungarian for the first time. From Németh, B., & Miklósi, M. (2025). A gyermekrészvétel konceptuális modelljei. Socio.Hu Társadalomtudományi Szemle, 15(1), 31–54. doi.org/10.18030/soc...

Clear practical guidance for collaborative researchers working with CYP, the toolkit “ETHICAL COLLABORATION WITH CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE IN RESEARCH” by www.dcu.ie/ppi in collaboration with barretstown.org and www.tusla.ie is now at ppinetwork.ie/resource/eth.... Glad I could help. #childresearch