Parliament of Children and Adolescents of Montevideo

Parliament of Children and Adolescents of Montevideo - © Cecilia Torres, Comunicación del área de Desarrollo Social de la Intendencia de Montevideo

Parliament of Children and Adolescents of Montevideo - ©Cecilia Torres, Comunicación del área de Desarrollo Social de la Intendencia de Montevideo

Parliament of Children and Adolescents of Montevideo

Status

ongoing

City

Montevideo

Main actors

Local Government

Project area

Whole City/Administrative Region

Duration

Ongoing since 2016

Encouraging the participation of young people in the development of human rights and democracy.

An annual program administered by the Secretariat of Education for Citizenship of the Council of Montevideo. The program involves training in human rights and civic education for children and adolescents, with an inclusive focus. As part of the process, workshops are held on the afore-mentioned topics, and work is carried out with elected representatives through municipal cabinets and sessions in the national and departmental parliaments. Educational institutions from all the municipalities of Montevideo participate in the program.

For further information about the case study, click here.

Sustainable Development Goals

City information

City

Montevideo, Uruguay

Size and population development

According to the 2011 census the city of Montevideo has a population of 1,319,109 (approximately one third of Uruguay’s population). The city covers an area of 201km2 with a population density of 6,726 people per km2.

Population composition

53% of the population are female and 47% male. Church and state are officially separate in Uruguay. Roman Catholic is the religion with the most followers. Other faiths include Protestant, Umbanda, Judaism and people who identify as Atheists and Agnostics. The city has a large number of European immigrants especially Spanish and Italian.

Main functions

Montevideo is the capital and largest city of Uruguay and the southernmost capital city in the Americas. The city is situated on the southern coast of Uruguay on the north-eastern bank of the Rio de la Plata with an average elevation of 43 metres.

Main industries / business

As the capital city of Uruguay, Montevideo is the economic, political and cultural centre of the country. The Port of Montevideo is one of the major ports of South America and plays a significant role in the city’s economy. Aside from trade, finance, tourism, media and education are large industry sectors.

Sources for city budget

The City of Montevideo draws its budget for public expenditure largely from property tax, fees, fines, operating revenues, other taxes and subsides from the Government of Uruguay.

Political structure

Governance is shared by the city government and the Parliament of Montevideo adhering to a decentralised political structure to enhance democratic participation.

Administrative structure

Since 2010 the city of Montevideo has been divided into 8 political municipalities referred with the letters from A-G, including CH. Each municipality is presided over by a mayor who is elected by the citizens. The city has 62 barrios, each barrio has its own identity and geographic location.

Website

http://www.montevideo.gub.uy/

Background and objectives

The program was launched in 2016 when it was identified that although there were national and departmental public policies aimed at early childhood and young people, children and adolescents between 10 and 14 years of age were not sufficiently covered in these policies

The program is carried out in each of the city's eight municipalities and in different neighbourhoods of broad socio-economic heterogeneity that support the decentralization process (the division of Montevideo’s territory into zonal communal centers and municipalities created in 2010) promoted by the departmental government. Public and private primary, secondary, technical and vocational secondary schools, centres that assist young people with disabilities and children's social and recreational clubs participate in the program.

The primary objective is to promote the participation of children and adolescents in the local political system from a rights perspective.

Objectives

Stimulate critical thinking, discussion, debate, personal opinion and creativity.
Promote belonging to neighbourhoods, municipalities and the city.
Promote the presentation of proposals to improve the local area.
Encourage the influence of young people in public policy making for the city.
Promote equitable relations between each participating child.
Contribute to the progress of the city by providing equal opportunities to all neighborhoods, zones and municipalities of Montevideo.
Contribute to citizen education, emphasizing the approach of the third level of government (municipalities).
Generate spaces for exchange, integration and coexistence of children and adolescents from all the municipalities of Montevideo.

Implementation

Adhering to article 12 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (Unicef, 2016), the program seeks to stimulate the participation of children and adolescents in the local political system, provide a critical analysis of their daily situations, and present proposals to solve them.

The program operates from March to December and requires agreements with the governing bodies of the institutions involved: Instituto del Niño y Adolescente del Uruguay, Administración Nacional de Educación Pública, Junta Departamental de Montevideo and Cámara de Representantes del Parlamento uruguayo.

First stage: an approach to institutions and families is implemented, where the program and its requirements are presented.

Second stage: workshops on human rights, citizen participation and local government. Then, an election day is held in each educational centre, where the children and adolescents elect their representatives. The representatives are elected following the principle of gender parity.

Third stage: educational centers in each municipality come together to make up the municipal cabinet. The discussion and selection of proposals, exchanges with local authorities and citizen participation in municipal matters are promoted.

Fourth stage: an integration day is held with all representatives from all municipalities. The proposals are worked on using a recreational methodology, and the spokespersons and presidents are elected for the sessions. Prior to the sessions, guided tours to the headquarters of the national and departmental legislative chambers are conducted so that the participants can understand the history of the building and become familiar with the dynamics of the assembly.

Fifth stage: culminates with three sessions in the House of Representatives of the National Parliament and one session in the Legislative Council of Montevideo. The aim is to encourage dialogue and debate around the proposals generated, as well as to promote an exchange with national and departmental authorities who provide answers on the issues raised. In the session with the Legislative Council of Montevideo the same objectives are proposed but around needs at the local level.

The Montevideo Council undertakes to implement a select number of proposals that receive the most votes.

Financing and resources

The program is financed by the Montevideo City Council and has a technical team to develop, plan and monitor the main activities. The workshops are administered by a non-governmental organization with experienced personnel in education and human rights. There is also additional support from the participating institutions and private sector partners.

Results and impacts

The University of the Republic is undertaking an evaluation of the impact of the program’s first four years. Surveys have been sent to families and schools. Each edition of the program has follow-up reports by the contracted NGO and the Council’s project team, which are considered in determining adaptations for the next edition.

Since 2016, approximately 1730 children and adolescents and more than 70 educational groups have participated in the program.

Barriers and challenges

During the pilot phase of the program, parents and institutional actors were sceptical of the project, however this was circumvented by the political support of the departmental government.

There is also the challenge of continuous and fluid inter-institutional coordination to achieve the expected results in each edition of the program.

In the future, the aim is to legislate the program so that it becomes a State policy, transcending the present period of government.

Lessons learned and transferability

Since its pilot edition in 2016, the program has consolidated to successfully meet its annual objectives, raise its profile and attract increased interest from various State actors.

It should be noted that the role of adults as attentive listeners to the concerns and proposals of children and adolescents has contributed to changing the perception of civic participation. Another strength is the support of families who have children in the program.

The involvement and commitment of children and adolescents, educational centres and institutional partners is fundamental to the success of the program.

References

International Association of Educating Cities (2009). "Charter of Educating Cities". AICE: Barcelona. Retrieved from: http://www.edcities.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/10/CARTA-CIUDADES-EDUCADORAS_3idiomas.pdf

Montevideo City Hall (2019). "Estrategia en la Intendencia de Montevideo". Retrieved from: http://www.montevideo.gub.uy/institucional/estrategia-en-la-intendencia-de-montevideo

Unicef (2006). "Convention on the Rights of the Child". Madrid: Nuevo Siglo. Accessed at: https://www.un.org/es/events/childrenday/pdf/derechos.pdf