From 11 to 13 September 2026, the first training programme for young facilitators from Hesse took place at Jugendhof Rotenburg an der Fulda. Over the weekend, the 27 participants were prepared to facilitate children’s conferences at primary schools and in local communities. Using a peer-to-peer approach, the aim is to help children share their perspectives, wishes and needs at the local level and engage in dialogue with representatives from politics, local government and schools.
The training weekend was designed and delivered by SV Bildungswerk. The programme included activities to help participants get to know one another, an introduction to the “Voices of the Future: Now It’s Our Turn!” conference format, a range of workshop methods and warm-up activities, and sessions on recognising and addressing discrimination in facilitation, reflecting on one’s role as a facilitator and responding to children’s different needs.
Particularly valuable was the support provided by Nele and Erik, two members of our former Youth Expert Team (JEx-Team). They shared first-hand experiences from previous children’s conferences and offered the new facilitators practical advice for their future work.
The first opportunity to put their learning into practice came soon afterwards: on 15 September, the young facilitators helped run their first children’s conference at Balhorn Primary School in the district of Kassel.
The training also marks the start of a network of young facilitators who will facilitate children’s conferences throughout Hesse. There are plans to establish the format in other German states in cooperation with partners at state and local levels. The aim is to embed children’s participation in the long term, enable children to play an active role in shaping the environments in which they live and strengthen their sense of agency, while also empowering the young facilitators to pass on their knowledge and inspire others.
Further information about the children’s conference format and a practical guide are available here: Children’s Conferences: “Voices of the Future: Now It’s Our Turn!”.
