The aim of this symposium is to consider two projects which have used participatory methods with young people focusing on the overarching area of wellbeing. Children’s rights have been enshrined in legislation in Wales since 2011, and this symposium reflects the importance of the rights agenda in education in Wales, with a particular focus on participation.
One project has focused on training a range of professionals and trainee teachers in raising their awareness of children’s rights in Wales. During the symposium, the responses of a group of trainee teachers in a specific task which reflects on the opportunities and challenges involved with enabling children’s rights will be considered. There will also be a reflection on the summative feedback at the end of the training, with a particular focus on the participants’ intentions in applying children’s rights in a learning setting. The other project has focused on working with a group of young people in a secondary school setting, focusing on their well-being and how their school is supporting them. The project has used innovative participatory methods in engaging the young people to enable the researchers to support the school in ensuring a continued focus on the young people’s well-being and thus support their learning development.