Children’s Books Ireland and The Ark, A Cultural Centre for Children, chose to programme a symposium in September 2008 to fulfill a need identified by both organisations in relation to artistic practice for and with young  people in Ireland.

This working symposium was designed for those creating and delivering arts projects in different settings, who are interested in consultation with children (age 3-14).  Consultation is increasingly recognised as an essential process for understanding the needs of our audiences, but what are the methods for successfully consulting with children as a means to truly enriching their cultural lives? The Ark and Children’s Books Ireland, as national organisations, were delighted to work together to address this question.

The event opened with a keynote address from the Chair Sheila Greene, Director of the Children’s Research Centre at Trinity College and included  presentations of inspirational projects where children have been actively involved in artistic policy and practice development.  These were followed by practical workshops, delivered by Playtrain (UK-based consultation specialists), providing participants with a rare opportunity to up-skill in this area.

The event was enabled by the generous support of The Irish Youth Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies and The Office of the Minister for Children. 

What became clear as the planning for the event developed was a real appetite to engage with this area.  The response was very positive with all 80 available places for the symposium taken up and a standby list also in operation. The symposium was designed to give delegates some international perspectives around current practice in this area, with the intention of supporting both emerging and established related work in Ireland. Delegates represented a wide variety of organisations and came from all across Ireland. This created a very rich and varied context for the symposium and also provided a challenge to create an event relevant to all participants. 

We are delighted to make a record of the event available below.  We have presented summaries of both the presentations and the workshops, along with a reflection of the response to the symposium. We have also included details of Irish and international resources and activities relevant to consultation with children.

Building a Culture of Consultation with Children within Artistic Policy and Practice