‘The future of Europe will be created in cities by our children and young adults, therefore, cities need to be child friendly! The City of Ghent truly understands this need.’
Daniël Termont
City of Ghent Mayor
Welcome to the 8th edition of the Child in the City Conference in Ghent
The 8th Child in the City conference will be held between 7 – 9 November 2016 at the KASK School of Arts in Ghent, Belgium. This international event is a joint project of the Child in the City Foundation and the European Network of Child Friendly Cities (ENCFC). Child in the City 2016 has the full support of our host, the city of Ghent. Read more >>
- Download the Conference Programme
- Have a look at our 100+ speakers
- Join the conference field trips
- Video invitation from the mayor of Ghent
The conference, which takes place every two years, is a key opportunity for children’s professionals, city planners, geographers and policy makers to share knowledge, good practice and research findings from the various disciplines that are important to the shared aim of creating child-friendly cities.
The speakers:
Meet the conference speakers and hear from practitioners with expert knowledge in the focus area of child friendly cities. We are looking forward to meeting you in Ghent in November!
Programme
‘There is no more efficient approach to children’s rights like in the local communities and governments.’
Jan van Gils
European Network Child Friendly Cities (ENCFC)
President
The conference will begin on Monday 7th November with a plenary session, and will finish on Wednesday 9th November in the afternoon. Several parallel sessions and interactive workshops will be held over the event’s three days. As well as the usual presentations, the conference will also offer interactive workshops.
There will be visits and discussions based on the practical experience of projects in Ghent. Small workshops will be organised around the main conference themes, where the focus will be on interactive discussions.
Conference themes
The themes for this year’s conference are:
- Child Friendly Policies
- The position of children in the city
- Children and the built environment
- Refugee and immigrant children and young people in cities and municipalities
Through these themes, we also want to pay special attention to the future: what are the next steps in the evolution of the child-friendly city?
Please click on the button below to download the full Child in the City Conference Programme:
Field trips
You can also look forward to a cocktail reception, hosted by the Mayor of Ghent and a conference dinner to network with other delegates. Before and after the conference there will be optional trips to places of interest within the beautiful historical city of Ghent. Visit our field trips page to learn more.
The Child in the City Foundation
‘Are children getting their space and playing opportunities in cities? Child in the City is giving insight on the latest research and experiences worldwide’
Johan Haarhuis
Child in the City Foundation
Chairman
Child in the City is organised to enable social scientists, researchers, practitioners, politicians and city planners from all over the world to share their thoughts and develop new ideas to meet the needs of children in modern cities. Host cities have included Bruges, Stuttgart, London, Rotterdam, Florence, Zagreb and Odense.
We have a group of subject matter experts (children’s professionals, university lecturers, researchers, city planners) from all over the world, who write for us and share knowledge, good practice and research findings from the various disciplines that are important to the shared aim of creating child-friendly cities.
The main objectives of the Child in the City Foundation are to:
- Strengthen the position of children in cities
- Promote and protect children’s rights
- Give children the space and opportunities to play and enjoy their own social and cultural lives
We do this by providing communications platforms for academics, practitioners and campaigners for children’s rights to disseminate research and good practice.
The city of Ghent
‘Need more information about our location? Call us and we will help you save time’
Marketa Vesela
Project Manager
Child in the City
T: +31 (06) 38 145 133
The city of Ghent breathes history but is also brimming with culture and modern city life. The city is one of Europe’s greatest discoveries – small enough to feel cosy but nice enough to stay vibrant. It has enough medieval frivolity to create a spectacle but retains a gritty industrial edge that keeps things ‘real’.
The mayor of Ghent, Daniël Termont welcomes you to the 8th Child in the City Conference:
Ghent has many options for travel and accommodation during the Child in the City Conference. Choose the one that works best for your individual needs.
The city offers fabulous canal side architecture and some of Belgium’s most fascinating museums.
Who should attend?
Who should attend:
- Children’s rights advocates
- National, regional and local authority officers
- Youth and play workers
- Planners
- Urban designers
- Children’s geographers
- Playground designers and producers
- Highways and traffic managers
- Sustainability champions
- Public health campaigners
- Researchers
- University lecturers and students
- UN officials
- NGO representatives
- Policy makers
Questions which will be discussed during the conference include:
- What are the specific plans and strategies that lead to genuinely child-friendly cities?
- What research can be undertaken to establish how these policies can be best monitored, evaluated and developed?
- How can the interaction between children/young people and local authorities strengthen their sense of belonging as a citizen?
- How can the built urban environment be most effectively child-friendly, youth oriented and intergenerational?
Why join the Child in the City Conference?
- You will be part of an international gathering for research and good practice in creating child friendly cities
- All major practitioners, local politicians and academics will come together to discuss the rights and wellbeing of children throughout Europe and beyond
- Child in the City Conference is one of the leading events on the latest child friendly policies and research studies.
- There will be a networking exhibition room where top researchers and scientists will display their projects on a poster presentation
- Professional speakers from all over the world will be speaking about child friendly cities.