This includes a range of work designed to develop the capacity of individuals and organisations to promote holistic well-being and child participation. 

A central premise is that change begins with oneself. Our own challenge in the foundation – as individuals and as an organisation – is to embody the principles and practices of the Learning for Well-being approach. 

Activities include:

  • training and facilitation (e.g. Training ACT2gether Youth Leaders),
  • implementing programmes or interventions (e.g. School Community Development, Child Rights and Well-being Network), 
  • creating learning resources (e.g. “We Are Here” child participation toolkit)
  • professional and team development

We Are Here. A Child Participation Toolbox

The Learning for Well-being Foundation and Eurochild have published a toolbox that offers practical activities to help children, and adults who support them, preparing for roles as participants, representatives and facilitators, in events where children and adults work together for the improvement of their communities.

The publication entitled “We Are Here. – A child participation Toolbox” combines a rights and well-being perspective on children’s participation and promotes a partnership approach, highlighting the contributions of both children and adults in the process.

The two organisations have developed the activities in the Toolbox based on their long-term collaboration in supporting children in international events over the past few years. Eurochild’s Children’s Council was involved in developing and piloting several activities.

The publication is free online on Eurochild and the Learning for Well-being’s websites. 

Click here to download the Act2gether Toolbox pdf file.

And let us know what you think at info@ig508bdoqy.preview.infomaniak.website

Organisational Support

Walking the Talk…together.

We support our partners and their capacity in embedding holistic child well-being and participation in their practice. This happens through ongoing dialogue, tailored capacity building and creating connections with like-minded organisations and expertise.

Organisations we have supported: Eurochild, IICRD, Philea

Ourselves: Team & Organisation Development

In our organisational structure, in the partnerships we create, and the projects we implement.  Our being (the qualities we bring to any interaction or situation) is the most important intervention we can offer.

We create moments to reflect and align our practice together, and continue to connect to our inner strengths and unique potential.

Some of our activities include:

  • Online and In-person Team Retreats
  • Learning, Acting and Being (L.A.B. Calls)
  • 360º Team Evaluation
  • Internal Peer-learning Workshops

Potential for Life

Recovering the love for learning by connecting to one’s unique potential

Potential for Life is a programme where young people support younger peers in secondary schools in connecting to their sense of purpose and direction,  identifying their unique strengths, and discovering their optimal way of learning.

They participate in shaping their school environments, and feel more engaged in learning. 

The Learning for Well-being framework underpins this peer education programmes. Helping young people in embracing their differences, and realizing their unique potential. Strengths-based and holistic perspectives are thus brought to peer training. Notions of diversity are expanded to include individual differences in learning and communicating.

This project has been piloted in Belgium, Romania and Luxembourg. After being evaluated the programme is now being expanded to a series of tools to include teachers and parents as well.

PARTNERS: EPTO (European Peer Training Organisation), Ofensiva Tirelinor, EIESP

Children as Actors for Transforming Society **

A transformative gathering to boost child participation around the world

HOW IT BEGAN IN 2012

Hosted in Caux, Switzerland, the C.A.T.S. Forum was initiated in 2012, by Initiatives of Change (IofC) France in partnership with IofC Switzerland, Child to Child and with the support of the Learning for Well-being Foundation, which joined the year after as an official partner.  At different stages, other partners have also joined: a group of children and young people established as M.E.O.W (since 2016) and Eurochild at first as an organizing partner (2015 and 2016)  and after, as an associate partner.

6 EDITIONS: 1600 CHILDREN AND ADULTS

The original partner’s commitment enabled the Forum for 5 years, which had then been extended to two more years until 2019. Throughout the 6 editions of the C.A.T.S. Forum, more than 1600 children and adults have participated in a living experience of intergenerational collaboration to advance children’s rights and wellbeing, in particular the right for children to be heard and be taken seriously. The C.A.T.S. Forum has inspired initiatives from school days (Belgium), to national networks (Israel), national forum (France) and regional fora (Latin America and Asia). 6 years modelling, inspiring and enabling child participation. Click here to read all reports from the previous CATS editions.

ENDING OF CATS, BEGINNING OF SOMETHING NEW

In spite of the magic lived at the Forum, holding the event and its associated activities was not always easy. For all those involved, this process has been a source of great learning about the meaning and the boundaries of creating environments where all children can engage in meaningful participation, at all levels. This learning journey led the above mentioned partners to reach the conclusion they would now like to give a different expression to their commitment to children’s rights, in a way that best suits their respective vocation. Therefore, the CATS partnership is being dissolved at the beginning of 2019 and as such the CATS programma has come to an end.

At the L4WB Foundation we are working on a new program which will feature the relationships between children and adults. Soon, we will inform you about our exciting plans on this website and through our mailing list. If you wish to be added to our mailing list, please do send an email to the team.

INTESYS – Integrated Systems in Early Childhood **

Building the capacity of early childhood services

INTESYS is a three year (November 2015–October 2018) Forward Looking Cooperation Project co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Programme undertaken by a consortium of partners (see below). The project focuses on piloting new approaches to Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) systems in Europe with a view to ensuring that children and families in vulnerable situations have access to high quality ECEC provided by services that are better integrated across the different sectors (education, health, welfare, etc.), professions and across age groups and governance levels.

The project is managed by the King Baudouin Foundation (Belgium).  Additional Partners: ISSA (the International Step-by-Step Association, The Netherlands)), Compagnia di San Paolo (Italy), Emanuela Zancan Foundation (Italy), Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian (Portugal), Aga Khan Foundation (Portugal), VBJK (Belgium),  the Pedagogical Institute (Slovenia) and the Learning for Well-being Foundation (The Netherlands).

Click here for more information.

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