At this year’s Eurochild Conference in Cyprus, members of the Eurochild Children’s Council took the stage alongside Darren Bird from the Learning for Well-being Foundation and Laure Pailleau from Eurochild to share the story behind the child-friendly version of the European Commission’s Mental Health and Wellbeing at School Guidelines. 

The process began almost two years ago with the development of the European Commission’s guidelines for school leaders, educators and policymakers. Recognising the importance of making this work accessible to children, the next step was to reimagine the guidelines as a resource shaped by, for and with children. 

Throughout the process, members of the Eurochild Children’s Council played an active role in developing the content and creative direction, bringing their perspectives and priorities into the publication. Their work later took them to Brussels, where they presented the guide to European policymakers, before sharing their experience with more than 150 participants at the Eurochild Conference, including children and young people, policymakers, academics and child rights advocates.   

During the session, the young speakers reflected on what they had learned through the process and invited participants to explore some of the activities that supported the creation of the guide. Their reflections highlighted the importance of creating opportunities where children and young people can participate in ways that work for them, while showing the value of involving them in shaping resources that respond to their needs.