Organised as an international three-day workshop, this meeting brought together child rights experts and academics, as well as representatives of the Global Campus Youth Advisory Group, from all eight regions of the Global Campus Network.
In a very collaborative atmosphere, the participants focused on exchanging experiences and best practices, identifying opportunities to further strengthen cross-regional cooperation, and reinforcing the commitment to child participation and intergenerational dialogue.
Key Themes and Discussions
Day 1: Digital Safety and Children in Crisis
The workshop began with reflections on the past year’s progress, following the 2nd Global Campus child rights experts meeting, hosted by Yerevan State University in April 2024. The first thematic session focused on the intersection between artificial intelligence and children’s rights, children’s digital safety and cyberbullying. Experts from the Balkans and Central Europe presented lessons learned from projects being implemented in their regions, sparking a very interesting exchange with participants from other regions.
Another session examined the topic of children deprived of liberty and their access to justice in the light of the recommendations of the UN Global Study on Children Deprived of Liberty, which was published almost 6 years ago under the lead of GC Secretary General Manfred Nowak. Experts and youth leaders discussed how little awareness there still is in many parts about the situation and needs of children deprived of liberty, and the need for concerted action to strengthen respect for the rights of this vulnerable group of children. Similarly, the urgent need for international cooperation was underscored in the concluding session of the day, focusing on the impact of armed conflict and forced migration on children.
Day 2: Child Participation and Advocacy Strategies
The second day highlighted child participation in decision-making processes. Over the past three years, the Global Campus Child Leadership has flourished and grown, to the point that the children are now actively developing and implementing projects at national and regional levels, and informing the work of academics and practitioners.
Discussions explored best practices for fostering sustainable child and youth leadership structures, with a focus on engaging external stakeholders—including NGOs, governments, and academic institutions.
Day 3 – Knowledge Exchange and Celebrating Achievements
The final day opened with a space to showcase achievements across the GC network, ranging from recent academic publications, to interesting new partnerships on children’s rights, successful initiatives led by our Child Leadership Team members, and much more.
Youth Advisory Group members from the Balkans, Africa, Central Asia, and the Caucasus also presented on regional child rights issues, offering insights into how different communities implement child rights policies, emphasising the importance of local context in effective advocacy efforts. They also shared concrete plans to ensure the Youth Advisory Group, the Child Leadership Team, and the regional Child Rights Experts are joined in moving forward in our efforts to advance child rights across all regions of the GC network.
Looking Ahead
From seasoned faculty members to young leaders just beginning their university journey, all participants found the workshops inspiring and insightful. The ideas and strategies developed over the three days will help shape future research, education and advocacy efforts within the Global Campus network. Participants left with a renewed commitment to collaboration—building even stronger ties between the GC hubs, as well as with policymakers, legal experts, and grassroots organizations to drive meaningful change.
A special thank you to all participants for their dedication, knowledge, and cross-regional collaboration in advancing children’s rights. This event was held as part of the Global Campus–Right Livelihood partnership on child rights, which aims to build a “network in action” to advance children’s rights across the globe.
