Introduction
How we can increase children’s opportunities to participate and influence society is a highly topical issue. Against the background of a reduced commitment to political participation and a reduced trust in politicians (see e.g. Amnå & Ekman, 2013; Öhrnvall, 2023), it becomes more important to work on promoting dialogues between decision-makers and citizens. These dialogues can contribute to deepening and strengthening democracy (Bornemark, 2017). The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (SFS 2018:1197) describes the child’s right to form and express his or her views and to have these considered. Swedish youth policy describes the goal as "all young people should have good living conditions, the power to shape their lives and have influence over the development of society" (Prop. 2013/14:191). In addition to the statutory requirements for children’s and young people’s opportunities for participation and influence, there are positive individual and societal benefits. The work with children’s and young people’s participation strengthens social capital and reduces social exclusion (Andersson & Sandgren, 2015; Wennerholm, Juslin & Bremberg, 2004). Municipalities must ground their efforts in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which is incorporated into Swedish law and stated in political objectives. However, in several municipalities, politicians and civil servants find it difficult to put their knowledge of the Convention into practical work (see e.g. Barnombudsmannen, 2022; Stern & Jörnlund, 2011).
Children and young people have been the main focus in previous studies regarding the work with children’s and young people’s influence. These studies have examined children’s and young people’s political interest and commitment (see e.g. Amnå & Ekman, 2013; Amnå, Ekström & Stattin, 2016; Tukkannen, Kankaaranta & Wilska, 2012) and the significance of forums for the future of democracy such as youth councils (Kassman & Vamstad, 2019; 2022). Other studies have shed light on forums for children’s and young people’s opportunities for participation and influence and how children and young people are given the opportunity to develop by participating in these forums (Andersson, 2018a; Harada, 2023; Kassman & Vamstad, 2019). Informal learning focuses mainly on how children and young people learn to cooperate (Harada, 2023), develop their thoughts by listening to others (Kassman & Vamstad, 2019), and develop their democratic skills (Andersson, 2018a; Harada 2023; Kassman & Vamstad, 2019). There are also studies that have emphasized pedagogical perspectives on adults’ attitudes and the consequences for the way they approach children and young people (Andersson, 2015, 2018a, 2018b, 2022). Viewing young people as future citizens rather than current citizens has been described as a risk that limits their opportunities for participation (Taft & Gordon, 2013). While these previous studies have focused to a greater extent on children and young people, they lack in focus regarding adults and their learning (politicians and civil servants), meaning what skills, abilities, and knowledge adults develop (see e.g. Andersson, 2015, 2018a; Harada, 2023; Kassman & Vamstad 2019; Svensson, 2006; Waara et al., 2010).
This study focuses on the adults by highlighting the conditions and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence. A large proportion of the decisions concerning children and young people are made at the municipal level. Local civil servants and politicians deal with a wide range of issues relating to schools, social services, leisure, and community planning, a complex task that requires both education and acquired knowledge in these areas. In a changing world with various demands on the organization, knowledge development and learning processes become central to meeting the challenges they face (see e.g. Argote, 2011; Tjulin & Klockmo, 2023; Sunnemark et al., 2023). The point of departure for this study is that politicians and civil servants have both individual and collective experiences as well as knowledge that can be made visible when they work with children’s and young people’s influence. The learning that takes place within organizations thus becomes central to adapting, developing, and managing the changes in the work that politicians and civil servants are faced with (see e.g. Argote & Miron-Spektor, 2011).
Aim and research question
In this study, the focus is on conditions for and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work on children’s and young people’s influence. Conditions are understood as what enables and hinders learning, which reflects the premises for what kind of learning is made possible in their work. Central to their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence is dialogue, which makes it possible to share experiences and knowledge.
The purpose of this study is to examine the conditions and expressions of politicians’ and civil servants’ learning in their work with children's and young people's influence. The following research questions guided the study:
x How do politicians and civil servants describe the experiences they bring with them from their work with children and young people?
x What conditions enable and hinder the learning processes of politicians and civil servants in their work with children’s and young people’s influence?
Method
This study emanates from data produced between October 2020 and June 2022, primarily through observations of meetings in which nine politicians and 16 civil servants participated. The study is designed as a case, where the case is framed by the model that the municipality has designed for their work on children’s and young people’s influence. The study’s empirical data has been collected through observations and dialogue sessions. Through these observations of their work, it became possible to see how their understanding is expressed (see e.g. Lalander, 2015; Kawulich, 2005). In doing so, the observations have been a prerequisite for studying conditions and expressions that emerge while they work and how these can enable or hinder politicians’ and civil servants’ learning. The study’s dialogue sessions were inspired by unstructured focus groups (Wibeck, 2010) and reflexive participant collaboration (Motulsky, 2021). Prior to the dialogue session, participants viewed a stimulus material based on the observations. These meetings allowed politicians and civil servants to develop their thoughts about the work previously observed (see e.g. Motulsky 2021; Wibeck, 2010).
The empirical material that forms the basis of the analysis consists of three parts, (1) observation notes, (2) transcripts from dialogue sessions and (3) written documents. In the current study, data triangulation has been used. By collecting data in such a way, it’s possible to see what commonly occurs on different occasions and what becomes visible in situated contexts (Fusch, Fusch & Ness, 2018). It can be described by the way observations relate to different activities between people and groups where the context becomes central. Triangulation has been used in this study to deepen knowledge about how these different factors complement each other in the municipality’s work. All data was analysed through a thematic analysis based on the work of Braun and Clarke (2006). The analysis aimed to identify and investigate patterns in the material in relation to the purpose of the study and resulted in five themes with subthemes.
Results
The study’s material shows how politicians’ and civil servants’ experience external demands and internal expectations become prerequisites for the shaping of their learning processes. The external and internal contexts create conditions for what knowledge both individuals, groups, and the organization obtain (see e.g. Argote 2013; Argote & Miron-Spector, 2011). The study shows how their work is shaped by external requirements which contain overall goals based on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the national goals for youth policy (SFS 2018:1197; Prop. 2013/14:191). The external context is also shaped by existing norms, such as norms about age, and the way politicians formulate policies that are institutionalized in their work (see e.g. Butler, 1980). Norms regarding children and childhood shape their work including policies and politics. In the external contexts of the work, there is also a contradiction that can be exemplified by nationally prevalent political expressions such as "being the adult in the room" which comes into conflict with the point of view regarding children as competent actors, stated in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (SFS 2018:1197). The different demands formulated by the external context also have an impact on how the local goals and efforts are shaped.
This study shows how commitment and motivation are prerequisite for sharing experiences and knowledge at work. Politicians and civil servants participate in various knowledge-raising activities related to work with children’s and young people’s influence and then bring these experiences to their smaller working groups. The discussions that take place at work can be understood as a way of assimilating knowledge, i.e. how they try to make sense of others' experiences and knowledge in their own context (see e.g. Cohen & Levinthal, 1990; Vaghefi, Lapointe & Shahbaznehad, 2018). However, the results reveal challenges in transferring the information to new situations and making use of it. The results show that the new forms of work largely resemble their previous structures. An explanation could be seen in terms of how their experiences affect the knowledge they acquire (see e.g. Argote, 2013; Argote & Miron-Spektor, 2011). An alternative way of understanding this might be that reaching out to a wider range of young people is a complex issue. It also appears from previous studies that organizations can encounter difficulties in dealing with complex problems and that individuals and groups tend to propose solutions that are familiar to them (Fang, Lee & Shilling, 2010). These issues can be difficult to address in the context of previous experience, and this demonstrates the need to develop new knowledge in and for efforts to increase children’s and young people’s influence.
The results of the study also indicate that the information and knowledge gained at work is mostly limited to discussions in smaller working groups. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of information and knowledge being discussed between individuals with different backgrounds, which benefits the organization’s ability to utilize it in and for work (Cohen and Levinthal, 1990). Experiences and knowledge are mainly discussed in smaller constellations, limiting the possibility of making these discussions into a common knowledge resource.
Discussion and Conclusions
The results of the study show that external and internal contexts of work, together with experiences, affect directions that politicians and civil servants see as viable in their work on increasing children’s and young people’s influence. The external context for work includes goal formulations, legal provisions as well as norms that shape conditions for the way politicians and civil servants make sense of their work within a local context. The results also show vague goal formulations in both the external and internal contexts of their work, which contributes to creating implicit goals for work. Previous studies have emphasized the importance of breaking down overall goals, to make the core of the work visible and for individuals and groups to create the circumstances for sharing relevant experiences and knowledge (see e.g. Goswami & Agrawal, 2020). The results of the study highlight the importance of working within the organization to develop a common understanding of goals and the reason for working to increase children’s and young people's influence.
The results also indicate that existing norms regarding children and childhood constitute a hinderance to the conditions needed for politicians’ and civil servants’ learning processes. The division between children’s rights and children’s protection contributes to the challenges that politicians and civil servants encounter in their work. The results of the study show that politicians and civil servants need to reflect upon their experiences of children and understanding of childhood and how doing this is a condition for doing their job. This is to bridge a dichotomous way of thinking about children’s rights and children’s protection. These two perspectives do not have to create contradictions but can be united in the efforts to increase children's and young people’s influence. These two perspectives have been highlighted in previous studies which found that they do not have to imply contradictions, but rather that it is necessary to include both concerns in their work (see e.g. Hellman, Hekkilä, Sundhall, 2014; Gustafsson, 2022). The results indicate that there is a need to pay attention to norms about age that appear in the work done by politicians and civil servants. This study contributes to other findings showing it is important to think critically about one’s previous notions regarding age and what these experiences add to new situations at work.