Resources Library

What the Methodology Is

Understanding the foundation and purpose of this approach

  • Young Voices 2024 is a child led nationwide survey that captures children’s views on issues affecting their lives. Led by Save the Children Kosova or with the Ombudsperson Institution and child groups, it ensures ethical, inclusive, and large scale participation.
    The 2024 edition engaged 1,071 children aged 11 to 17 across 16 municipalities, including secondary and vocational schools. It explored topics such as education, participation, safety, mental health, climate change, and equality.
    The survey strengthens children’s right to be heard by generating evidence that informs advocacy and accountability. It addresses a key gap by ensuring children’s views are documented, analysed, and linked to policy change.
    Child led groups, including Respect Our Rights, Hëna, and Um za Decu, shaped the questionnaire, analysis, and recommendations, ensuring meaningful participation.
    First inspired by Save the Children Sweden in 2014, Young Voices has been implemented in Kosovo since 2016, with editions in 2021 and 2024, providing a platform for children’s voices to influence decision makers.

How It Can Be Used

Practical applications and implementation guidance

This methodology can be applied in nationwide or municipal consultations, policy reviews, education sector assessments, child rights monitoring processes, and advocacy campaigns, helping teams generate child-led evidence that informs institutional decision-making.

It is particularly useful when:

  • Institutions require structured, representative data on children’s perspectives.
  • Civil society organizations aim to strengthen advocacy with credible evidence.
  • Stakeholders seek to link Article 12 (right to be heard) with concrete policy influence.

Young Voices offers structured guidance for:

  • Co-creating and validating survey tools with children
  • Ensuring ethical data collection and safeguarding
  • Engaging marginalized groups meaningfully
  • Translating findings into policy recommendations
  • Facilitating dialogue between children and duty-bearers 

Focus on Inclusion

Young Voices 2024 puts inclusion at its core, ensuring representation across regions, ethnic groups, and education tracks, including VET schools. It actively includes marginalized children, such as those with disabilities, from Serbian communities, and from diverse geographic areas.


By involving these groups in designing and interpreting the survey, participation is equitable, strengthening both participation and non discrimination principles.


The approach follows ethical participation standards, with child friendly communication, informed consent, safeguarding, and adaptations to language and ability, while creating safe spaces for expression.


Its advocacy is also inclusive, with children presenting findings and data used by institutions and civil society to drive policies that reflect their real concerns.

Contributors

Organizations and individuals who developed this methodology

Young Voices 2024 was developed by:

These actors collaboratively designed, validated, analyzed, and advocated based on the findings, ensuring proper attribution and shared ownership of the methodology. 

Testimonials

Voices from those who have experienced this methodology

Quotes from young people
Young Voices was a wakeup call if you think about the correct statistics. It shows people that the issues we know about are actually very problematic.
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Ema 17, member of Respect Our Rights child-led group
Young Voices is not just a methodology, but a meaningful experience that helps young people discover their voice and speak up on issues that are often left unspoken.
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Dea 15, member of Respect Our Rights child-led group
Young Voices has been a very important part of understanding the problems that concern us as youth and as a society, something extremely important that implies that change is necessary.
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Arsa 16, member of Respect Our Rights child-led group