Empowering kids - Part 1

The true measure of a nation’s standing is how well it attends to its children – their health and safety, their material security, their education and socialization, and their sense of being loved, valued, and included in the families and societies into which they are born.

Those words are taken from the beginning of UNICEF's report - Child poverty in perspective: An overview of child well-being in rich countries.

The Report claims to be a comprehensive assessment of the lives and well-being of children and adolescents in 21 economically advanced nations. Its purpose is to encourage monitoring, to permit comparison, and to stimulate the discussion and development of policies to improve children’s lives.

The top ranking country for subjective well-being was the Netherlands, and the UK was ranked lowest. Newsround reported UK kids 'could have happier life'.

In part 2 of this blog we'll be comparing some aspects of kids' tv in the UK and in the Netherlands, and we'll see that tv over there isn't just about giving kids a voice. It's about empowerment through real participation in the programme making process.

For now though, have a look at Tim Levell's latest blog - this time it's not about banning anyone or anything, and there are some interesting readers' comments too.

Carefully note the bit where Tim says "we have a crucial role in giving children aged six to 12 a voice," as I might have more to say about it in a future blog.