Children's and young people's right to participate has been increasingly acknowledged and taken up internationally, as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet much of this has focused on collecting children's voices, rather than achieving change, and has met its limits. This book provides an analysis of children's participation in formal, collective and action research processes in six different international settings. It offers a deeper understanding of what helps and facilitates children's and young people's participation through research, evaluation and decision-making to go beyond voice and effect change. This analysis is set in the context of historical and current discourses of participation, the sociology of childhood, contemporary anthropology, children's geography and international development. Themes addressed include time and processes in children's participation, shifting and multiple identities of children, political and cultural contexts, places and spaces children inhabit, skills and capacities of adults, accountability and power. The analysis promotes an approach to children's participation as relational and collaborative, and will contribute to answering some of the questions facing practitioners and researchers embarking on participatory enquiry with children and young people. This is an invaluable book for practitioners and for scholars, postgraduates in anthropology, sociology, human geography, childhood studies, development studies, social policy, social work, community work, education, youth work and those with an interest in citizenship, children's rights and human rights. Researchers and practitioners in UN, government and non-government services will also find it applicable to engaging with children and young people.

Children's and young people's right to participate has been increasingly acknowledged and taken up internationally, as expressed in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Yet much of this has focused on collecting children's voices, rather than achieving change, and has met its limits. This book provides an analysis of children's participation in formal, collective and action research processes in six different international settings. It offers a deeper understanding of what helps and facilitates children's and young people's participation through research, evaluation and decision-making to go beyond voice and effect change. This analysis is set in the context of historical and current discourses of participation, the sociology of childhood, contemporary anthropology, children's geography and international development. Themes addressed include time and processes in children's participation, shifting and multiple identities of children, political and cultural contexts, places and spaces children inhabit, skills and capacities of adults, accountability and power. The analysis promotes an approach to children's participation as relational and collaborative, and will contribute to answering some of the questions facing practitioners and researchers embarking on participatory enquiry with children and young people. This is an invaluable book for practitioners and for scholars, postgraduates in anthropology, sociology, human geography, childhood studies, development studies, social policy, social work, community work, education, youth work and those with an interest in citizenship, children's rights and human rights. Researchers and practitioners in UN, government and non-government services will also find it applicable to engaging with children and young people.

Just as a successful garden needs the right soil, nutrients, companion plants, water and sunshine, My Beautiful Garden's draws a sweet comparison to how God calls us to love, nurture, teach, encourage, and protect our children so they will become all they were created to be...His beautiful gardens.

When two small children discover a mean, ugly troll under the Mackinac Bridge, they are both surprised and frightened. But they soon realize that the troll, who has lived in the Straits of Mackinac area of Michigan for more than 400 years, is actually a kind creature who cares deeply about his land and its history. The troll takes the children on a time-jumping adventure as he shares the story of his life over the past four centuries. Through this exciting journey, illustrated by Vickie Johnson, the children learn about history, heritage, and the value of preserving one's past. K.C. Thorne was born in Detroit and moved to his father's hometown of Pickford, Michigan when he was 7 years old. Growing up in the Mackinac area, Thorne knows its history and has crossed the Mackinac Bridge hundreds of times. His grandfather worked on the bridge, and his uncle drove a horse carriage on the island, so he is well connected to the area. He currently lives in Kalamazoo, Michigan and is planning a book of short stories set in Michigan titled "Superior Conjunctions." Publisher's website: http://www.strategicpublishinggroup.com/title/TheTrollofMackinac.html