Participating in the Planning and Construction of Child-friendly Communities to Better Meet the Needs of Children's Lives in the Community

Children are the hope and future of society, and it is the common responsibility of the whole society to create a “safe, friendly and energetic” community environment for children. With a strong sense of responsibility and mission, the United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities (UNICCC) has actively participated in the planning and construction of child-friendly communities to better meet the needs of children's lives in the community and improve the happiness index of children's lives.

I. Child-friendly Community: Concept and Significance

The so-called “child-friendly community” mainly refers to the rights and needs of children as the center, through scientific and reasonable planning and construction, to create a “healthy, safe, interesting and comfortable” living environment for children. Child-friendly communities can not only effectively meet children's basic needs, but also promote children's physical and mental development, and cultivate children's creativity and sense of social responsibility. In a child-friendly community, children are free to learn, play, explore, get close to and experience nature, and interact with others. The community is equipped with safe transportation facilities so that children can walk and ride without fear; quality cultural facilities and educational resources so that children can learn and grow better; rich and varied activity spaces and playground facilities so that children can release their energy to the fullest; and warm and caring services and community atmosphere so that children can experience the warmth of their families and the care of the community.

Building child-friendly communities is of great significance in meeting children's basic living needs and promoting their healthy growth and all-round development. First, in a safe community environment, children can avoid violent crimes, traffic accidents and other dangers, reducing the possibility of accidental injury; at the same time. A good community environment is conducive to children's physical and mental health, ensuring children's physical development and mental health. Secondly, the rich and diverse cultural facilities and educational resources in child-friendly communities create more learning space and opportunities for children, and improve their motivation to learn. Communication, interaction and cooperation in community activities are conducive to the development of children's social skills and sense of teamwork, helping them adapt to society better and faster. Thirdly, children are an important part of the community, and their participation and vitality can bring more vitality and vigor to the community; at the same time, building child-friendly communities can likewise strengthen exchanges and cooperation among residents in the community, and improve the sense of belonging and cohesion of the whole community.

II. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities: Mission and Commitment

The core concept of the United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities is child-centered, fully respecting children's rights and needs, and advocating that urban planning and development should fully take into account the interests of children. Its purpose is to promote, through international cooperation and policy guidance, the development of more child-friendly environments in cities and communities around the world. The specific missions and responsibilities are as follows: First, to safeguard children's rights. First, to protect children's rights. Ensure that children's basic rights are fully respected and safeguarded in urban development and management, especially in the areas of education, health, safety and participation. Second, to promote sustainable development. Through the construction of child-friendly cities, promote sustainable urban development, improve the quality of urban life and ensure the well-being of future generations. Third, to advocate for social equity. Eliminate inequalities and discrimination faced by children in urban life, especially for disadvantaged and marginalized groups of children, and ensure that all children have equal access to the fruits of urban development. Enhancing public participation. Promote the active participation of children and their families in urban planning and policymaking, and improve the scientific and effective nature of policies.

III. Planning and building child-friendly communities: practice and exploration

1. Safety first: creating a safe community environment

Safety is the first principle in planning and building child-friendly communities. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities should first pay attention to creating a safe community environment when planning and building child-friendly communities. Children's safety should be ensured through scientific transportation planning, installation of safety facilities and safety education. In terms of transportation planning, following the basic principle of separating pedestrian and vehicular traffic, special sidewalks and bicycle paths should be planned and constructed to reduce the threat posed by vehicles to children's safety; speed bumps, signals, pedestrian crossings and other safety facilities should be set up at important intersections and road sections to remind vehicles to slow down and ensure the safety of children's travel. In terms of safety facilities, handrails, guardrails, non-slip floors and other safety facilities are set up in the community to avoid accidental injuries to children; and safety warning signs are placed around activity areas and playground facilities to remind children to pay attention to safety. In terms of safety education, the cooperative organization establishes cooperative relationships with community organizations and schools to organize and carry out safety education activities such as drowning prevention, fire safety, traffic safety and other safety activities, so as to enhance children's awareness of safety and self-protection ability.

2. Infinite Fun: Creating a Rich Play Space

Playing is children's nature, and a rich play space allows children to release their vitality and cultivate their imagination and creativity. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities should pay attention to the creation of rich play spaces when planning and constructing child-friendly communities. Combined with children's interests and age characteristics, we should build a rich variety of activity spaces and play facilities. In terms of activity space, it is necessary to reasonably utilize unused space in the community to build outdoor activity space such as lawns, gardens and squares, so that children can play and explore in nature. At the same time, indoor activity spaces such as children's art museums, science and technology museums, and libraries can also be created in the community so that children can learn and play indoors. In terms of amusement facilities, the design concept of safety, environmental protection and fun should be adhered to; traditional amusement facilities such as slides, swings, climbing frames and teeter-totters can be designed, as well as creative amusement facilities such as labyrinths, pools and sand pits, to better satisfy the diversified amusement needs of children.

3. Learning and growth: providing quality educational resources

Education is an important part of children's growth, and high-quality educational resources can lay a solid foundation for children's comprehensive development. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities should pay attention to the provision of high-quality educational resources when planning and constructing child-friendly communities. Through cooperation with schools and organizations, it can provide more diverse educational services for children. From the perspective of school construction, it is important to emphasize the construction of software environment and hardware facilities, and to equip schools with modern teaching equipment, such as libraries, laboratories, multimedia classrooms, etc., as well as to emphasize the construction of teaching staff and the improvement of teaching quality. From the perspective of cooperation with educational institutions, cooperation can be established with various educational institutions to provide children with extracurricular tutoring, talent training and interest cultivation and other educational services. For example, the cooperative organization cooperates with sports training institutions to provide children with sports training courses such as swimming, basketball, soccer, etc., and cooperates with art training institutions to provide children with art training courses such as music, painting and dance.

4. Caring Services: Creating a Warm Community Atmosphere

Care is an important guarantee for children's growth, and a warm community atmosphere enables children to experience the warmth of family and social care. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities should pay attention to the creation of a warm community atmosphere when participating in the planning and construction of child-friendly communities. Through the organization of community activities and the provision of care services, the sense of belonging and cohesion of the community can be enhanced. In terms of care service provision, cooperative organizations can work with volunteers, community organizations and other organizations to provide warm care services for children. For example, they can provide living assistance and psychological counseling for children in difficult circumstances and left-behind children, and provide special education and rehabilitation training for children with disabilities. In terms of organizing community activities, the cooperative organization can organize various forms of community activities, such as parent-child activities, volunteer services, festival celebrations, etc. These activities can not only enrich children's after-school life and enhance parent-child relationships, but also strengthen communication and cooperation among residents and improve community cohesion.

IV. Future Prospects: Continuously Promoting the Construction of Child-Friendly Communities

Building child-friendly communities is a systematic and long-term project that requires close cooperation and joint efforts of all social parties. The United Nations Intergovernmental Cooperation for the Construction of Child-Friendly Cities will give full play to its important role and significant advantages and actively participate in the planning and construction of child-friendly communities. In the future, the Cooperation Organization will deepen its cooperation with all social parties to jointly build child-friendly communities; actively participate in the process of policy formulation and implementation, and provide strong policy guarantee for the construction of child-friendly communities. In addition, the organization will increase its cooperation with social organizations and enterprises to jointly organize and carry out activities for children in the community. At the same time, the cooperative organization will constantly adjust and optimize the planning and construction of child-friendly communities; combine international advanced concepts, and actively explore and practice child-friendly community construction models with local characteristics. The Cooperation Organization will also make reasonable use of new-generation information technologies, such as big data, the Internet and artificial intelligence, to provide more scientific and effective solutions for the planning and construction of child-friendly communities. Finally, the Cooperation Organization will continuously increase the publicity and promotion of child-friendly communities, and widely publicize the core concept and significance of child-friendly communities through various media channels, so as to strengthen the public's awareness of and concern for child-friendly communities. In addition, the cooperating organizations will organize various exchanges and training activities to promote the achievements and experiences of child-friendly community construction, so as to provide references and lessons for the construction of child-friendly communities in other regions.