This publication brings together two years of research done at the Master of Design Research program, WdKA / Piet Zwart Institute, Rotterdam 2024 -2026. Exploring the beliefs that shape childhood and limit their influence in public life.Alongside reflections on childhood, children's rights, and civic participation, the essay introduces a practical learning experience and toolkit designed to help municipalities and cultural spaces recognise children as stakeholders and create more meaningful opportunities for participation.

Children are rarely recognised as stakeholders in the decisions that shape their everyday lives. The greatest barrier to their participation may lie, not in children's capabilities, but in the assumptions adults hold about childhood itself.
Drawing on research with children, parents, municipal professionals, and the Amsterdam City Participation Team, Children's Participation Is Designable explores the beliefs that shape childhood and limit their influence in public life. Through creative inquiry, participatory design research, grounded in design justice thinking, the essay argues that children are not simply preparation for adulthood, but present-day citizens with valuable perspectives to offer.
‍ ‍For policy makers, municipal professionals, social designers, and anyone interested in building more inclusive cities, this essay offers both a challenge and a practical invitation:
If participation has been designed, it can also be redesigned.‍ ‍