In defence of tokenism? Implementing children’s right to participate in collective decision-making

Abstract

This article revisits the concept and practice of tokenism in collective child participation, querying whether it is accurate to describe it as ‘non-participation’ and assessing the extent to which it may offer a useful and sometimes necessary step on the journey to more respectful and meaningful engagement with children. It concludes by reflecting on the quality of the feedback given to children and the role that improved feedback might play in addressing the challenge of tokenism.