Commentary on Chapter 5: Understanding the Discourses of Childhood and Agency

Abstract

‘Childhood is a time of innocence, play and development, where adults’ role is to protect, provide for and advocate on behalf of children everywhere’. This was the image of the child we offered when we were asked to define ‘childhood’ in our first class that was introducing us to the Childhood and Social Institutions Program at King’s, Western University. Now, several years since that first class, having graduated university and both currently working in various childhood related fields, we would describe childhood in a very different way, as we apply a very different social lens. We now have a much more participatory view of childhood, where children are viewed as individuals who should be offered resources and equal opportunities to express themselves and be included in all matters that impact their lives. This perspective can face much resistance in wider society due to the fact that children’s development, play and protection commonly outweigh any opportunities for children to demonstrate agency themselves. We have come to recognize this resistance throughout our personal and professional lives, as well as the positive impacts that fostering child agency can have. We will highlight these moments through the experiences we have had in education, recreation, non-child related fields of work and other organization.