Parliament of, by and for children

CHENNAI: Parliaments of different nations have various agendas to be discussed about major issues and citizen’s demands. However, would they have the space to discuss the problems faced by the children of the nation and their needs? What would happen if children form a parliament, take up the power to voice their problems and also recommend solutions for the same, will there be a change?

Inspired by Dr APJ Abdul Kalam’s ideology, this Dr Abdul Kalam awardee from the government’s Inspire, with the fierce idea of providing wings to kids, is working towards creating a powerful children’s community across the world to bring a change. Introduced to the children’s parliament when he was a 9-year-old, Gnanasekhar Dhanapal is now an international trainer with 14 years of experience.

Gnanasekhar hails from a remote village in Dharmapuri district, who joined the forum out of curiosity. He was told that a few organisations are visiting his village for skills development among children. “Among them was the Neighbourhood Community Network (NCN) that focused on bringing together women and children and paving the way for social empowerment,” he starts.

“I became the global convenor of the parliament when I was 18. The mother organisation of NCN is the Voluntary Health Association, for which I am the director now. Keeping these two organisations as a forerunner, I have started the Governance Magnify,” says Gnanasekhar. Along with his team, he is training children in 37 countries and has tied up with 12 countries including Uganda, Peru, Germany, Mexico and many more.

What is a children’s parliament? It happens in different stages, from schools, and neighbourhoods to international stages, and aims to promote and train children to voice out and find solutions for their problems as a collective body. “Parliament is necessary in all places where children are present. This platform acts as an effective forum for the children to have an active say. Having said that, suppressing their thoughts can lead to mental health problems and also there are chances that they might lose good opportunities that come their way. Our goal is to create global leaders,” shares the 23-year-old.

This miniature parliament not only aims to solve the problems but also acts as a mirror for children to see their reflections. This leads to self-realisation. Gnanasekhar is working towards bringing up sustainable teams, who will become trainers in the future and provide guidance to the forthcoming generation. He has trained lakhs of children across the world.

Explaining to DT Next how the training takes place, the founder of Governance Magnify elucidates, “There are three modules- functional, life skill, and value clarification. The functional part has insights into how a child should run a sustainable parliament and grab global opportunities. They will also be given communication training to interact with bureaucrats.” In value clarification, a basic understanding of love, peace, justice and many others will be imparted. “Everyone is pushing their children towards leading a successful life. But nobody teaches us how to handle failures. I strongly believe that if my child knows how to handle failures, he/she will eventually succeed in life. The parliament is trying to fix the loopholes in the society and children become social agents here,” he adds.

This parliament paves the way for cultural exchange as an educational minister from a remote village in Tamil Nadu gets to communicate with the educational minister of any other country. The motto of the parliament is to think locally and act globally. Children get opportunities to interact at global organisations like the United Nations and UNICEF, among others.

Sponsored by UNICEF, around 15,000 children’s parliament teams are functioning in Tamil Nadu. It is to be noted that Gnanasekhar received the Change Maker Award in 2020 from UNICEF for his contributions to uplifting society. In 2009, the organisation was selected as the world’s best child rights organisation for child rights actions by the UN. Sharing a memorable initiative taken by a young parliamentarian, the international trainer says, “In Dharmapuri, a girl dropped out from the school suddenly. Then we came to know that her parents had arranged a wedding for her when she was just 14. A 10-year-old parliamentarian reached out to the parents and tried convincing them, but in vain. He then immediately contacted the authorities, who intervened and stopped the wedding, thus saving the girl’s future.”

Rithika Shri, a 14-year-old parliamentarian, is from Chennai’s Kannagi Nagar. “I joined this platform to bring about a change and I have been working with a goal to put an end to crimes in the neighbourhood. We also emphasise the hazardous impacts of liquor and want the next generation to work towards eradicating the same,” shares Rithika, who aspires to become a doctor.

“Children’s parliament is a detox tool and helps them to figure out their skills. We are collaborating with the government to expand the initiative. I Voice, a platform for the ministers from the parliament will be launched soon, that shares the journeys of the kids,” Gnanasekhar reflects.