Eurochild will be holding its general assembly in Brussels this week with two young Maltese girls swapping posts.

For the past two years, Sharon Cilia, a member of the Children’s Council within the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, served as the Maltese representative on the European Children’s Council coordinated by Eurochild.

This council was inspired by an initiative taken by the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society – which has, since its inception, worked and spoke of the importance of child participation in democratic processes – a model which even led to Maltese children participating actively in a number of international fora.

Eurochild, an advocacy network of organisations working with and for children throughout Europe, will gather experts from its members, which amount to more than 170 organisations.

Sharon Cilia said: “It's a bit sad seeing my time as an ECC member come to an end but at the same time, I can see the golden sunshine on the horizon. The ending of the wonderful, empowering and unforgettable time spent working with the Eurochild's children council is actually the beginning; dawning of a new era of ideas and projects.”

Martina Oliva, a member of the Young Person’s Council within the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, and a member of the National Eurochild Forum, will be serving as the new Maltese representative on Eurochild’s European Children’s Council.

President emeritus, and chair of the Malta Foundation for the Wellbeing of Society, Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca expressed her satisfaction on the fact that the foundation was indeed a pioneer on active child participation in Europe.