Annual Conference 2026: Changing our World help to craft our flagship event with the ‘ideal workshop criteria’

Changing our World, our children and young people’s advisory group, has a key role to play in planning Children in Scotland’s Annual Conference, helping to ensure that the voices and experiences of children and young people are heard in the decisions made about what the event will look like.

Changing our World members tell staff coordinating the conference what is important to children and young people like them. This includes aspects like ensuring the conference is as environmentally sustainable as possible, creating spaces for children and young people to relax and play in the venue, and that children and young people are able to get involved in as many programme activities as possible.

One key part of planning that group members have their say on is which workshops are invited to present at the conference. Every year, the Changing our World planning group design their ‘ideal workshop criteria’, outlining what the group wants to see from the workshops they select. This year’s criteria highlighted how:

1. Workshops should not just be talking and listening – we want them to be interactive. 
2. They should include children and young people (more than one!) and they should be active in helping to deliver the workshop, sharing their unique views or experiences. 
3. We want attendees to learn something new and feel like they’re a part of something important. 

This month, the planning group met to review a set of workshops against their 2026 criteria and discussed which submissions they think would stand out for children and young people on the programme. 

The group thought there were positive aspects to all workshop submissions they reviewed but, by the end of the session, two workshops were selected and will be delivered over both days of the conference. The group said they liked that these workshops were interactive, got people moving, and were inclusive and youth led.

Emily, a member of the Changing our World, has shared some her experiences of selecting the workshops:  

1. Why is it important that Changing Our World has a say on what workshops are selected for the Annual Conference?  

The Children in Scotland Annual Conference should include projects involving children and young people and projects important to them. The most effective way to ensure these types of workshops are included is to allow children and young people to have a say in this and choose what is important to them. Changing our World is a group of young passionate people and we work closely with Children in Scotland and this is why it is important we have a say on the workshops. 

2. What stuck out to you about the workshops that the group selected?

What stuck out to me was the involvement of, and importance to, young people. Both projects have young people deeply involved in both the planning and presentation, and both projects will convey information and share activities that will help not only young people but also help adults to help young people. 

3. What advice would you give to any organisations submitting workshops for future annual conferences? 

You will be more likely to be successful if young people are involved in the planning and presentation of the workshops, as this is one of the things we are looking for. However, don’t be put off if you don’t have a strong idea about how to do this – as long as you are enthusiastic about wanting to include young people and can give us a rough idea, we will still be interested in your workshop. The last piece of advice is to make your workshop interesting to young people. If your workshop is something that young people would enjoy attending, it will be more likely to be successful.