We live in a world that needs to change. All around the world, children are trying to call global leaders to action. And at a time when most of the world is unable to agree on much else than the fact that they disagree, perhaps we should listen to those who will have to live with the consequences of the decisions made by adults.
The annual UN General Assembly will be held in New York City in September. And a couple of days before, it will be mirrored by the international Children’s General Assembly in Billund.
Here, children of the world will work towards formulating a manifesto that can be submitted to the leaders of the world.
Children from all over the world will attend, discuss, collaborate, and create their joint manifesto.
Children have the right to be heard. The goal is not only to show the world what children want and what they are capable of. The goal is to help make the world a better place to grow up.
Here you will find inspiration materials developed for Children’s General Assembly.
Find materials such as a Facilitation Handbook, Inspiration Handbook, Communications kit, 2021 speeches, and the 2021 Manifesto.
The Children’s General Assembly in Billund is an assembly for children from all over the world. At the Children's General Assembly, children and young people will work together to draft and adopt a manifesto as well as submit it to the world’s leaders at the Children's General Assembly in September.
The purpose is:
The Children's General Assembly will be an online process from April-June, and a physical/online Children's General Assembly in September. Participants attend both the online process in April-June and the physical/online Children's General Assembly in September.
| My child prefers to come alone. Is that possible? |
It is not possible for the child to be without a responsible adult at the September Summit. It is our safeguarding policy that every child needs a responsible adult to participate alongside them. |
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It is not possible for us to participate physically in the program. What do we do then? |
The children who will not physically be in Denmark for the Children’s General Assembly September Summit can still participate in a few activities in the program. We are currently working on making a session, where the ones that will not be able to physically attend the Children’s General Assembly September Summit, still can meet the other participants online. Please let the team know if you will be participating in the online activities by sending us an email at info@capitalofchildren.com.
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Is it possible to bring family members at events? |
Although everybody are very welcome in the Capital of Children, Billund due to limited capacity in some locations, only the participating child delegate and responsible parent/caregiver can participate in the actual September Summit meetings.
However, we strongly encourage you to write down your wishes in the last box within the registration link, so that we can make a count of how many family members want to participate all in all. |
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Is it possible to hear the children’s speeches somewhere else?
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It is always possible to participate online, as that part of the Children’s General Assembly September Summit will be livestreamed. In that way it will also be an option for other family members back home, school mates and friends to support the participant.
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Can I connect with other parents from my home country?
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Sure thing. Feel free to use the Parent and Caregiver Teams Group to connect with other parents/caregivers from your home country.
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From mid-February to March 20, children between the ages of 10-17, regardless of nationality, religion, gender, age, and circumstance has applied for participation in Children's General Assembly.
Over 50 nationalities have applied and we are now processing all the applications.
March/April 2022 applicants will receive an e-mail with information on whether they have been selected to participate, as well as information on group, workshop date and times.
Between April and June the selected participants will join a number of Safeguarding meetings and Co-Creation workshops.
The timeline leading up to the Children's General Assembly
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20. March |
Deadline for Application |
Online / Web |
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29. March |
Parent and Caretaker Information Meeting |
Online / TEAMS |
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Week 13-16 |
Safeguarding Meetings |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 16 |
Co-Creation Workshop 1 |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 18 |
Co-Creation Workshop 2 |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 20 |
Co-Creation Workshop 3 |
Online / TEAMS |
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Week 22-25 |
Safeguarding Meetings |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 21 |
Co-Creation Workshop 4 |
Online / TEAMS |
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31. May |
Parent and Caretaker Information Meeting |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 24 |
Co-Creation Workshop Manifesto / Idea selection |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 25 |
Co-Creation Workshop 6 |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 26 |
Co-Creation workshops – Manifesto / Idea Selection |
Online / TEAMS |
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16. August |
Parent and Caretaker Information Meeting |
Online / TEAMS |
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Weekend week 34/35 |
Co-Creation workshops – Manifesto / Idea Selection |
Online / TEAMS |
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13.-15. September |
September Summit |
Billund, Denmark |
The overall programm for the September Summit 2022
At the September Summit there will be different roles for the participants this includes eg.:
| Where are we staying? |
Upon your arrival, you will receive information regarding your place of lodging for September 12-16. |
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What is paid for? |
The following costs are covered for the participating child delegate and the one responsible adult parent / caregiver:
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We’re arriving earlier and/or staying longer. Is that okay? |
You are very welcome to arrive earlier and/or extend your visit in order to explore the Capital of Children, Billund on your own. Billund has many well-known and lesser-known tourist attractions, which we can warmly recommend visiting. See visitbillund.dk for inspiration. Please notice that we only cover the accommodation as well as meals from the 13th – 16th of September 2022. See previously sent info for discounts to hotels and |
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What is my role as a responsible parent/caregiver during the Children? |
In general, we need you to be close to your child. The children will organize and participate in the workshops themselves. Sometimes you will be in the same room, sometimes you will be in our parent/caregiver lounge. The caregiver lounge is located near the children. E.g., during school visits in Billund you will participate alongside your children. |
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How can I support my child before, during and after the Children’s General Assembly? |
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What am I supposed to do when I am not with my child? |
We encourage all parents and caregivers to socialize with each other. You are very welcome to work, bring a book, or play a game in the parent/caregiver lounge. We also have arranged parent and caregiver activities. You can choose to be a part of these activities as you like. You will know more about these activities at the Parent and Caregiver Information Meeting in August. |
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What are the preliminary starting and ending times for the September Summit? |
Every morning we start at 9:00 am and end at 9:00 pm at the latest. As we approach September the full program for the Children’s General Assembly September Summit 2022 will be available for you. |
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What about dresscode? |
Bring clothes that make you feel comfortable. Just make sure there is no logo/product placement and/or no political statements showing at the formal Live Show on Thursday 15th which will be live-streamed. |
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Will there be time in the official program to be a tourist? |
As we have organized an intensive September Summit Program from September 13-15, there will be no time set aside for the child delegate in the program for visits to Billund’s attractions during the program. |
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CGA22 September Summit |
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Travel Grants |
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Flights |
Your travel agent or airline booking websites |
Capital of Children is unable to assist with booking of airline tickets. |
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Visa |
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Denmark |
https://applyvisa.um.dk/NVP.App/frontpage
Capital of Children is unable to assist with visa applications. |
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Extension of visit to Billund / accommodations |
Line at Lalandia Billund |
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Tourist information |
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Who must apply for a VISA? |
You will find information regarding a VISA here |
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Who can help me get a VISA? |
Contact the Danish Embassy in your home country. It is important that you apply for a VISA as soon as possible as processing of VISA applications is a timely process and can take several weeks. Please take great care in filling out your VISA application correctly and include “Letter of Invitation” as it includes information that the Embassy needs to process your VISA application(s). |
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Is a VISA necessary to apply for a travel grant? |
We can process your application for a travel grant even though you have not received a VISA. |
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Can you support me in getting the visa?
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It will be your own responsibility to get a visa. However, we will send you an official letter of invitation, you can use in order to apply for the visa. Make sure you register for the September Summit (registrationslink sent Friday 3rd of June 2022 by mail). When this step is done you will receive the letter within approx. two weeks. |
Below you will find answers regarding the Travel Grant process.
You will receive an e-mail with a link. In this link, you will find the form you have to fill out.
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Which expenses can be subsidized by a travel grant? |
Roundtrip flights/travel from the nearest international airport to Billund |
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Which expenses CANNOT be subsidized by a travel grant? |
Domestic flights in your home country Stay in Billund - CGA22 covers charges for overnight accommodations from September 12 to September 16 (including breakfast) |
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Who can apply for a travel grant? |
Child delegates
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How do I apply for a travel grant? |
An e-mail has been sent directly to all delegates which includes the link for the application form. |
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What amount can be applied for? |
No amount limit has been set, but as our travel grant pool must benefit as many persons as possible, you cannot expect to receive a travel grant for the full amount of your international ticket costs. Participants from developing countries have first priority. |
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When should I apply? |
The deadline for receipt of your application is June 19, 2022. Applications received after this date will not be processed. |
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When will I receive an answer to my application for travel grant? |
Answers will be sent to all recipients of a travel grant no later than June 24, 2022. If you have not received an answer by that date, it means that we have been unable to approve your application. We will NOT send notice to the delegates whose applications were not approved. |
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Can I get help with filling out the application? |
Unfortunately, it is not possible for us to help. We hope that our information letter and this Q&A will be sufficient guidance. |
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Is a VISA necessary to apply for a travel grant? |
We can process your application for a travel grant even though you have not received a VISA. |
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When will I receive the awarded travel grant? |
We will transfer the amount within 8 working days. It can, however, take up to 20 days for international bank transfers before the amount is available in your bank account. If you haven’t received the amount within 20 days of transfer, please contact your bank. After receiving the granted amount, you are obligated to send a receipt of the paid airline tickets and a copy of your visa application to: nee@cocplayfulminds.org. The deadline for receipt of paid airline tickets and a copy of your visa application is August 15, 2022. |
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In which currency should I apply for the travel grant? |
U.S. Dollars |
Questions regarding the application? Contact us at info@capitalofchildren.com
| We have found a cheaper flight ticket that does not consider the discount from your partners. Which ticket should we buy? |
Always buy the cheapest ticket. We collaborate with KLM, Virgin Airlines, Delta Air as well as France Airlines. This does not mean you have to choose one of these companies to fly with.
If the cheapest ticket is not through our partner-airlines, we still encourage you to buy the cheapest ticket from your destination to Billund, Denmark. The discount is an opportunity for those where it makes sense. |
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What about the |
We take care of all transportation for both the children and the responsible adults to do all the activities around the Capital of Children, Billund municipality. We also offer transportation from/to Billund Airport from/to accommodation. |
The workshops
All the workshops will be held online from April-June. We encourage the children to use their own computers or their family computers.
September Summit 2022
The Children’s General Assembly Summit in September will be a hybrid mix of in-person attendance in Billund and online attendance.
If the Covid-19 pandemic restrictions in September do not allow physical attending, the Summit will also be online – with a lineup of children’s talks on global challenges and solutions, exciting conversations across continents, and the submission of the children’s manifesto to the world leaders.
At any point, we will act accordingly to the recommendations of the Danish government.
Final decisions will be made in September 2022.
In mid-February, a link for applying was published.
The participants are selected through a thorough process based on the application and the KPI's set by the partnership group. The process is conducted by the workshop group/selection panel, which consists of representatives from the workshop team, facilitator team and the evaluation team.
Members of the selection panel possess competencies within pedagogy, didactics, strategy, and evaluation. They are all trained in safeguarding children.
Safeguarding entails keeping the children's well-being the first priority, and making sure the participants feel safe and secure.
| Fixed criteria: |
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Soft criteria (assessed by the selection panel): |
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Other factors: |
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Children across nationalities, genders, and backgrounds will work together virtually in 10 groups over a three-month period before the Children's General Assembly Summit in September.
Working democratically, the groups must reach a consensus on the issues to be presented at the Summit.
The participants will learn through play and co-create a shared manifesto.
In the online process in April-June:
In a process in June-September, both online and in-person:
The Children's General Assembly 2021 was the first ever assembly. During winter '21 there was an extensive selection- and safeguarding process in which the participants where chosen. Ten groups of approximately 8 children were compiled.
In spring, the participants took part in a series of online workshops where they worked together on topics developed by a children's panel in The Capital of Children. The topics where related to the challenges we face in the world.
Over the summer, two representatives from each group further specified and concretized the topics and solutions, the workshop groups had developed. This took form in ten different speeches, and a manifesto that consolidated the speeches.
In September, the 20 representatives met in Billund and read their speeches and manifesto to representatives of state as well as an audience, both physical and online.
The future belongs to children, and they are the ones who must live with the consequences of the decisions made by the leaders of the world at the UN General Assembly.
In order to address and navigate through the complexity and possibilities of the world today and in the future, children need to be able to work together, communicate, think critically and creatively as well as solve problems.
The right of children to co-determination is a central tenet in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.
By bringing together children from every walks of life at the Children’s General Assembly, we are creating a forum that helps children learn democratic skills, to act as creative global citizens and to get the attention of the leaders of the world.
Billund is the Capital of Children. For a century the city of Billund has had an extraordinary focus on children and for more than 10 years the municipality has had a vision: Billund is the Capital of Children. Here children learn through play and are creative citizens.
In 2020, Billund was recognized by UNICEF as a Child-Friendly City and Municipality as a result of its extraordinary efforts in relation to children and children’s rights. The ambition remains to create the world’s best city for children. And for the world.
The Children's General Assembly is developed by the Capital of Children Partnership, formed and qualified with a group of children from Billund.
The initiative is developed in collaboration with 13 partners:
Billund Municipality, the International School of Billund, the LEGO Foundation, CoC Playful Minds, the LEGO Group, Billund Airport, LEGO House, WOW PARK, LEGOLAND, Lalandia, the Drive Foundation, KIRKBI, and AV Design.
Applying for Children's General Assembly 2022 is no longer possible. The deadline was March 20.
We have received applications from everywhere in the world and of all ages.
