In order to further promote the development of a child-friendly city in Hangzhou, strengthen the capacity of social organizations dedicated to children’s services, and encourage greater involvement in child-friendly initiatives, a capacity-building event for child-friendly social organizations was recently held in Xihu District, Hangzhou.

The event was hosted by the Hangzhou Women’s Federation and co-organized by Hangzhou URKIDS and the CCFU2089 Child-Friendly Development Center. It drew over 40 participants, including representatives from more than 20 social organizations and two children’s social practice organizations.

Shi Luyin, Director of the CCFU2089 Child-Friendly Development Center and chief editor of the book series Child-Friendly Practical Cases in China, presented the “2024 Ten Child-Friendly Initiatives of Hangzhou” and discussed “Ways for Social Organizations to Participate in and Innovate Child-Friendly City Construction.” She emphasized the importance of inclusive participation and building collective strength, urging more social organizations to contribute to the city’s child-friendly development.

Zeng Yingqing, Director of the Little Future Social Work Service Center, delivered a talk on “Using Educational Drama to Enrich Community Life and Support Children’s Development,” highlighting the pivotal role of educational drama in fostering community culture and supporting the holistic growth of children.

Ling Wei, Co-Founder of the Mimosa Project at the Six Big Pack Public Welfare Service Center, presented on “Fairytales of Love and Life Education for Children,” discussing the importance and outcomes of implementing the Mimosa child sexual education program in both communities and schools.

Principal Zhou Weiling and Vice Principal Bu Yan of Wenhan Kindergarten Education Group in Hangzhou’s Qiantang District shared their experience with “The Children’s Reception Room: Building a New Alliance for Children’s Democratic Participation.” They introduced practical insights on creating new collaborative spaces for family, school, and community education based on the child-friendly approach.

Xie Jiangying, a social work supervision expert, presented “Co-Creating Happy Communities with Child-Friendly Social Organizations: Experiences from Hangzhou,” covering concepts such as child-friendliness, overarching design, community-based practices, and the use of the “Five-Society Linkage” mechanism in the development of a child-friendly city.

Special observers from the Hangzhou Children’s Observation Group—a team of five—attended the presentations and shared their own perspectives on child-friendliness, as well as suggestions for advancing child-friendly city development.

The event also received support and in-depth coverage from the Zhejiang Young Reporters Group, aiming to inspire wider public interest and engagement in child-friendly city construction.

Through this capacity-building event, social organizations’ understanding of and enthusiasm for child-friendly city development were greatly enhanced. The activity deepened their professional grasp of child-friendly concepts and bolstered their practical skills in project planning and implementation. These advancements will contribute fresh momentum to the development of Hangzhou as a child-friendly city and support the growth of child-focused social organizations.