Presentation – CVC2026-629

Using storytelling to support children’s engagement in a local government community consultation project

Felicity Dunn, eQIPd, Australia

Background: The project involved seeking a wide range of community voices to influence the development of a rural council’s municipal early years plan, including those of young children. Adopting a similar approach to Marilyn Fleer’s Conceptual PlayWorld, the consultation with children about what they value about where they live was elicited by firstly building strong engagement with the topic via a story written specifically for children in the shire and showing places known to them.

Aim: The aim of the project was to ensure young children’s voices were included in the development of a local council’s early years plan.

Method/approach: A consultant developed a picture book featuring local places. Council officers contacted two kindergartens to invite children to contribute. Educators were invited to read the story to assess suitability. The kindergartens obtained family permission in line with service incursion policies. Participants were 32 children aged 3–5 years. The children listened to the story and were invited to draw pictures of what they love about where they live. The pictures were photographed with each child’s permission. As a council-sponsored project, ethics was navigated via seeking educator and family permission, leveraging service incursion and other relevant policies.

Results/findings: The children enjoyed seeing familiar places in a story. They found the story engaging, and after listening to it, were enthusiastic about participating in the drawing experience, contributing many ideas about what they love about where they live, informing the council about children’s priorities for the plan. Ideas included the library, the pool, playgrounds, their homes, and time spent with people they care about. Natural environments where children can climb and scramble were also suggested.

Conclusion: Using a relatable story works well to elicit engagement from children to contribute ideas to the community consultation. It was clear that public facilities like swimming pools, libraries, and parks are deeply valued by children, as is the quality of their relationships with key caregivers.

Implications for children and families: Your ideas helped influence your local government’s planning of services to meet the needs of young children like you.

Implications for practitioners: When seeking to include children’s voices, using a story can be an excellent device to build children’s interest in the topic, leading to rich discussions.

Funding: The project was funded by Northern Grampians Shire Council as part of the development of its Municipal Early Years Plan.

Keywords: children’s voices, community, local government, story, well-being

This presentation relates to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: