Child participation remained a key pillar of CRPP implementation in 2025. A total of 124 new children joined child clubs, and members from 09 clubs were successfully linked to Child Councils, thereby strengthening pathways to formal child governance. Over 130 children were actively engaged in District and Divisional Child Councils through leadership, advocacy, and rights-based discussions, which significantly enhanced their confidence and decision-making capacity. As a result, children reported feeling more confident in expressing their views to local authorities, and several child-led initiatives, including awareness campaigns on child rights and school safety, were initiated by council members.
A major highlight of the year was the CRPP team’s involvement in the three-day National Children’s Council (NCC) Programme, held at the Embilipitiya Training Center. During this event, children from all districts contributed to the development of the NCC Action Plan for the upcoming year, with facilitation support provided by the CRPP team. The programme also included a participatory and child-friendly election process for the new NCC Committee. The successful conduct of this national-level event marked a significant shift from symbolic to meaningful child participation, where children’s inputs were genuinely incorporated into policy-level planning. Looking ahead, FISD remains committed to supporting child councils at all levels, particularly in the implementation of the newly developed NCC Action Plan.