Gideon Calder: Is Co-Creation with Children a Good Idea?

A public lecture exploring the idea of co-creation with children and its practical and ethical implications.

The speaker examines what it means to involve children as genuine participants in the development of projects, policies or artefacts, and considers both the moral case for doing so and the claim that it is an effective way of working. The talk identifies key paradoxes and engages with a range of arguments against co-creating with children, weighing tensions between ideals and practical limitations.

The conclusion offers a qualified, critical endorsement of co-creation with children, setting out where it can be valuable and where caution or further refinement is needed. The event is framed for anyone interested in philosophy of childhood, social policy, ethics and participatory methods.