Being a Family in Community Movement:

when childhood inspires community development

Abstract

It is in childhood that the foundations for development and learning are laid. The quality of environments where children belong and participate – the family environment; the house (housing conditions, access to basic sanitation and comfort); the school; the neighborhood (the gardens and public spaces); the feeling of security; access to transport, leisure, sport, culture and access to services, namely care and childhood education – determine their development and life trajectories in a decisive way.

This article reports the co-creation experience of a movement to support childhood development that was born from the shared desire of a community and that ensures that the living ecosystems of children and their families have the necessary quality to respond to their interests, needs and potentialities. Investing in childhood implies supporting all families, with greater impact on those who are excluded and/or vulnerable, as well as contributing to social and community development. In a broader sense, it contributes to building the world we want to live in.