Children’s council and children’s mayor
A total of 6 groups from primary schools in the City of Leeuwarden can participate in the children’s council. Schools that have not participated before are given priority. The children make a proposal in advance at school. Information about how to make such a proposal is available from the local authority. They have created teaching materials for children and teaching materials for teachers. Primary school teacher training students also come to teach children about this.
Council meeting
The big moment arrives in April: 6 groups of 6 children from participating schools take their seats in the council chamber of Leeuwarden Town Hall. The other children sit in the stands to cheer them on. Each group presents its own proposal. The children’s council then choose the best proposal. The winning proposal is implemented for €5,000.
Children's mayor
Every year, the local authority has a new children’s mayor and deputy children’s mayor. The children’s mayor is the ambassador of all children in the City of Leeuwarden for a whole year.
Appeal
Through the schools and our social media, we launch an appeal to ask children to participate in the election in the spring. Children who want to become children’s mayors submit a video. The six best videos are chosen. These children are invited to come to the City Hall to introduce themselves. The jury then decides who will become children’s mayor and deputy children’s mayor.
New children's mayor
Previous children’s mayors Levi Silvijn and Anouk van der Zee called on all children from groups 6 and 7 in the City of Leeuwarden to send in a short film about why they think they would make a good children’s mayor. The jury reviewed all the videos and invited 5 candidates to come to City Hall. They were allowed to present themselves and a plan before the jury. The children’s mayor and a deputy children’s mayor were chosen from among them.
What does the children's mayor do?
- He or she attends various events alone or together with the mayor or alderman. For example, the arrival of Sinterklaas and the wreath-laying during the commemoration of war victims on 4 May.
- The deputy children’s mayor replaces the children’s mayor if the latter cannot attend an event.
- Children from the City of Leeuwarden can contact the children’s mayor to ask their questions by emailing kinderburgemeester@leeuwarden.nl.
Who is the children's mayor?
Lisa van der Veen of IKC Franciscus is children’s mayor of Leeuwarden.
Deputy children’s mayor
Sybrich Soepboer of OBS de Finne is deputy children’s mayor of Leeuwarden.
10 years of the Children's Council
To mark the 10th anniversary of the children’s council (in 2014), the City of Leeuwarden commissioned a children’s council newsreel about the children’s council in the past years. You can watch these episodes here:
episode 1, episode 2 and episode 3.
Video
A superb video was made of the 2014 Children’s Council including the B-Brave concert. The concert was a gift from the City of Leeuwarden to all children from years 6, 7 and 8 of primary schools in the City of Leeuwarden.
Winning proposals
- 2024: OBS de Finne, Warten. Proposal: Expand De Merke in Warten and attract more people with games such as bubble football and XXL checkers, XXL four in a row, ring throwing, XXL Jenga, etc. They want to purchase these games and also lend them to schools free of charge.
- 2023: No children’s council. This is in connection with the organisation National Day for Children’s Mayors in Leeuwarden.
- 2022: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus (not enough preparation time).
- 2021: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus.
- 2020: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus.
- 2019: Maximaschool. Proposal: big container day.
- 2018: Koningin Wilhelminaschool, Transvaalstraat location. Proposal: survival playground at Rengershal.
- 2017: Dr. Algraschool. Proposal: development of an app/game for children linked to LF2018 (Cultural Capital).
- 2016: Leeuwarder Schoolvereniging. Proposal: making a box of all (old) Dutch games and quiz. All schools in the City of Leeuwarden may borrow them and he aim is to help refugee children integrate.
- 2015: Willem Alexanderschool. Proposal: making a box of all the games for a hexathlon that all schools in the City of Leeuwarden can borrow.
- 2014: OBS de Pionier. Proposal: Building an outdoor classroom.
- 2013: Koningin Wilhelminaschool. Proposal: ‘Crazy Sports Day’ one day of going crazy and doing everything that can’t be done at home. Like sweets-catching from a trampoline or having a water fight. During the break, dance school Urban Raw will perform.
- 2012: Prins Mauristsschool. Proposal: ‘Sport and exercise’, designing a sports calendar in collaboration with BV Sport. And organising sports clinics in the summer months in the Bilgaard district.
- 2011: OBS De Wester. Proposal: ‘Out and about’, a lesson box with questions, assignments and materials for a treasure hunt through the Leeuwarder Bos.
- 2010: OBS de Wielen. Proposal: ‘Green Stars’, refurbishing old playground equipment in the Groene Ster and building an adventure trail near the beach.
Participating in the Children's Council
Would you like to join the Children’s Council? If so, please send an email to miriam.heida@leeuwarden.nl. In a short video, we explain how the Children’s Council day goes.
Council meeting
The big moment arrives in April: 6 groups of 6 children from participating schools take their seats in the council chamber of Leeuwarden Town Hall. The other children sit in the stands to cheer them on. Each group presents its own proposal. The children’s council then choose the best proposal. The winning proposal is implemented for €5,000.
Children's mayor
Every year, the local authority has a new children’s mayor and deputy children’s mayor. The children’s mayor is the ambassador of all children in the City of Leeuwarden for a whole year.
Appeal
Through the schools and our social media, we launch an appeal to ask children to participate in the election in the spring. Children who want to become children’s mayors submit a video. The six best videos are chosen. These children are invited to come to the City Hall to introduce themselves. The jury then decides who will become children’s mayor and deputy children’s mayor.
New children's mayor
Previous children’s mayors Levi Silvijn and Anouk van der Zee called on all children from groups 6 and 7 in the City of Leeuwarden to send in a short film about why they think they would make a good children’s mayor. The jury reviewed all the videos and invited 5 candidates to come to City Hall. They were allowed to present themselves and a plan before the jury. The children’s mayor and a deputy children’s mayor were chosen from among them.
What does the children's mayor do?
- He or she attends various events alone or together with the mayor or alderman. For example, the arrival of Sinterklaas and the wreath-laying during the commemoration of war victims on 4 May.
- The deputy children’s mayor replaces the children’s mayor if the latter cannot attend an event.
- Children from the City of Leeuwarden can contact the children’s mayor to ask their questions by emailing kinderburgemeester@leeuwarden.nl.
Who is the children's mayor?
Lisa van der Veen of IKC Franciscus is children’s mayor of Leeuwarden.
Deputy children’s mayor
Sybrich Soepboer of OBS de Finne is deputy children’s mayor of Leeuwarden.
10 years of the Children's Council
To mark the 10th anniversary of the children’s council (in 2014), the City of Leeuwarden commissioned a children’s council newsreel about the children’s council in the past years. You can watch these episodes here:
episode 1, episode 2 and episode 3.
Video
A superb video was made of the 2014 Children’s Council including the B-Brave concert. The concert was a gift from the City of Leeuwarden to all children from years 6, 7 and 8 of primary schools in the City of Leeuwarden.
Winning proposals
- 2024: OBS de Finne, Warten. Proposal: Expand De Merke in Warten and attract more people with games such as bubble football and XXL checkers, XXL four in a row, ring throwing, XXL Jenga, etc. They want to purchase these games and also lend them to schools free of charge.
- 2023: No children’s council. This is in connection with the organisation National Day for Children’s Mayors in Leeuwarden.
- 2022: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus (not enough preparation time).
- 2021: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus.
- 2020: No children’s council due to Covid 19 virus.
- 2019: Maximaschool. Proposal: big container day.
- 2018: Koningin Wilhelminaschool, Transvaalstraat location. Proposal: survival playground at Rengershal.
- 2017: Dr. Algraschool. Proposal: development of an app/game for children linked to LF2018 (Cultural Capital).
- 2016: Leeuwarder Schoolvereniging. Proposal: making a box of all (old) Dutch games and quiz. All schools in the City of Leeuwarden may borrow them and he aim is to help refugee children integrate.
- 2015: Willem Alexanderschool. Proposal: making a box of all the games for a hexathlon that all schools in the City of Leeuwarden can borrow.
- 2014: OBS de Pionier. Proposal: Building an outdoor classroom.
- 2013: Koningin Wilhelminaschool. Proposal: ‘Crazy Sports Day’ one day of going crazy and doing everything that can’t be done at home. Like sweets-catching from a trampoline or having a water fight. During the break, dance school Urban Raw will perform.
- 2012: Prins Mauristsschool. Proposal: ‘Sport and exercise’, designing a sports calendar in collaboration with BV Sport. And organising sports clinics in the summer months in the Bilgaard district.
- 2011: OBS De Wester. Proposal: ‘Out and about’, a lesson box with questions, assignments and materials for a treasure hunt through the Leeuwarder Bos.
- 2010: OBS de Wielen. Proposal: ‘Green Stars’, refurbishing old playground equipment in the Groene Ster and building an adventure trail near the beach.
Participating in the Children's Council
Would you like to join the Children’s Council? If so, please send an email to miriam.heida@leeuwarden.nl. In a short video, we explain how the Children’s Council day goes.