From July 15th to 17th, 2026
Chambre des Salariés
2-4 rue Pierre Hentges, L-1726 Luxembourg
Our Partners
Training, information and exchange week on the situation of children's rights in Luxembourg and worldwide
The SummerSeminar is organised by the Office of the Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugendlecher in partnership with and with the support of the Chambre des Salariés and in partnership with the national monitoring bodies of the CCDH (Commission consultative des droits de l'Homme), the Ombudsman and the CELPL (Contrôleur externe des lieux privatifs de liberté) and the CET (Centre pour l’Egalité de Traitement).
Objective: To create a space for meetings, (further) training and exchanges between actors, professionals and decision-makers concerned with issues relating to children's rights (including actors from the social and educational sectors as well as civil society and the legal professions) in order to exchange ideas, obtain information, receive training, identify each other, consult, mobilise, develop, question each other, interconnect, open up to current and future challenges... and give each other time to reflect together over the course of a week.
Target audience: The SummerSeminar is aimed at institutional actors and civil society, professionals and decision-makers, in particular those working in the social, educational and socio-judicial sectors, legal professionals (lawyers, magistrates, jurists, mediators), students and future professionals, as well as interested children and young people.
Speakers: Each half-day of the SummerSeminar is led by interdisciplinary speakers working in the field of children's rights (research, teaching, political action, educational and social initiatives, etc.) or by OKAJU staff members.
Languages used during the seminar: presentations and speeches will be given in the usual languages of the country. No interpretation will be provided.
Program
Provisional Programme:
from 14:00:
PART A – Situation of children’s rights in Luxembourg
A first session dedicated to the assessment of children's rights in Luxembourg, combining institutional perspectives and youth engagement. Balancing a review of public policies, current challenges, and recommendations, this segment will highlight the progress achieved, persistent challenges, and key levers of action to strengthen the effectiveness of children's rights.
from 16:30:
PART B – Introduction to adultism and ordinary educational violence
A second session will be devoted to discovering and understanding adultism, a form of age-based discrimination that is still little known and discussed in Luxembourg. Introduced by Dr. Laelia Benoit, child psychiatrist and researcher, this segment will continue with a screening followed by a discussion with the audience. It will lay the groundwork for reflection on the relationships between children and adults and introduce the themes that will be further explored during the session on July 17th.
Provisional Programme:
Child Protection
A thematic day dedicated to child protection, featuring theoretical insights, professional practices, and international perspectives to strengthen protection systems. Promising models developed in the United Kingdom will be showcased, highlighting innovative approaches focused on both children's living environments and the concrete planning of their safety. The objective is to provide key insights to evolve practices and reinforce existing frameworks.
until 12:15:
PART A – Child protection: frameworks, practices, and challenges
A morning dedicated to the foundations and evolutions of child protection, structured around reflections on conceptual frameworks, professional practices, and contemporary challenges in prevention and protection. Enriched by contributions from OKAJU, this session will notably welcome Prof. Carlene Firmin (Durham University), a specialist in contextual safeguarding, and Prof. David Shemmings (University of Kent), an expert in safety plans. Their interventions will allow for the intersection of national and international perspectives to inform practices and strengthen protection mechanisms.
until 16:30:
PART B – Implementing and evolving protection systems
An afternoon focused on the theory and practice of child protection concepts (Kinderschutzkonzepte) with Prof. Dr. Mechthild Wolff (Landshut University of Applied Sciences), insights into the developments of the youth protection and child welfare reform, and a European perspective brought by the Council of Europe. The goal is to consolidate practices, improve reporting mechanisms, and evolve systems to best meet the needs of children.
Provisional Programme:
Adultism and ordinary educational violence
A thematic day dedicated to the relationships between children and adults, educational attitudes and postures, as well as the value systems transmitted from one generation to the next and their repercussions on the daily lives of children and young people. The concepts of adultism and ordinary educational violence will be addressed and explored, alongside pathways to question inherited relational and educational patterns and promote practices that are more respectful of children's rights and dignity.
until 12:00:
PART A – Rethinking relationships between adults and children
A morning dedicated to exploring the notions of adultism through diverse perspectives. Presentations by Anne-Catherine Rasson, Lecturer and Postdoctoral Researcher at UCLouvain Saint-Louis Brussels, focusing on power dynamics between adults and children, and Éric Delemar, Children's Advocate (Défenseur des enfants) in France, will offer complementary insights to better understand the mechanisms at play.
until 17:15:
PART B – Towards respectful and non-violent educational practices (followed by a closing reception)
An afternoon focused on levers for action, featuring reflections on equal dignity introduced by David Dutarte, head of FamilyLab France, participatory workshops, and a consolidation of findings and recommendations to foster more respectful educational practices between adults and children, identify concrete paths for evolution, and strengthen a culture based on the rights and dignity of children and young people.
SummerSeminar 2025
The SummerSeminar will take place from 16 to 18 July 2024 in the training room of the Luxembourg Lifelong Learning Centre, Chambre des Salariés in Luxembourg-Bonnevoie, 2-4 rue Pierre Hentges, L-1726 Luxembourg. Participants will be welcomed from 8.30 a.m. Twenty-minute coffee breaks will be provided in the morning and afternoon. Drinks will be available.
Lunch on 16, 17 and 18 July 2025 at the Chambre des Salariés is at the expense of the participants. It is possible to eat in the Brasserie de la Chambre des Salariés, with a dish of the day and a vegetarian alternative (starter, main course and drink for €10).
Registration and certificate of participation
Register for one or more of the 6 themed half-days and workshops at this link . Participants will receive a certificate of attendance (in person or online) on demand. Participation in the OKAJU 2025 SummerSeminar can be validated as continuing education by the Ministry of National Education, Children and Youth (MENJE) and the National Institute of Public Administration (INAP).
Please note that the number of participants is limited to 60 for the six half-days at the Chambre des salariés on a "first come, first served" basis. An email with the link to the webinar will be sent to those wishing to take part in the training online.
Further information and contact
Ombudsman fir Kanner a Jugendlecher
Mënscherechtshaus - 65, route d'Arlon, L-1140 Luxembourg
Tel: (+352) 28 37 36 35, Email: contact@okaju.lu
www.summerseminar.lu
Access :
Chambre des Salariés Luxembourg
2-4 rue Pierre Hentges
L-1726 Luxembourg
By bike :
3 Vel'oh stations are close to the LLLC :
№ 4 Rocade
№ 37 Gaulois
№ 2 Gare Centrale 2
By car :
3 pay car parks are close to the LLLC:
Parking Rocade
Parking Nobilis
Neipperg car park
