The International Network "The City of Children"
The Project is currently present in 15 countries around the world, mainly in Europe and Latin America: Italy, Portugal, Spain, France, Switzerland, Lebanon, Mexico, Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Colombia, Peru, Brazil, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina. There are more than 300 cities that join the International Children's City Network. The cities of the Network are coordinated by the International Laboratory «The city of children» of the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR in Rome.
In addition to the international network, some national networks are active: the Italian network, the Argentine network, the Brazilian network, the Mexican network, the Lima network and the Spanish network. In some cases, national networks also include provincial or autonomous community networks as is the case of Argentina and Spain.
In 2013 the Lazio Region joined the international project "The city of children" and developed the regional project "Lazio, the Region of girls and boys", giving rise to the regional network.
The Local Networks
Lazio Regional Network
The regional network, consisting of 18 cities and 2 Roman municipalities, was founded in 2014 as part of the project "Lazio, the Region of girls and boys". The network is coordinated by the Regional Laboratory, jointly managed by ISTC-CNR and the Lazio Region - Environment Directorate - Environmental Education and Communication Area.
The Regional Laboratory, in addition to coordinating the network, supports the Municipalities in the implementation of the project activities.
The Italian Network
The Italian Network was formally founded in 1996, with the aim of developing a sense of belonging to the project, promoting discussion and sharing of experiences. In the same year, the International Laboratory "The City of Children" was established, within the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR. The Laboratory aims to provide training, support and coordination to the cities that adhere to the project.
The Spanish Network
The Spanish network was formed in 2016 during a meeting that took place in Granada, at the Parque de las Ciencias museum; after this meeting, four more followed: one in Pontevedra (Galicia) in 2017, one in Huesca (Aragon) in 2018, one in Fuerteventura (Canary Islands) in 2019 and the last in Burjassot in 2023.
The Latin American Network
The Latin American Network "La ciudad de las niñas y de los niños" was born in Santa Fe, Argentina, in May 2009. That year, the province of Santa Fe, at the personal behest of Governor Hermes Binner, opened a Latin American Laboratory which, using the skills developed within Rosario's experience, sought to promote knowledge of the contents and development of the project in the municipalities of the Province of Santa Fe, as well as in other Argentine cities and in some cities of the Latin American States.
The activities of the International Network
The International Network
The International Network was created with the aim of providing support to the cities that join, coordinating activities, encouraging exchange and comparison. The cities of the Network meet during International Conferences and during local and/or national meetings.
The International Laboratory
The design, development, coordination and research activities on the project are carried out by the International Laboratory.
The International Laboratory has among its functions:
- the coordination of the Network, the collection of memberships, the collection of experiences, the dissemination of results, the facilitation of contacts and meetings;
- training, planning support, the development of support tools for the implementation of the activities envisaged by the project (e.g. methodological manuals);
- evaluative research on the effectiveness of the project in achieving the expected results and on the impact of the proposed experiences on the various social actors involved (children, parents, local administrators, teachers and school managers).
The International Laboratory hosts the International Documentation Center which has recently been digitized and is accessible at the following link: Historical archive of the project;
The Laboratory is also the place where:
- meetings with the administrators of the cities that intend to join the project;
- training courses aimed at local administrators, representatives and the working group.
Since 2023, the Francesco Tonucci Association, thanks to a collaboration agreement with the Institute of Cognitive Sciences and Technologies of the CNR, has been carrying out the management and coordination of cities and networks at an international level, through the collaboration of a group of experts and volunteers from the different countries, who support the coordination, participate in the training and evaluation and monitoring of the project.
Experimenting with networking proved to be the best strategy for developing the project in the various cities. The network fosters a dynamic of exchange and mutual inspiration, allows shared initiatives to be carried out and ensures the support of the various project coordinators active in the different realities.
