From 2-4 October 2026, World Vision Foundation of Thailand (WVFT) continued its commitment to protecting children from online risks and online child sexual exploitation and abuse (OCSEA). The foundation places strong emphasis on meaningful child and youth participation by listening to the challenges children face, strengthening their knowledge and digital literacy skills, supporting youth-led project design, and promoting policy-level change at the national level.
On this occasion, WVFT supported youth leaders from the Omkoi Area Development Programme in Chiang Mai Province to participate in the ‘Children’s Rights in the Digital Environment’ Workshop, organized by the Internet Foundation for the Development of Thailand, in collaboration with the Thai Health Promotion Foundation (ThaiHealth) and the 5Rights Foundation. The workshop aimed to enhance young people’s knowledge, skills, and capacity to become changemakers advocating for children’s rights in the digital age.
The workshop provided opportunities for participants to learn about children’s rights in the digital environment, online safety, personal data protection, and how to respond to online threats. It also highlighted the role of children and young people in contributing to a digital society that is safe, rights-respecting, and inclusive, while empowering them to transform children’s voices into recommendations and advocacy messages for positive change.
Empowering Young People to Become Changemakers
WVFT believes that children and young people are not merely beneficiaries of development. They are rights-holders with the potential and capacity to actively shape their own futures and contribute to society.
Throughout its work, the foundation has prioritized the holistic development of children and youth across multiple dimensions, including leadership, communication, critical thinking, collaboration, and responsible citizenship. WVFT strives to create opportunities for children and young people to express their views, learn, and meaningfully engage in issues that directly affect their lives.
Participating in this workshop provided youth leaders with another valuable opportunity to strengthen their skills in problem analysis, public issue advocacy, and creative communication, enabling them to amplify the voices of children and young people on issues related to rights and safety in the digital world.
From Learning to Policy Advocacy
As part of the programme, participants joined a workshop session entitled “From Children’s Rights to Policy Advocacy: Transforming Challenges into Goals for Change.” This session provided a platform for young people to analyze the challenges children face online, exchange perspectives, and collaboratively design solutions that can contribute to positive change.
The youth participants also gained practical experience in campaign design, public communication, and youth network building, enabling them to expand awareness and advocacy efforts on children’s rights in the digital environment to a broader audience.
Bringing Children’s Voices to Policymakers
Another key activity was participating in the presentation of the 2026 Survey on Thai Children’s Experiences with Online Risks, which provided children and young people with an opportunity to share their perspectives, experiences, and recommendations directly with policymakers, government agencies, and partner organizations.
Their participation demonstrated that children and young people can play a meaningful role in shaping policies and protection measures for children in the digital era when they are provided with appropriate opportunities and support.
Creating Meaningful Opportunities for Participation
World Vision Foundation of Thailand remains committed to promoting the principle of Child Participation, ensuring that children and young people have opportunities to express their opinions, be heard, and participate in decision-making processes that affect their lives and futures.
Supporting youth leaders to participate in activities focused on children’s rights in the digital environment reflects WVFT’s commitment to nurturing a generation that is digitally literate, confident in expressing themselves constructively, respectful of their own rights and the rights of others, and capable of contributing to a safer, fairer, and more inclusive society.
Following the workshop, participating youth leaders will apply the knowledge, experiences, and ideas they gained within their own communities. They will also contribute to the development of advocacy materials on children’s rights in the digital environment to continuously raise awareness among children, young people, and communities, extending the power of youth participation to wider society.
