Decatur earns UNICEF's 'child-friendly city' status. It's one of only 3 in the U.S.

The city of Decatur is being recognized by the international humanitarian aid organization UNICEF as a child friendly city after implementing a youth-led local action plan.

The Child Friendly Cities Initiative launched in the U.S around 2001. It requires communities to create a plan that addresses the needs of young people and involves them in decision making. UNICEF USA President Michael Nyenhuis said adults should be listening to the youth.

“So we've always championed the idea that government bodies, including municipalities, should be organizing youth advisory councils,” he said. “They should be bringing youth in when they're thinking about plans and budgets, some things that will affect young people and children.”

The city, just east of Altanta, regularly involves students from the community in local government through the Teen Leadership Team and Decatur Youth Council. Mayor Pro Tem Tony Powers said a lot of work for the UNICEF initiative was parallel to what they were already doing.

“We've added youth involvement to some of our boards and commissions,” he said. “ There's now a youth member of the Board of Education, so lots of things where we make sure that we're capturing those voices in real time.”

A team of 30 high school students helped to develop the Local Action Plan for Youth as part of the Child Friendly Cities Initiative. In the plan, the students identify five community priorities: equality, climate change, trust with law enforcement, improving public spaces, and mental health awareness.

Powers said the city listened to the students and added climate resilience to Decatur’s 10-year strategic plan.

“So as a city, we have adopted a plan that we are vowing to have all of our city fleet electrified by the year 2035,” he said. “You know, we've got three active solar projects on city buildings.”

Research for Decatur’s local action plan began in Sept. 2021 and implemented in Sept. 2023.

Decatur is the third city in the U.S. to earn the Child Friendly City status after Houston and Minneapolis.