Activity: Rights of the Child Discussion

Objectives:

• Help young activists realize that they have rights
• Help them understand what these rights are
• Make a flyer/skit/commercial highlighting the most relevant rights to the group

Duration: 1-2 hours

Procedure:

1. Discuss what rights each member of the group expect to have as a young person. You can use the following questions as a reference:

• What is a right? How are your rights different at home, at school, at the club, or other places?
• Are there some rights that you should have wherever you are?
• Can you think of a time when your rights have been violated? Have you heard a story about someone else’s rights being violated?

2. Take a look at the UNICEF Children's Rights pamphlet. Read through the list of rights.

3. Which rights are most important to you? In groups of three or four, decide on one or two rights that are most relevant to your community.

4. Explain to the rest of the group which rights you chose and why.

Activity Extension:

• Now, draw a picture depicting each of the rights your group chose. (See UNICEF website for some ideas.)
• Once all the images have been completed, scan your pictures into the computer. Put these images onto one document, which will become your Children’s Rights flyer. If a scanner is not available, pictures can be photocopied and minimized. Paste all minimized images onto one piece of paper with other text and photocopy altogether to make your flyer. Pictures may also all be drawn right onto the piece of paper listing rights.
• List all of the rights you chose on this flyer as well.
• Include any other information you think is important (such as phone numbers to call if right’s are being violated, an introduction to children’s rights, etc.)
• Print out your flyer and post around the club and community. Issues like ‘where’ to post the flyers and ‘whom’ to distribute to post them is discussed in the Personal Social Networks section of Analysis.
• Take a flyer home to share with your family.

To see photos of a flyer activity in the Charlestown Computer Clubhouse in Boston, click here.

2. Making a commercial

The participants can also enact a skit with the theme of the Rights of the Child by organizing themselves in groups. These skits can be recorded with a digital camera or a handy cam. The movies can then be shown as commercials to other young people and rest of the community.

To view videos of skits created by kids in the Computer Clubhouse at Chelsea, Boston, click here.

Comments:

• Don’t forget to store the personal and group reflections about Children’s Rights in the YAN box.
• Starting with the Children's Rights discussion seems to be the most appropriate to help youth reflect about different dimensions of their lives and to help identify an agenda of their own. Moreover, it provides a basis that can connect YAN members from all over the world.
• It's important that the discussion focus both on Rights that Children assume they do not have in their communities, as well as the ones they consider they already have but need to be expanded.